What is a design fee?

In life, you get what you pay for. If you visited a doctor, lawyer, accountant, architect, etc., and they worked for free, you probably wouldn’t have much faith in them. Why should you entrust your most valuable asset to an inexperienced/ unqualified person who has so little respect for themselves that they work for free?

When you get a “Free Design & Quote” for a kitchen, do you ever think about, what that means to you?

Nothing is free in this life, everything worth having has a price.

The person offering a Free Design & Quote is NEVER a top-class qualified person, they are commission sales people who are there for one reason only………. To SELL you a kitchen. It’s never about your needs, it’s always about their need to make a sale, (they are commission only sales people, so if they don’t sell they don’t get paid), as a result the design is rarely good, as they have had a week to 10 days training, most of it on selling, not on designing, and they design to keep it cheap, not to give you a good result. Their theory being, “if I keep it cheap, they might buy it”, because the salesperson knows we are all price conscious to some degree or other.

Conversely, at Oppikofer Joinery our designs are never the cheapest, but we will promise to be designing to give you the best result possible in the first instance. Sure, as we go down the track we might have to compromise a bit, (who was it that said “life wasn’t meant to be easy”?), but you/we should always start from the best design solution we can find, and then work from there. Any other approach would be compromising your amenity, the value of your home and the capital you are about to invest in the renovation.

What do I get for my design fee?

After many years in business, we know fairly accurately how long it will take to design and specify a kitchen or bathroom. We can provide to our clients with a firm price to carry out any design. Unlike an hourly rate, where you never know how much the design will cost.

The design fee is not revenue generating in it’s own right, it’s simply a necessary process in producing a kitchen to our customers satisfaction.

The type of kitchen and the complexity of the design determines the type of design service that is needed for your product. There are many instances where a kitchen can be constructed from simple 3D drawing concepts. If your kitchen need is more complex, we would recommend that we provide a full design service carried out by a qualified interior designer.

If you contact Oppikofer Joinery we can discuss the type of design and the associated cost necessary for your kitchen.

If your kitchen requires alterations and renovations to your home we can provide the necessary professionals to produce a fully complying design.

The design and management professionals include:

• Architect
• Structural Engineer
• Electrical Engineer
• Hydraulics Engineer
• Builder

What is involved in renovating a kitchen and how much will it cost?

There are a number of major elements involved, below are some typical spends which will vary depending on your material and finishes selection.

Cabinets - there is a lot of choice available. Laminate with ABS edge or hardform, Standard or New Age Veneer, High Pressure Laminate w ABS, Solid Timber, Textured Vinyl or Paint, Gloss Vinyl or 2 Pak Paint Range from $12,000 – 30,000

Benchtops - are you happy with laminate or would you prefer a solid surface like Corian/ Hanex or stone benchtop such as Caesar Stone or Granite. Typically benchtop spends are from $ 2,000 – 8,000

Trades - a group of tradesmen are required for all the onsite work. Including removal of the old kitchen, cart away rubbish, disconnect and reconnect the taps, oven & hotplate, dishwasher, duct the hood externally, plumb and ice maker fridge if necessary, provide power points to microwave, dw, h/p, fridge and r/hood etc, wire the oven, repair the plaster and re-cornice as necessary, glass splashbacks or tiling and anything else that needs doing to reinstate your home $ 2,000 - 8,000

You will need to buy some new appliances $ 3,000 - 15,000
(Oven, cooktop, rangehood, sink, tap, dishwasher, etc.)

Other Considerations

• Sometimes, you may require some structural work
• Are you considering new flooring or are you happy to work around the existing floor plan?
• Internal fittings & features – types and quantity