The joys of buying a new home comes with the pressure of wondering what to do with the spaces! And the fact is not everyone is blessed with the artistic inclination or possess the relevant expertise for interior design. It’s best to get the help of a professional interior designer if you want your home renovation to go smoothly, because an ID can help to manage the project as well as providing you with design tips and ideas on how best to use the premium space in your new abode.
Many homeowners, who have never engaged an ID before, will wonder what is the market rate they should be paying for the ID’s services, and what those services include. Below, we discuss what you can expect to pay for what kind of services, what you should look out for when hiring an interior designer, how to finance this undertaking and how to ensure your new flat continues to live up to your expectations.
So how much does an ID cost?
In order to analyse the cost of hiring an interior designer, we gathered the final cost of finished projects from several major interior design firms in Singapore. We found that the average range of an interior design project ranges from an average of $34,000 for a new 3-room HDB flat to $234,000 for a landed property. We also found that resale HDB projects tend to cost around 25% more than new HDBs. This is most likely because new owners may need to spend more money to fix deterioration and damage as opposed to a new flat where gut renovations are not likely necessary. However, small scale projects that involve only the superficial redesign of your HDB flat can cost between $11,000 and $15,000. Hiring an interior designer for your condo will set you back an average of $40,500 and $106,000, depending on your condo's size, while landed property projects cost an average of $200,000. These prices reflect the average total cost of projects, which vary in scope and comprehensiveness. For example, not all redesigns include a full gut renovation or alterations to every room in the home.
Some interior design firms also offer promotional packages. These packages include design consultations, space planning, project management, masonry, plumbing, ceiling & carpentry works and miscellaneous works such as painting and cleaning. Prices for these packages range between $6,600 to $20,600 for new HDB flats and between $22,000 to $27,000 for HDB resale packages. There are also "kitchen and 2 bathroom" packages, which involve only redoing those rooms of your flat and cost around $15,000. One thing to note is that these packages offer only basic renovation services and may not be advisable for people looking for very specific services or those who are looking for the full interior design experience.
Fee breakdown
Housing type and size are not the only determining factors in how much it would cost to hire an interior designer. In fact, 3-room HDB projects can cost as much as S$70,000 and large condo projects cost as little as $30,000. Thus, not only does the size and type of apartment matter, but also the project scale, the seniority of the designer, the types of materials you want to utilise and your interior designer's design fee, which can range from $1,500 to $6,000. Furthermore, interior designer firms have their own unique pricing, which can take the form of a flat fee, hourly rate, pre-fixed rate, or a "percentage over cost" rate (i.e. a markup on the goods ordered for your home). You should also be prepared to deposit 20% to 30% of the costs upfront. With that said, it may be a red flag the company is fraudulent if you are asked to deposit more than 20% to 30%, pay the deposit in cash or write the check out to anyone besides the interior design company you are hiring.
Finding the right ID
There are many interior design firms in Singapore, so finding the right one can seem overwhelming. However, as you begin your search, you'll find that certain interior design firms lean towards a particular style or offer certain services. Thus, it can help knowing what kind of design you want first before beginning your search. An interior designer does more than purchase and arrange furniture for your home. They are responsible for developing design sketches and 3D renderings, consulting with you on materials and color schemes and breaking down all your costs before commencing work.
During this stage, you can also get a feel if you will get along with the interior designer—after all, the last thing you want to do is work with someone you'll butt heads with every time a decision needs to be made. A good interior designer will often suggest a group Whatsapp chat to keep you up to date with the progress and will check in with you after the project's completion to ensure that the project has met your expectations. If necessary, they will also hire contractors for specific projects, such as carpentry or masonry.
Managing the costs
The best way to pay for interior design services is to pay only for the services and materials you can afford. This means having realistic expectations of your budget and setting aside enough money to cover unexpected costs (usually around 15% of your overall budget). However, that may not always be realistic and you may have to resort to getting outside financing. When it comes to renovating your home, you have two loan options: renovation loans and personal loans.
Renovation loans are usually a cheaper option because they charge much lower interest rates. For example, the average interest rate of a renovation loan is about 5%, while the average interest rate of a personal loan is about 12%. However, renovation loans have much more restrictive terms than personal loans, limiting how they can be used for your home's redesign. For instance, you can't use your renovation loan to fund your furniture purchases and there is typically a loan cap of S$30,000. Nonetheless, while personal loans are more lenient with what you can use them for, renovation loans may be more cost effective in the long run due to their lower rates and loan caps.
Alternatively, you can consider cutting costs by finding substitute materials or cheaper variations of non-essential furniture items if you don't wish to take out a loan and only use your savings. While it is not advisable to cut costs on items that are expensive to replace or can cause structural damage to your home (i.e cheap appliances), easily replaceable furniture such as accent chairs or decor can be bought on the cheaper side as they will be quicker to replace and pose less of a financial risk should they break. You can also consider switching to less expensive but equally as aesthetically pleasing materials. For instance, if you can't afford marble countertops, you can consider quartzite or quartz, which provide the same durability and classic look but cost around half as much.