Working With Architects and Designers: How to Get Recommended

Disclaimer: SiteKiln gives you plain-English information, not legal or contractual advice. If you're entering into a formal contract on an architect-led project, get the terms checked by someone who knows construction contracts.

‍‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍# 13.7 - Working with Architects, Interior Designers, and Property Developers

Working with architects, designers and developers can either turn into a steady pipeline of good jobs, or a mess of re-designs, delays and chasing money. The difference is how you set things up and how you handle them day-to-day.

How architects and designers pick trades

Most architects and designers are trying to protect their own reputation. They want trades who make them look good.

What they usually look for:

• Relevant experience - have you done this type of job before? Extensions, lofts, basements, high-end kitchens, listed work?
• Quality and consistency - a portfolio of finished projects, ideally similar to their style and level.
• Reliability and communication - turning up to meetings, asking sensible questions, not disappearing mid-job.
• References and track record - previous clients and other architects who say "yes, they deliver."
• Capacity and geography - are you big enough (or not too big) for the job, and close enough to attend site regularly?

Routes in

• Formal tender - they send drawings and a spec to 3-5 builders, compare prices, interview, pick one.
• Negotiated tender - they go straight to a contractor they know and negotiate a price because they trust them or need speed.
• Informal "preferred contractor" - they just keep recommending the same 1-3 good firms to their clients.

You want to end up in those last two buckets.

How the money usually flows

On domestic and small development jobs

Client pays builder/trades directly. The architect or designer is on a separate fee - they don't touch the build money.

Sometimes the architect or contract administrator signs off each stage and recommends what the client should pay you, but the money still comes from the client.

On interior designer-led jobs, the designer sometimes pays certain trades directly (decorating, joinery) and recharges the client, or they just refer you and step back.

On bigger developer jobs

Main contractor gets paid by the client/developer. You get paid as a subcontractor under the main contractor's terms.

Either way: Don't assume the architect is paying you unless your contract is with them. Your contract is where your protection lives.

Common friction

• Delays in approvals or variations, but everyone still expects you to hold the original programme.
• Client changes their mind via the architect, but no one updates the cost or time in writing.
• "Can you just..." extras that take days and mysteriously aren't in the valuation.

You protect yourself by having a clear written scope, a simple variation process, and staged payments agreed up front.

Design vs buildability - and who's liable

Design folk draw. You build. Sometimes what's on paper doesn't actually work on site.

Typical friction points

• Specifications that are hard or impossible to build as drawn.
• Fancy details that ignore existing structure or services.
• Unrealistic tolerances or finishes for the budget and time allowed.

Liability and insurance in simple terms

Architects carry professional indemnity (PI) insurance for their design and advice. PI normally covers negligence in drawings and specs that cause financial loss, defects or rework. In the UK, the ARB expects architects to have at least £250k per-claim cover, often more.

You (as builder/trade) carry public liability, contractors' all-risk, and possibly your own PI if you do design-and-build. You're liable for how you build, not for a flawed design - as long as you built exactly to that design and flagged obvious issues.

Important: If a design looks clearly unbuildable or risky, and you crack on anyway without raising it, some blame can drift onto you.

Practical steps

• If something looks wrong, flag it in writing (email or WhatsApp): "Detail on drawing A-105 won't work as drawn because [reason]. Suggest [alternative]. Please confirm."
• Don't improvise big design changes without written sign-off from architect, designer or client.
• If lawyers get involved later, those messages help show you acted responsibly.

Pricing when the architect is specifying everything

On design-heavy jobs, the spec can be very precise: exact products, brands, fixing methods, tolerances.

Your job is to:

• Price the spec as written. Don't quietly swap in cheaper kit or easier details unless agreed - that's where disputes start.
• Spell out assumptions and exclusions. If anything is unclear or missing, write what you've assumed in your quote.
• Allow for more management time. Architect-led projects often involve more emails, meetings and detail. Put enough prelims and management into your price.

If the architect has chosen stuff you wouldn't normally use:

• Flag any known issues: long lead times, tricky install, need for specialist fixings, added risk.
• Offer options if appropriate: "Price for spec'd tiles is £X, but if the client is open to alternatives, we can also price Y."
• Make it clear what's a fixed price and what's an allowance - especially for finishes.

Provisional Sums and Prime Cost Sums - plain English

These two show up on architect schedules and confuse the hell out of homeowners and a lot of trades.

Provisional Sum (PS)

An allowance for work that can't be priced accurately yet - the scope isn't fully defined.

Example: "Provisional sum £3,000 for additional drainage works if required."

When the real work is known, the PS is swapped for the actual cost - up or down.

Prime Cost (PC) Sum

An allowance for specific materials or items the client will choose later - tiles, sanitaryware, light fittings, etc.

Example: "PC Sum £40/m² for floor tiles, supply only."

Client picks the actual tiles. You charge the real cost of supply plus your agreed mark-up and attendance.

What it means for you

• Don't treat PS and PC items like fixed prices - they will move.
• Make sure the client understands that choosing more expensive items or extra works means the contract sum increases.
• In your quote, clearly separate fixed items from PS/PC sums so there's no "you said it was included" argument later.

Getting paid when you're one of many trades

Designer-led projects often have multiple trades on site and a more formal structure. To avoid being the one left short:

Get a written order or contract

Who's your actual client - the homeowner, the main contractor, or the designer? What are the payment terms and stages?

Agree valuation points

For example: 20% deposit, 30% after first fix, 30% after second fix, 20% on completion. On bigger jobs, you might work with monthly valuations.

Be clear on variations

Any change: write it down, get a price agreed, and record whether it affects time as well as money. Don't rely on "we'll sort it at the end."

Watch retention and payment timings

Developers and some architects use standard contracts with retention - typically 3-5% held back until the defects period ends. Make sure you can handle the cash-flow hit before you agree.

If you're constantly chasing and getting fobbed off, it's a sign you're working with the wrong people - or on the wrong terms.

The value of being "preferred"

Being on an architect's or designer's preferred list is real leverage:

• You get a steady flow of projects where the owner already trusts the architect, and the architect already trusts you.
• You often avoid the cattle-market tendering and can price on a negotiated basis.
• You become part of their "team" - for clients, that's comforting.

How to approach architects without looking desperate

Do it job-first, not "give me work" first.

Message or email:

"I'm a [trade] working mainly in [areas]. We've completed a few [extensions/kitchens/lofts] recently to full drawing and spec, and I'm looking to connect with architects who need reliable build partners on domestic jobs. Happy to send over a short portfolio and references."

Offer value:

"If you ever need a builder to sanity-check budget or buildability at feasibility stage, I'm happy to look over drawings and give rough cost feedback."

Then back it up by:

• Having decent photos and references ready.
• Turning up prepared if they invite you in - know your numbers, know your capacity, ask intelligent questions about how they like to work.

It's more "peer to peer" than "please give me jobs."

Understanding drawings, schedules and specs

Architect packages can feel heavy compared with a back-of-a-fag-packet quote, but they're also your shield if you actually read them.

You'll typically see:

• GA drawings (plans, sections, elevations) - overall layout and heights.
• Detail drawings - junctions, openings, tricky bits.
• Schedules - doors, windows, finishes, ironmongery, sanitaryware, lighting.
• Specifications - written docs describing materials, workmanship standards, tolerances, fire performance, etc.

Your job:

• Read the whole lot, not just the plans.
• Highlight clashes or missing info early - before you price.
• Check that the spec matches what you've allowed in your price.
• If you don't understand something, ask. It's better to look thorough than to guess and get stitched later.

For the basics of reading a drawing, see S27.

Working with developers - different game

Developers are not like homeowner clients.

What they care about

• Margin and numbers - they're buying work at X to sell at X+Y.
• Speed and programme - time is interest and holding cost.
• Repeatability - if you perform, they'll use you again. If not, you're off the list.

Reality of developer work

• Tighter margins, harder negotiations, more formal contracts.
• More focus on certificates, sign-offs, H&S, compliance.
• Payment terms can be longer and retention more common.

Upside

If you get in with a good developer, you can have a pipeline of similar jobs - blocks, refurbs, small sites. You learn to run sharper, more systemised operations.

Downside

Less flexibility on extras and "matey" arrangements. You might be treated like a replaceable cog if you don't stand your ground.

It's not better or worse - just a different beast to a one-off extension with architect and homeowner.

Quick checklist before you say yes

When an architect, designer or developer waves a job at you:

• Do I understand the drawings, spec and sums (PC/PS)?
• Is there a clear contract and payment schedule?
• Is my scope clear, or am I "filling gaps" for free?
• If the design is clearly flawed or incomplete, have I flagged it in writing?
• Do I actually want more of this kind of work?

Handled right, these relationships can be some of your best, most repeat work. Handled badly, they're where you end up doing unpaid extras to make someone else's drawings look good.

What to do next

• Put together a short portfolio of your best 5-6 projects - photos, scope, finish quality
• Identify 3-5 local architects working on the type of jobs you want
• Send a short, professional intro email (use the template above)
• Read 13.8 for getting on approved contractor lists and public sector frameworks
• Read 13.4 for making sure your online presence backs up your intro
• Read 14.6 for the pricing differences between domestic and commercial work

Sources

• ARB (Architects Registration Board), PI insurance requirements, 2024
• RIBA, Plan of Work and procurement guidance, 2024
• JCT (Joint Contracts Tribunal), Minor Works Building Contract guidance
• Construction Act 1996 (payment provisions)
• Consumer Rights Act 2015 (domestic work quality standards)

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