Analysis // Charging for design
Model two // Taking a deposit
However, If charging a flat rate for design work is perhaps the simplest way to charge for design, then judging by our contributors’ comments, then taking a refundable deposit for that work appears to be the most common model. When asked about their method, the team at The Bathroom Studio in Goring said they charge a slightly more modest £149 per
room, which is then completely refundable against orders over £2,500. “It comes nowhere near covering our costs, so we use it only to help sieve out tyre-kickers and difficult customers, and almost all our customers are happy with that process,” they said, adding, “Very occasionally people have strong objections, which goes to prove the difficult customer sieve works as intended.” Similarly, Carly Hamilton says that her studio, Cranleigh Bathrooms, offers a free design that can be viewed in store, but charges £250 per room if clients want a copy. Handily, this can be redeemened against orders over £3000, effectively also making it a depsosit. Like The Bathroom Studio, Hamilton says: “We have found that by having an initial cost to our service, this helps the client
understand that we are valuable and there are costs involved with our service. This also helps eliminate the clients that are just wanting a free design service with little intention of actually buying from us.” Meanwhile, Julian Stammers from J.S. Designs offers a free initial consultation meeting to clients, but then takes a deposit
between £500 and £1500 if the client would like to see detailed plans. “If the client is dealing with builders and the plan and estimate are acceptable but they can’t finalise dimensions and their builder is requiring a more detailed dimensioned and annotated plans with electrical and plumbing requirements, then we say that we will take 5% deposit refundable on placing order,” Stammers explains. “We don’t ever give out plans unless the client has paid minimum of £500 and sometimes this is where you see the true colours
of your client. Those who are uncomfortable with that are the ones you know that basically like what you have come up with but don’t want to pay the price and think its their right to have the plans, especially when the ‘Sheds’ give them away free of charge.” However, Brian Wright, from Innovation KB, says his studio doesn’t charge for design plans, but if somebody really wants a plan, he charges £1000. Assuming they do decide to go ahead with the project, this is also redeemable against the order. When asked how often clients pay that £1000 fee only to take the order elsewhere, Wright’s answer is fortunately simple and direct: “It’s never happened.” One retailer (who asked not to be named here) has only recently begun charging for design after discussing how best to
approach the model for a long time. This particular retailer has decided to charge £250 for a single room, and £500 for multi-room designs, and again this is essentially a deposit that gets refundable against any purchases. “In truth, if someone objects to paying for your professional services then they are seeing the whole project as a commodity and
that isn’t really our customer base, so it’s a useful filter in the sales process,” they said, bringing up a familiar theme at this point. Discussing why this particular moment was the ideal time to start charging for design, that retailer explained: “We have discussed for a really long time the issue that arises from ‘free’ design services. They are not really free, they are an overhead rather than direct cost to the business. Therefore all customers are paying for both their and non-customers’ design time – which isn’t fair on the customers that are proceeding. Competitors have an unfair advantage and can copy a design and then undercut the price because they have not suffered the design cost and do not require any expertise.” Furthermore, “If its free, some customers don’t value the design and expertise required,” they concluded.
>
The final straw was when a
particular client went through 14 revisions to his design before telling us he wasn’t
proceeding due to the price... Rob Thorpe
" 26 kbbreview May 2026
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