Is the Design Consultation required?

Every engagement starts with a short, complimentary Fit Call, about 15 minutes, to confirm scope, timeline, and budget range. If it looks like a good fit, we book a complimentary 60-minute Discovery Meeting to go deeper: existing conditions, constraints, and a realistic picture of what your project requires. You leave with a written summary and a clear next step. If you want us to go further before a Proposal exists, measurements, AI-rendered concept imagery, a mood board, that is a separate, paid Discovery and Concept Fee, credited in full toward your Design Fee if you sign a Proposal within 30 days.

What is “Gap Identification” and why is it important?

Gap Identification is a technical review of your existing construction plans and field conditions. We look for what is missing, conflicting, or unresolved: the decisions that have not been made yet but will have to be made on the job site if nobody catches them first. Finding them on paper is a design conversation. Finding them in the middle of construction is a change order.

What happens after the Discovery Meeting?

You receive a written summary of what we discussed and clear next steps. If you would like to move forward, a proposal follows with defined scope, deliverables, timeline, and fee. No work begins until the agreement is signed and the retainer is collected.

Do you manage construction or hire trades?

No. You hire your own contractor and trades. Snyder Atelier provides the design documentation, contractor briefings, and construction oversight that keep your project aligned with the design. We are your advocate on the project, not your general contractor.

What if I need help beyond the agreed scope?

Additional scope is billed at $175 per hour via a written change order approved before work proceeds.

Do you help with sourcing and purchasing?

Yes. Decoration and Procurement services cover furniture, lighting, window treatments, art, and accessories, led by Saskia or Erica, each bringing her own style. We manage everything from selection through white-glove installation: ordering, tracking, delivery coordination, and claims handling. Design time is billed at our standard hourly rate, and sourced merchandise is billed at trade cost plus 40%, all-inclusive of freight, receiving, and delivery.

Do you offer landscape design?

Yes, as a regular service, priced the same way we price interior rooms: a flat fee based on scope. Simple engagements, a single zone or front yard, a full planting plan and layout, start at $3,500. Complex engagements, a full-property master plan integrating hardscape and softscape, start at $8,500. This is design only; your landscaper executes the finished plan.

Can I just hire you to help me pick out tile, flooring, or paint?

Yes. If you do not need a full design engagement, we offer an hourly Materials Selection service. Saskia or Erica will meet you at the showroom and help you make the final call. It is a 2-hour minimum, billed at our standard hourly rate, paid at the time of service.

What types of projects are the best fit?

Kitchens, bathrooms, primary suites, whole-house remodels, and decoration projects where you want a complete result managed by one accountable designer. Historic home remodels in Point Loma and across San Diego are a particular strength.

What does Snyder Atelier cost?

There is no cost to start. Your Fit Call and Discovery Meeting are both complimentary. If you would like a fuller concept package, measurements, renderings, a mood board, before committing to a Proposal, that is billed hourly with a 20-hour minimum, credited in full toward your Design Fee if you sign within 30 days. Beyond that, project fees are scoped per room and per engagement based on complexity and deliverables. We will walk through realistic numbers for your specific project at the Discovery Meeting, so neither of us wastes time.

How long will my project take?

It depends on scope. A bathroom typically moves through design in six to ten weeks. A custom kitchen runs ten to sixteen weeks of design and documentation before construction begins. Whole-home projects vary significantly. The design phase is longer than most clients expect, because that is where every structural, mechanical, and layout decision gets resolved. That front-end work is what keeps construction on schedule. Projects that skip it make up for it in change orders and delays.

How do you help us stay on budget?

The leading cause of budget overruns in renovation is change orders, decisions made during construction that should have been made before it. Our Remodel Fluency™ process resolves every layout, material, and structural decision before a single contractor swings a hammer. Your GC gets complete documentation. There is nothing left to figure out in the field. That is how we protect your budget, not by cutting scope, but by eliminating the chaos that inflates it.

Can I change my mind once the design is underway?

You can, but it costs time and money, and we will tell you that plainly before you decide. Our process is constraint-first: decisions are made early and locked deliberately, because that is what keeps your budget and timeline intact. When scope or finishes change after documentation is complete, we process it as a written change order billed at $175 per hour.

Ready to get started?