You get what you pay for: do you charge for preconstruction services, and if so, how?(Q+A)

DAN COHEN

Creative Spaces-Oakland,

Calif.

Big50 1991

We try our best to receive money for our services rendered, but it is based on reading the client and atmosphere and what the market will bear. We have a letter of intent that lists the costs of all services, describes how many hours we will max out at, and what the services cover. If the market is tight, we will offer half of it back once we sign a contract. If it is a strong market, we do not return the money.

For the past six months we have been offering free conceptual cost estimates (CCE). It is a general estimate based loosely on square footage costs and our 30 years of …