If I'm understanding what you're saying here, there should be a "discovery" phase before any work is done. Which is to say, the designer should be interviewing you thoroughly on the use of the space, your storage requirements, your aesthetic preferences, colors you like/dislike, etc.

If you're saying that your designer isn't getting any input from you before s/he goes off to do the design, I think that's a little weird. Now, without having read the contract, the designer could very well have stipulated this in the agreement. I don't think that's at all typical of the way most designers, myself included, operate. It's not best practice, for sure.

If you are not on the same page about this, you should fire this designer, per the terms in your contract. Mine says any party can terminate with 10 days written notice for any reason. But any hours billed through the end of that termination period must be paid by the client.

Thank you for your advice! I think they will do some basic discovery work, like ask us what style we like then they start work. But I think the most important input from client is during afterward process to decide the materials and colors in every details, and the first version proposal should be done based on that. The problem here is that the contract price only covers their one-side proposal, all the normal discussion between designer and client would be charged additional fee. It only apply in the situation that the client completely buy in the designer's proposal without any their opinions. What does your practice look like and how you charge after discovery phase?

Assuming the designer is doing a thorough input session, then revisions to the design should, at most, take 2 rounds. If you're changing direction frequently after the design criteria and budget has been met, then you have to ask yourself why that is. :-) Tweaks are one thing; re-designs are another. And this is why I don't charge by the square foot. I charge by the hour. It's OK to make changes, as long as you're willing to pay for my time.

Presumably you chose this person because you like their work and their taste, yes? If so, you're likely in good hands.

Thank you for your feedback, Sabrina. I agree with you that if the design criteria and budget is met, this should be one version. Changes afterward is revision. But if not, it is another case, right? Then it seemed that we should add a term in the contract about this conditioning.

Then it seemed that we should add a term in the contract about this conditioning.

If you designer will agree to sign an addendum, sure... However, you probably don't any way to compel them to sign a new agreement.

I have never done a contract on sq. footage so IMO this makes no sense. But obviuosly we could be missing something here. I charge by the hour and most designers I know also do that.You signed a contract, to change that will need your designer's agreement . IMO we would need to see the actual contract to really understand what you are asking from us.

Design service providers price design agreements based on the resources they expect to (or are willing) dedicate to a project. Design is an iterative process; it might take a couple of design revisions to get to a final design. The number of iterations is a product of the existing constraints (fewer constraints = more potential concepts,) the designer's ability to read the client, and the client's ability to make decisions.

It is perfectly reasonable, in my opinion, to charge a flat fee for the initial design, limit the time spent on a subsequent revision and charge by the hour after that.

If you're having some version of buyer's remorse, I suggest you speak with the designer about the option to compensate them for the time they've already invested and moving on.

If you see yourself as “needing” unlimited revisions, a by the hour contract, separate from the original contract, could be an *addition* to the services. At a good sized hourly rate. Indecisive clients should expect to bear the financial brunt of their inability to decide. Design is not an $19.95 all you can eat buffet. When dithering costs you more, it can really focus you into committing.

This sounds like a confusing set up. Our designer used a range pricing model. So we had a low to high range and then went to work. We were guaranteed never to be over the top end of range. For exterior we reached the top and based on the revisions and work needed to get to permit I think totally fair. For interrupt design we easily kept it to tie bottom end of things

Consumers are always searching for simple metrics to compare service providers. A cost/hr. cost metric is simple, but it's limited because there's no way to know the number of hours involved. A cost/SF fixes the design cost and is a simple, albeit, poor metric to use. Kinda like asking a custom home builder "what's your cost/SF?"