On Fees

14 Oct On Fees

In general, fees vary as the cost of construction goes up. For estimating purposes, it’s simplest to think of the design and supervision fees as a percentage of construction fees.  <glossary>Soft costs</glossary> can vary between 15 and 40 percent, depending on the cost of construction.

Design fees for residential construction tend to vary between 8 and 12 percent of construction fees.  Structural fees range from 3 to 6 percent.  Permit fees vary based on valuation as well.  Here is a link to a page outlining representative permit fees from the city of San Rafael.   Below is a representative graph for an typical estimated $250k project.

Overall, the cost of the design work is tied to the cost of the work.  Where Crafted Earth brings a big advantage is in our ability to do so much with the same team, eliminating communication costs and avoiding many otherwise common and costly errors, delays and oversights due to lack thereof.  In so doing, we are able to keep our overall design costs, supervision fees, and construction markup well below industry standard.