Trade wages by state from the BLS, remodel job costs by region from Cost vs. Value, and the clauses a residential design agreement must contain.
The Costs and Contracts section puts dollar figures and dates on the business side of a residential interior project. Wage data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program for May 2025, broken out by state for painters, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, tile setters, and interior designers. Remodel job costs come from the 2025 Cost vs. Value Report published by Zonda, which prices a midrange minor kitchen remodel at $28,458 nationally and shows how the Middle Atlantic and South Atlantic regions compare. The contract article walks through the schedules in the American Society of Interior Designers residential contract package, the four fee models residential designers use, the retainer, the markup on purchases, and the federal three-day cancellation right under 16 CFR Part 429 that applies when an agreement is signed in the client's home. The goal is a reader who can check an estimate or an agreement line by line.
Articles in Costs and Contracts
The articles in Costs and Contracts are listed newest first, with the publication date and a one-sentence summary of each.
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How to Read an Interior Design Contract
What a residential interior design contract contains: ASID package schedules, hourly, flat, percentage, and cost-plus fees, retainers, markups, and 16 CFR 429.
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Interior Labor and Remodel Costs by Region
May 2025 BLS wages for painters, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and tile setters by state, 2025 Cost vs. Value remodel costs by region, NAHB finish costs.