Services that are not included in the interior design project

We consider full transparency and mutual understanding between the customer and interior design studio as an obligatory criterion for cooperation. Architectural Design and interior design are very broad fields of activity in which even a very interested person may know only part of the answers to all questions. Most customers confuse the tasks that fall within the competence of designer services, architectural supervision and contractor services. Therefore, we will try to describe all types of work that are not included in the design project and which are not required to be performed by the studio architects.

The services of creating a design project in an interior studio do not include the following works:

1. Special technical solutions
   Some tasks (fireplace, aquarium, sauna) need to be addressed directly with the contractors of this product. Architects take into account only the fundamental recommendations of contractors in the design project, and then everything is agreed with the customer at the implementation stage.
2. Electrical technical calculations
   The studio creates:
   • plan of sockets and switches;
   • lighting plan;
   • plan for placing pins for connecting electrical appliances (to be agreed with the customer).
   Only the master electrician, and not the designer, is involved in the calculation of the technical part of the project:
   • section thickness of electric cables and their length;
   • calculation of electric power reserve;
   • selection of the shield, types and parameters of fuses.
   It often becomes necessary for an electrician to create a project before starting installation work.
3. Technical calculations for lighting and lighting engineering
   The design studio offers only the type, size, and color of the glow of lighting equipment. All other tasks are performed by the lighting contractor:
   • calculation of lighting engineering (the required level of illumination depending on the zoning of the room);
   • Selection and calibration of light bulbs and LED lighting fixtures.
   • Technical calculations of low-current equipment
     Designers display on the drawings the places of conclusions for low-current equipment (security surveillance systems, smart home elements, sensors of various alarms). This information is then passed on to the relevant contractor, who selects the necessary equipment and, if necessary, can locate it. Before implementation, the contractor must only agree on the places for the outputs of the necessary elements (sockets, sensors, grids for placing a power supply unit and other equipment behind them).
   • Location of inspection hatches
     The designer on the plan makes only notes about the desired location of the hatches necessary for the revision. At the same time, a note is made: agreed at the stage of architectural supervision after agreement with the installation specialists).
   • Tile layout plan
     The designer in the drawings indicates the beginning of the tile layout and the principle of its location. But only when ordering a designer's supervision service, the designer takes measurements of the walls after the installation and leveling stage, and, if necessary, if the dimensions differ from those predicted in the project, an amendment is made to the tile layout drawings.
   • Color matching
     The design project does not indicate the exact color number, it can only be determined by visualization. All manufacturers have the same colors often differ. Therefore, it is recommended to choose the color using paints (in the case of wall painting, etc.) and ready-made samples (in the case of tiles, etc.). Only in the case of ordering the architectural supervision service, the designers at the facility, taking into account the lighting features and having all the necessary materials and colors, make the final decision on the ideal combination of the actual color scheme of the one planned in the project.
   • The exact quantity of purchased materials, their prices and places of sale
     On the drawings, the designer can indicate additional. information about the material (type, name, model, quantity according to the project). The design studio is not a representative of the seller (sales agent), therefore, the designers do not indicate in the project the exact places of purchase of goods and prices for them, since the latter change very dynamically. Having received approximate data from the designer, the customer independently purchases goods with the appropriate stock.
     Only in the case of ordering a designer’s supervision service, designers control the work of the picker on the side of the store, calculate the exact amount of purchased materials, send links to the goods that need to be bought, or deal with the purchase and delivery of goods to the object themselves.
   • Plumbing installation technical diagrams
     Designers in project documentation indicate only axial bindings of plumbing, and in non-standard solutions they indicate methods for their output. The plumbing installation scheme is not indicated by the designer, it is available in the installation instructions that come with all purchased plumbing.
   • The layout of the interior space of furniture (wardrobes, kitchen, etc.) and its equipment
     The main mission of the design studio is to indicate the appearance of the furniture, the place where it should be located, as well as recommendations for its configuration, color scheme and desired types of materials. A working drawing of the interior space of the furniture must be provided by a representative of the contractor (technologist or designer). In the case of ordering a designer's supervision service, designers choose fittings and agree with the contractor on the final color solutions (painting or finished color of the material). The service for the assembly, selection and ordering of furniture can be agreed upon and included additionally in the contract for the creation of a design project, it is not included in architectural supervision.
   • Calculation of the cost (estimate) of the project
     The exact calculation of the estimate is not the task of the design studio. This is done by the contractor or the foreman, or the head of the team of the construction company with which the customer has expressed a desire to cooperate. Most often there are 2 options for cooperation between the customer and the builders:
     • Via design studio. This type of cooperation occurs after the customer signs an agreement with the design studio, according to which the studio is the party that controls the construction process and is responsible for its final result.
     • Through the construction crew. The customer independently finds and selects contractors (on the Internet, through friends or using the contacts of builders from the design studio).
   • Control of construction work
     The design studio does not control the work of construction teams! This is done by the party that performs technical supervision or by the customer himself. The entire construction process is fully controlled by the designer only in the case when the client has signed an additional contract with the studio (see clause 11), according to which the studio is the party that controls the construction process and is responsible for its final result.
   • Interaction with the state. authorities for project approval
     The designer is obliged to comply with building and legal regulations during the creation of a design project. But absolutely all stages are carried out either by the customer or by a special organization whose services are paid by the customer. It is they who coordinate the design project developed by the studio and, if necessary, register them with the BTI.

The customer must understand that the author's supervision includes tasks:

• Advice and consultation of builders.
• Checking the absence of shortcomings and inconsistencies of construction work with the design project.

Moreover, the amount of time that the designer spends on architectural supervision, including phone calls and the number of visits to the object, is strictly defined in the terms of the architectural supervision agreement.