15% is not high. That is middle of the road to low. 20% is fairly standard. 25%-30% would be on the high side, in some instances. And you need a substantial budget for ''everything''. If you don't want to pay for goods and services, then live in it as is. It's up to you. You gotta pay the costs to be the boss.

Thanks Sophie. I live in London where we expect city prices. Most people I've asked have found this to be quite high. But I am likely being naive and can understand your point - I'm sure there are premium services out there that charge much more.

As for substantial budget - I think your comment is unfair. We all know goods and services need paying for. But we all have different budgets, different tastes and different requirements. It's not as black and white as "if you don't want to pay for goods and services, then live in it as it is".

I think you need to shop around for a designer that understands your needs , sometimes that means fees for them and then fees for a builder but it might be the best combo. Ten yrs. ago I charged 10% and that was in Calgary so to 15% is not that bad in London where the average house costs 3 x a Calgary home