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The Interior Designers Guide to Pricing Estimating and Budgeting |  | Author: Theo Stephan Williams
Publisher: Allworth Press
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $12.18
as of 9/3/2010 07:49 EDT details
You Save: $7.77 (39%)
New (11) Used (12) from $10.24
Seller: allnewbooks
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 126025
Media: Paperback
Pages: 240
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 0.7
ISBN: 1581154038
Dewey Decimal Number: 747.0681
EAN: 9781581154030
ASIN: 1581154038
Publication Date: March 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Provided here are practical guidelines on how to value the cost of designing commercial or residential interiors. From the designer's creative input to the pricing of decorating products and procedures, this guide allows interior designers to establish prices and budgets that satisfy their clients and make their business profitable. Interviews with experienced interior designers, case studies, and sidebars of projects highlight professional pitfalls and how to master them.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
 not really that helpful July 3, 2010
ogden (Mid-Atlantic USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I didn't get what I was expecting out of this book, and I think the title is really a misnomer. This book is written really more as a reference for young and inexperienced designers looking to start their own business. Note the following:
The author is a GRAPHIC designer, not an interior designer. She (yes, "Theo" is a she) makes reference to interior design projects that are laughable--designing a carpet is not interior design. And just because it will be a vinyl applied to a wall, doesn't mean a logo design is interior design. Not being an interior designer, the author makes absurd comments about the industry that just aren't true (like that per-SF billing models are a bad idea. maybe for residential but for commercial design, per-SF is standard. And profitable). I just don't think the author is qualified to be writing this book.
Furthermore, estimating and budgeting are ONLY talked about in very generic terms. Basically, the author wants you to know that these are important things to do right, or you won't make any money. Unfortunately I think most readers already know these are important things, otherwise they wouldn't buy the book. But there are no specifics on how to calculate different types of materials, labor, processes. Nothing of real substance that the reader can take with them to the job and apply.
There are lots of contradictions and very astonishing ideas expressed by the author. For example, the author says to 'respect the client's personal time' by not contacting them outside normal business hours....but then suggests that when you have bad news to share, wait until the last possible minute, so that the client can think about it over the weekend. How is expecting the client to think about work on the weekend respecting their time?? Even if that is respectful, its still bad advice--the LAST thing you want to do is give the client time to stew about the problem. By Monday morning they're sure to be really pissed. She also says that over the years she learned NOT to take responsibility for her staff's mistakes. Um, HELLO!?!? A client hires the company, and as the boss, you do have the ultimate responsibility for everything every employee does. Her advice is the exact opposite of what a designer should do.
I might reference the forms in the back of the book, maybe some day. But overall this book just didn't offer me anything I can use. Might be better for someone who has only a year or two of work experience.
 The Interior Designers Guide to Pricing Estimating & Budgeting June 8, 2009
Aila Mahouk (United Arab Emirates)
I love this book and actually taking it with me all the time to work in order to refer to it while pricing products. It is a helpful reference that all interior designers would require.
chock full of useful information April 5, 2009
Maureen C. Cline (chicago)
This book has everything I need to know about budgeting and billing as an emerging interior designer.
 Good basics July 15, 2008
N I (Los Angeles)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have not yet had time to read this book cover to cover, however, upon skimming have found it to be very detail orientated and supplied with all of the basics. I would definitely recommend for someone just starting out in the ID field.
A Perfect Professional Tool July 14, 2008
James D. Felter (Scottsdale, Arizona)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
An excellent tool that is fully up to date. A real necessity for every interior designer, student, apprentice, professional or studio. It does not disappoint as so many such volumes seem to do.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
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