Architect Proposal Template: Architectural Design Proposal for a Main-Floor Renovation
This architect proposal template for a main-floor renovation is a client-ready fee proposal for architects designing a remodel of a kitchen, living room, dining area, entry, or other primary living spaces. It sets out the architectural scope, design phases, fee structure, deliverables, and assumptions before design work begins.
Built for residential architects and small architecture studios, the template helps you charge for existing-conditions review, space planning, schematic design, design development, permit drawings, consultant coordination, and construction administration. It gives homeowners a clear basis for approving your services while protecting your time when the renovation scope changes.
Why use this template
- Define the scope before drawing begins. Separate the main-floor renovation from excluded work such as upper-floor alterations, additions, landscape design, or full interior decorating.
- Present professional fees clearly. Show whether each phase is billed as a fixed fee, an hourly allowance, a percentage of construction cost, or a combination of these methods.
- Avoid unpaid revisions. State the number of design options and revision rounds included, then identify the hourly rate for changes beyond that allowance.
- Coordinate permit and consultant work. Make clear whether structural engineering, MEP design, survey work, energy documentation, and permit fees are included or billed separately.
- Set expectations through construction. Clarify the number of site visits, contractor meetings, drawing reviews, and responses to RFIs covered by the proposal.
What the template includes
- Client, property, and project summary: the homeowner’s details, site address, existing conditions, renovation goals, anticipated construction budget, and target schedule.
- Scope of architectural services: programming, measured drawings or review of supplied as-builts, space planning, kitchen layout coordination, finish concepts, code review, and drawing production.
- Project phases and deliverables: schematic design plans, design-development drawings, reflected ceiling plans, interior elevations, outline specifications, permit set, and bid or construction-issue package.
- Fee schedule: fixed fees by phase, hourly rates for additional services, retainers, invoice timing, and payment due dates.
- Consultant coordination: the architect’s role in coordinating structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, lighting, or energy consultants, plus each party’s responsibility for fees.
- Revisions and additional services: included client review meetings, permitted revision rounds, and examples of extra work such as relocating plumbing after design approval or redesigning for a new contractor price.
- Exclusions and client responsibilities: permit fees, consultant fees, contractor pricing, material purchasing, hazardous-material testing, and timely client decisions.
- Construction-phase services: site observation, submittal review, responses to contractor questions, change-order review, and final punch-list support, if selected.
- Acceptance terms: proposal validity, authorization to proceed, ownership and permitted use of instruments of service, and signature lines.
How much to charge
Architectural fees for a main-floor renovation depend on location, existing building complexity, required structural changes, permitting requirements, and the level of construction-phase involvement. These are practical North American starting ranges to adjust for your market and project risk.
- Hourly architectural services: typically $150 to $300 per hour for principal or licensed architect time. Junior staff, drafting, or BIM support may be billed at $90 to $175 per hour.
- Existing-conditions survey and base drawings: often $1,200 to $3,500, depending on the home size, available records, and whether field verification is needed.
- Schematic design and space planning: commonly $3,500 to $9,000 for a focused main-floor remodel with several layout options and a client presentation.
- Design development and permit/construction documents: often $6,000 to $18,000 for renovations involving kitchen relocation, wall removal, new openings, or substantial MEP coordination.
- Percentage-based fees: a full architectural scope may be priced around 8% to 15% of estimated construction cost. For a $150,000 renovation, that may place design fees between $12,000 and $22,500, subject to scope.
- Construction administration: use an hourly allowance or a fixed fee, such as $2,500 to $7,500, based on site visits, project duration, and contractor coordination needs.
Who this template is for
- Residential architects proposing a renovation of an occupied single-family home.
- Architecture firms designing an open-plan kitchen, dining, and living-room reconfiguration.
- Architects coordinating structural changes, such as removing a load-bearing wall or adding new beams and openings.
- Designers providing architectural services for a condo or townhouse main-floor remodel, subject to building approvals.
- Practices that need a clear proposal before beginning permit drawings or engaging engineering consultants.
- Architects offering limited design services as well as full services through construction completion.
Frequently asked questions
Should I quote a fixed fee or bill hourly for a main-floor renovation?
A fixed fee works well when the scope, construction budget, and expected deliverables are defined. Use hourly billing or a clearly capped allowance for uncertain work, including permit comments, existing-condition discrepancies, and extensive client-led changes.
Are structural and MEP engineering fees included in the architectural proposal?
They can be included as a reimbursable consultant cost, but they should not be assumed. State whether the client contracts directly with each consultant or whether your firm coordinates them and invoices their fees separately.
How many design revisions should an architect include?
For most residential renovation proposals, include one or two documented revision rounds after the initial schematic presentation. Define what counts as a revision, because a new layout direction after approval can require additional design, coordination, and documentation time.
Should construction administration be part of the initial proposal?
Include it as an optional or separate phase whenever possible. Homeowners often assume the architect will answer contractor questions and review site work, so the proposal should specify the number of visits, meetings, and submittal reviews included.
