It is not too late! Designers are brought in mid-construction all the time. While starting before demo is ideal, jumping in during construction still allows for making critical decisions and keeping your project moving forward without costly delays. If your build is already moving, reach out right away with your contractors current timeline. We will step in, sync with your builder, and help ensure the final result looks intentional, polished, and beautifully finished.

The duration of the design process depends on the scope of your project, the complexity of the space, and the level of customization required. Projects featuring extensive custom cabinetry, detailed millwork, or unique architectural features require additional time to draft and refine. The design phase consists of discovery and space planning, concept and design development, refinement and client presentation, and a final design package handoff. Investing in the design process upfront ensures that your contractor has an exact blueprint of work to be performed, preventing costly delays and decision fatigue once construction begins.

Ensuring your design moves seamlessly from paper to reality requires a combination of clear documentation and active collaboration during the build. To achieve this, the contractor receives a comprehensive design package with an exact blueprint of the project so there is no guessing on-site. Additionally, we perform on-site collaborations and site visits, direct contractor communication, and pre-installation walkthroughs to review critical elements. Pairing a clear design package with ongoing design oversight, you can relax knowing your project is in great hands from demo to final staging.

Understanding the financial side of a renovation or new build is essential, and we keep our pricing transparent from the start. Because we specialize in design rather than construction, your project costs are divided into two distinct parts: the design fee, paid to Dogwood Interiors, and the construction estimate, paid to the general contractor of your choice.

Design Fee: After the initial consultation, we provide a clear, customized proposal detailing our design fees based on the project scope. While we carefully design to your target budget by specifying materials, finishes and fixtures that align with what you want to spend, we cannot provide an exact figure for construction.

Construction: Construction costs depend entirely on the contractor you choose, their labor rates, overhead, and current market pricing.

A complete design package serves as the definitive roadmap for your general contractor. It translates the creative vision into clear, technical instructions so the builder can price the project accurately and execute every detail. The exact deliverables are project based and will be clearly outlined in the design proposal that you receive after the initial consultation.

Dimensioned Floor Plans: Room flow, space planning, plumbing locations, electrical, windows/doors, and other critical elements.

Detailed Elevations & Cabinetry designs: Interior elevations for every wall, heavily detailed custom millwork drawings for every room

Specification Schedules: Flooring, wall coverings, paint, countertops, tile, lighting, hardware, appliances, and other key elements that define each space.

Visual & Presentation: 3D renderings, material boards, physical product samples