Architectural design services are essential whether you’re a soon-to-be-homeowner aiming to turn your dreams into reality, or a business looking to get established in the market with a physical store to offer your services from. Still, while the idea of hiring great talent may be simple, the most important consideration you would have to make has to do with budgets and costs.
So how much do freelance architectural services cost anyway?
By the end of this article, you’ll have a better gauge about how much money you should really put into a cost-effective architectural plan (and other related services) and understand why some options may be better for you.
🚀 Table of contents
What factors affect the costs for architectural services?
Depending on the size and, dare we say, ambition behind your vision, there are corresponding factors that will affect the final budget:
- The software required to accomplish your project.
- The complexity of your design choices
- Skills and credentials possessed by the freelancer
- Timetables.
- The type of service that you’d like to avail.
Not all architectural services mean the same thing. You could want a 2D floor plan, a 3D render, a simple concept sketch, and many more. Since this is the case, before talking about costs, it would alleviate a lot of stress if you have clarity on the types of services you may need to accomplish your design goals.
Let’s break them down even further.
Breaking down the costs
As a guideline, here’s a simple table outlining architectural design services cost per hour, based on the experience of the freelancer:
| Experience Level | Approximate Cost |
| Freelance Student | $18 – $30 p/hour |
| Freelance Professional | $40 – $60 p/hour |
| Architectural Design Consulting Firm | $150 up to $450 p/hour |
As you can see, the hourly rate really can vary.
Fortunately, the level of experience you need from a particular professional depends on what you need. If you require a simple 2D colored floor plan, then a freelance student is able to tackle it. However, the more complex the project, such as those involving BIM or a fully-fledged 3D rendering, requires additional expenses and a professional architect licensed in your state.
Here at Cad Crowd, we have pre-vetted professional architects offering various architectural design services that can work on your project from the bottom up, from the 2D floor plans to 3D renderings of your space. But if you find yourself having to need a specific service, then don’t fret, as we have the breakdown (and significance) of these services below.
RELATED: Architectural plans, CAD drawing costs & architect service pricing
2D drawings and floor plan design services
2D drawings and floor plans are essential elements of the architectural design process. Sure, 3D renderings sound flashy and are great tools to better inform you of how the final design will turn out, but it all starts with the basics.
In particular, 2D floor plans and blueprints are expected, especially in larger projects. They will inform not only the full design process but also enable efficient construction.
Even outside the design and construction process, 2D-floor plans are used to showcase to potential clients and as posterity for years to come.
| Service | Approximate cost |
| 2D Floor Plan B&W | $30 |
| 2D Floor Plan – 1000 sq ft | $99 |
| 2D Floor Plan – 2500 – 3000 sq ft | $219 |
| 2D Floor Plan – 4000 – 4500 sq ft | $309 |
| 2D Concept Designs | $150 |
Architectural 3D modeling
3D modeling is a widely used service and tool in the architectural design process. This covers a variety of individual services: from 3D exteriors to 360-degree models. Depending on your needs, you may even want several iterations, versions, or types to accurately depict your vision.
The prices for 3D architectural modeling services depends on how much detail you want, the software requirements, and as with any, adding more sophistication and elements will factor into the final costs. Here are some examples of 3D models you might want to utilize:
- 360-degree models
- Bird’s Eye view plans
- 3D floor plans
- 3D exteriors
| Service | Approximate cost |
| 3D Exteriors Residential | $200-700 |
| 3D Exteriors Commercial | $350-700 |
| 3D Interiors Residential | $200-550 |
| 3D Interiors Commercial | $275-1,000 |
| 3D Floor Plans | $100+ (per plan) |
| Multi-Drawing Package | $500 |
These prices would usually include a single image, include a couple of edits, and comprise several different types of 3D renders. For multi-drawing packages, this would include different 3D models for specific purposes. For instance, you could ask to include interior and exterior shots and a 3D floor plan that accompanies it.
Software used for 3D architectural modeling are SolidWorks, CATIA, SketchUp, and many more.
Architectural BIM services
Building Information Modelling is becoming an essential part of architectural design due to how effective it is in helping manage huge projects and its overall utility in the architectural and construction industries. BIM provides an accurate visual representation of construction tasks, going over the more minute details that would not be possible with traditional plans and drawings.
BIM also makes it easier for teams working on a project to collaborate across departments.
The pricing for BIM projects is heavily dependent on the complexity of the project. These projects are usually long-term and facilitate coordination between multiple teams. It can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single project requiring BIM services. It would be in your best interest to explore your options and ask for quotations before going all in.
However, most construction projects won’t need BIM for most of us, such as budding homeowners or small businesses.
Architectural site plans
While individual floor plans and 3D drawings are important, for more massive projects, whole architectural site plan designers are in demand. Site plans detail the whole layout of a construction site. For example, housing development projects inevitably have a large site that shows plotting, dimensions, landscaping, roadwork, and even landmarks.
Architectural site plans are typically done in 2D and may include 3D elements few and far in between. However, they include details like scale, a key, and plot dimensions. The following are example costs of site plans:
| Service | Approximate Cost |
| Single site plan (i.e. 1 building etc.) | $300+ per plan |
| Whole project site plan (i.e. a housing development) | $1,000+ per plan |
3D AR/VR architectural services
Businesses now utilize 3D AR/VR architectural services today for architectural services. It definitely boosts customer immersion and allows any stakeholder to take a view of the project on a more tangible form. Real estate agents or property developers may hold virtual reality tours of their properties, for example.
As for the costs for 3D AR services and 3D VR services cost, the following factors will affect your final budget:
- Video output/resolution
- Length of content
- Recording quality
If you wished to have a 30-second 4K UHD virtual reality tour, the price would obviously be considerably costlier than a 30-second VR tour at 1080p. Here is a breakdown of the costs for 3D AR and 3D VR services:
| Service | Approximate Cost |
| Walkthrough animation | $20 p/second |
| Walkthrough animation (1080p HD) | $25 p/second |
| 3D VR Panorama | $150 |
Construction drawings
Contractors, ground-workers, and other companies involved directly with the building of projects utilize construction drawings to inform and align them throughout the process. For example, ground-workers would use construction drawings to lay the foundations for buildings— such as the positioning of ground beams and concrete locations.
Construction drawings are usually drawn in black and white and contains measurements, and any other pertinent detail essential to construction such as the layouts of reinforcement bars. Freelance construction designers usually offer these type of services. Oftentimes, freelancers do specialize in construction and offer services related specifically to the building phase, as opposed to design.
RELATED: CAD construction drawings: modernizing your company’s 2D & 3D drafting process
Interior design
| Service | Approximate Cost |
| Interior Design – Residential Properties | $300-750 |
| Interior Design – Commercial Properties | $400-1500 |
Interior design provides realism and context to architectural plans through furnishings, decorations, lighting, and the use of space. Through creating photorealistic renders, architects and interior design services are able to flesh-out drawings and other design aspects that affect living spaces.
For example, 3D renders of a bedroom would include models of a bed, paintings, a dressing table, plus other accessories like curtains and light shades.
It’s best to coordinate with the interior designer for the best approach to your 3D renders. In many cases, you’ll want to start from scratch and it’d be helpful to have a catalog of furnishings, flooring, accessories, and even appliances. Most of the time, however, leaving it to the interior designer to flesh out your vision works best.
Landscape design
Architectural design isn’t just concerned with buildings and properties. For ambitious projects or those who appreciate luscious greeneries and – they would want to consider landscaping (i.e. gardens and communal areas in large developments). Using 3D rendering software, designers can create realistic landscapes complete with weather effects, shadows, and lighting.
Apart from enhancing and previewing the appearance of a garden or similar landscapes, 3D landscaping will allow you to work with precision so that it does not look out of place. Landscape design is often included in 3D exterior design packages, but we have listed some examples costs below:
| Service | Approximate Cost |
| Landscaping Residential | $300-750 |
| Landscaping Commercial | $500-1000 |
Benefits of using architectural design services
In modern business, the most effective and standard for most small-to-medium projects is to simply hire a freelancer who can finish the work without missing a beat and with a more forgiving price unless you were an architectural design firm.
First of all, most projects work are ill-fated without a professional architect who worked and signed off on the designs. It’s not exactly a process you can simply skip (with a few exceptions) if you want to make your home or business location the best it can be.
Second, hiring a design freelancer simply costs less. Using our platform here at Cad Crowd, you can quickly receive a quote for your dream home and we hire an architectural designer for you right away.
Third, it’s easier to find specialized freelancers tailored to your exact needs – as most professionals would have a particular field of expertise, this actually works in your favor. You’ll get the most out of the service while enjoying quality, professionalism and a personalized rapport and service.
RELATED: Why hire an architectural design service?
Get in touch with us and enjoy quality architectural design services
There really is no need to overthink as the type of service that’s relevant to you can be pretty clear-cut from the get-go as long as you understand what you want to achieve, and we here at Cad Crowd would love to help you figure out how to make the best use of your resources to bring your ideas to life.
It also helps to have as much detail provided as possible and be explicit about any considerations, the aesthetic you’re aiming for, or any suppliers or catalog that you may already have available to get the most accurate pricing.
At Cad Crowd, we can facilitate architectural design services. We work with a vetted professional architectural design firms and freelancers who provide the services you need within a respectable timeline. We invite you to get a free quote now or read more about how it works.
