Hiring an architect vs a contractor’s “free design”: what is the difference?
The difference is who the designer works for. A contractor offering free design still pays someone to draw it, so that cost usually sits inside the building price, and the drawings tend to work only with that one contractor. When you hire an architect separately, you see the design fee as its own number, get drawings detailed enough for several contractors to price the same list, and have the architect check the work against the drawings for you until it is finished. Design-and-build is quicker and simpler for a standard house; an independent architect pays off when the brief is specific, or when you want competing prices and someone on your side at the site.
“Free” design is not really free
A contractor still pays someone to design and draw the house, so that cost usually sits inside the building price, just not on its own line. There is nothing wrong with that, but it makes prices hard to compare: you get one price, from one contractor, on drawings that contractor wrote.
Side by side
| Independent architect | Contractor’s free design | |
|---|---|---|
| Design cost | Paid separately, a clear number | Not shown, usually inside the building price |
| Designer works for | The owner | The contractor |
| Comparing building prices | Several contractors price the same drawings | Usually one price |
| Drawing detail | Detailed enough to tender and check the work | Varies; some are only enough for the permit |
| Who checks the work for you | The architect, against the drawings | The contractor checks their own work |
| Getting started | Slower, because of the tender | Faster, one conversation |
When design-and-build makes sense
If you want a standard house, have a clear budget, prefer a single point of contact, and already trust that contractor — you have seen their finished work, or someone you know recommends them — design-and-build is a good, quick and simple choice.
When an independent architect makes sense
If the site or the brief is specific — a narrow plot, strong afternoon sun, a house that stays comfortable without air-conditioning all day — or you want prices from several contractors, drawings made for you and someone on your side at the site are worth more.
The design fee against the building cost
For example, a 200 m² house is THB 250,000 for our design, excluding VAT. If the whole house costs THB 4 million to build, the design fee is about 6% of the building cost.
That money buys drawings detailed enough for several contractors to price the same list. The difference a tender makes, and the rework avoided because the drawings were clear from the start, can be larger than the fee itself.
Questions to ask before you decide
Whichever way you go, ask these before you sign.
- How detailed are the drawings? Do they specify materials and finishes?
- If I do not build with you, can I take the drawings to another contractor for a price?
- Who checks the work during construction, and who do they work for?
- If the design changes during construction, how are the extra costs charged?
- Does the price include the engineering calculations?
How MAKE IT POP works
We are architects and interior designers. We do not build ourselves, but we do not stop at the drawings either: we run a tender so contractors price the same set of drawings, help you compare and choose, and stay on as site consultant until the work is finished. We earn nothing from the building cost, so we can stand fully on the owner’s side.
See our design fee, or send us the plan, the spaces you need, the style and a rough budget on LINE and we will draft a proposal first, at no charge.