Interior design project playbook: from first brief to handover

An interior project touches more people than almost any other small job: the client, the designer, suppliers, joiners, installers and trades, often all in the same fortnight. The design is rarely what goes wrong. What goes wrong is information falling between the stages: a changed brief that never reaches the estimate, a revised quantity that never reaches the invoice.

This playbook walks through a project stage by stage, with what each stage must produce before the next begins.

Stage 1: the inquiry and the brief

Capture every inquiry the day it arrives, with the client, the space, the rough budget and where the lead came from. Then turn the first conversation into a written brief:

• the rooms or areas in scope, and what is out of scope;
• how the client will use the space, and who uses it;
• the style, with reference images if they have them;
• the budget range and the timeline, including any fixed date;
• whether they want design only, or design and build.

Passes to the next stage: a brief the client has read and agreed.

Stage 2: the site visit

Book the visit, and make sure the client gets a confirmation and a reminder. On site:

• measure everything you will need, and photograph every wall, corner and service point;
• note the existing conditions: floors, walls, ceilings, electrics, plumbing, access;
• flag anything that could change the price, such as damp, uneven floors or old wiring.

Keep the photos and measurements on the project, not in a phone.

Passes to the next stage: a complete record of the space as it is.

Stage 3: concept and estimate

Present the concept, then an estimate built from your own rates, section by section. Keep the two engagement types apart, because they are billed differently:

Passes to the next stage: an approved concept and an accepted estimate.

Stage 4: the bill of quantities

For design-and-build work, the bill of quantities is the backbone of the project. Build it from your rate library, section by section: strip-out, joinery, surfaces, lighting, finishes. Every line has a description, a unit, a quantity and a rate.

When the client changes the brief, revise the bill of quantities rather than editing it in place, and keep every version. Being able to show what changed, when, and what it did to the total ends most disputes before they start.

Passes to the next stage: an accepted bill of quantities and a payment schedule.

Stage 5: milestone billing

Agree the milestones with the client up front, each with its share of the contract. A typical schedule for a fit-out: deposit, strip-out complete, joinery installed, surfaces fitted, handover. Bill each milestone the day it is reached, and show on every invoice what has been billed and paid so far. Our article on deposits and milestone billing covers how to set the shares.

Passes to the next stage: a project that is paid for as it progresses.

Stage 6: execution

Run the site against the stages:

• schedule each trade against the stage it belongs to;
• log progress with photos, and record every cost against the project as it happens;
• share progress with the client as each stage completes, never your costs or margins;
• keep supplier quotes, drawings and specifications attached to the project, with the latest version on top.

Passes to the next stage: finished work, and a complete record of what it cost.

Keep the client with you

The execution stage is where clients get anxious, because the space looks worse before it looks better. Regular, short updates, a photo and a sentence at each stage, keep them calm and keep them from turning up on site with new ideas. A progress page they can open whenever they like does this without anyone having to write an email.

Stage 7: handover

Walk the space with the client and write the snag list together. Close every item, then send the final invoice. Hand over the documents they will need: warranties, care instructions, supplier details. Ask for feedback, and, if they are happy, a referral or a review.

Closes the project: a signed-off snag list, a paid final invoice, and a client who would hire you again.

Working with suppliers and trades

Most interior projects depend on people you do not employ. A few habits keep them on your schedule:

• Order long-lead items early. Joinery, stone and specialist fittings often take weeks. Place the order as soon as the bill of quantities is accepted and the deposit is paid.
• Confirm every booking in writing, with the date, the address, access details and what must be ready before they arrive.
• Keep their quotes and invoices on the project, so the cost of every trade sits beside the price you quoted for it.
• Walk the site before each trade arrives, so nobody turns up to find the previous stage unfinished.

The risks to watch

Run it on the pack built for it

grewray's interior design pack is built around exactly this flow: inquiries and site visits, estimates from your own rates, bills of quantities that keep every revision, milestone billing against the stages, and a progress page clients can follow without seeing your costs. See the interior design pack, or run a sample interior studio in the interactive demo.