Home / Packages & guarantees

Packages & guarantees

One fixed fee. A better hire, for less.

Each package is a fixed fee paid only by you, with clear deliverables and written guarantees. Your architect’s fees are separate and paid directly to them.

Review my options

Quote Protection

For you if you already have quotes or a favorite firm, and you want to be sure before you sign.

$699one fixed fee, paid by you
30 days of dedicated support

We take off your hands

We decode the quotes, chase the firms for missing details and check out your preferred firm, so you don’t have to.

We learn your project and priorities first, so every quote is judged against what matters to you
We line up to three quotes you already have side by side, fully priced
We flag what each quote leaves out and where extra charges are likely
We ask the firms to clarify missing details and extra charges before you commit
We check your preferred firm in depth: license, similar completed projects and local permit experience
We call up to two of their past clients and tell you what they said
We walk you through it all on a decision call

You walk away with

A written recommendation, a list of open questions to settle, and a checklist for signing with confidence.

Not a new search. Upgrade within 30 days and the full $699 counts toward Best-Fit Architect Search.

Choose this package

Complete search

Find the right fit for me

Best-Fit Architect Search

For you if you’re starting from scratch, or the firms you’ve found don’t feel right.

$1,499one fixed fee, paid by you
45 days of dedicated support

We take off your hands

Finding, calling, chasing, checking and comparing firms. All of it.

A written brief you approve, so every firm hears your project the same way
We research up to 12 firms that do your kind of project near you
We contact every one, chase replies and confirm who genuinely wants your project
We aim for three comparable proposals, each priced for the same full scope
Two rounds of questions to the firms to close gaps and pin down extra charges
Two finalists checked in depth: license, similar projects, local permit experience and two past clients each
We book up to three interviews and join two of them with you
A question sheet for each interview, tailored to your project
A decision call to walk you through our recommendation

You walk away with

Our recommendation with clear reasons, and a complete hiring file: brief, checks, fully priced comparison, interview notes and signing checklist.

Why $800 more than Quote Protection: we stop reviewing quotes you found and start finding the right firms for you, then do the checking and comparing too.

Proposal targets depend on suitable firms choosing to take part.

Choose this package

Handle the hiring process for me

Hands-Free Hiring

For you if you have a bigger project, a busy schedule, or a decision shared with a partner, family or business.

$1,999one fixed fee, paid by you
60 days of dedicated support

We take off your hands

The whole hiring process, run around your schedule and everyone who has a say.

Everything in Best-Fit Architect Search, with a wider net: up to 15 firms and up to four proposals
Three finalists checked in depth, with two past clients called for each
Up to four interviews booked and three attended with you
We bring your partner, family or business partners into the right conversations
We arrange site visits with your finalists
If a finalist drops out, we find you a replacement
Before you sign, we check the final scope reflects every clarification agreed
Kickoff and handover session with your new architect (normally $249), included
A short written progress update every week
A decision call with you and anyone else who has a say

You walk away with

A decision record everyone can sign off on, and a complete hiring file ready to hand to your architect.

Why $500 more than Best-Fit Architect Search: more choice, more of our time in your interviews and site visits, and every decision-maker kept on the same page through to signing.

Best for larger projects and shared decisions.

Choose this package

Our fee is separate from your architect’s fees, which you pay directly to the firm you choose. We don’t design, engineer, apply for permits or review contracts as lawyers.

Compare packages

Included	Review my optionsQuote Protection $699	Find the right fit for meBest-Fit Architect Search $1,499	Handle the hiring process for meHands-Free Hiring $1,999
Getting started
A project brief you approve	✓	✓	✓
Finding firms
Firms researched for you	—	Up to 12	Up to 15
Every firm contacted, replies chased, interest confirmed	—	✓	✓
Comparable proposals	Up to 3 you already have	Target of 3	Target of up to 4
Replacement if a finalist drops out	—	—	1
Checks on your finalists
Finalists checked in depth	1	2	3
License verified with the state board	✓	✓	✓
Similar completed projects reviewed	✓	✓	✓
Local permit experience reviewed	✓	✓	✓
Past clients called	Up to 2	Up to 2 each	Up to 2 each
Insurance documents collected	✓	✓	✓
Comparing quotes
Exclusions and likely extra charges flagged	✓	✓	✓
Questions to firms to close gaps	1 round	2 rounds	2 rounds
Fully priced side-by-side comparison	✓	✓	✓
Deciding
Interviews booked / attended with you	—	Up to 3 / 2	Up to 4 / 3
Decision-makers brought into the process	—	—	✓
Site visits arranged with finalists	—	—	✓
Decision call to walk through our recommendation	✓	✓	✓
Interview question sheet for your project	—	✓	✓
Weekly written progress update	—	—	✓
Kickoff and handover session with your architect	Add-on	Add-on	✓ Included
What you walk away with
Written recommendation with clear reasons	✓	✓	✓
Open-questions list and signing checklist	✓	✓	✓
Final scope checked against agreed clarifications	—	—	✓
Complete hiring file	—	✓	✓ plus decision record
Dedicated support	30 days	45 days	60 days

Upgrade from Quote Protection to Best-Fit Architect Search for the same project during your engagement and the full $699 is credited.

Is this worth it for my project?

When our fee makes sense, and when it may not.

Usually a good fit

New homes, larger additions and business premises, where professional fees and construction costs are substantial
Owners with limited time, or far from the property
Several proposals that are hard to compare
More than one decision-maker

Possibly not worth it

Very small projects where our fee would be a large share of the designer’s fee
You already trust a professional and only need their quote
You want one company to design and build, and have already chosen it

We’ll say so on the first call if we don’t think our fee is justified for your project.

Optional add-ons

Only when you need them

Launch prices under review. We never charge for work already in your package.

Compare one more proposal$199Got another quote? We add it to your fully priced comparison.

One more meeting, with notes$149An extra call with a firm or decision-maker, with written notes.

Wider search area$299Up to five more firms beyond your package, for rural areas or specialist projects.

Engineer or specialist searchFrom $399Find a structural engineer or other specialist you hire directly. Scope agreed first.

Kickoff and handover session$249After signing: introductions, documents handed over and a first-meeting agenda. Included in Hands-Free Hiring.

Unlimited coordination, technical certification and construction management are outside our service.

What you receive

Your hiring file

Approved project brief
Existing-document inventory
Agreed selection priorities
Candidate profiles with supporting evidence and confirmed interest
Side-by-side proposal comparison
Site-visit and consultant-responsibility comparison
Questions and clarification register
Interview and reference notes
Recommendation with reasons, trade-offs and remaining unknowns
Final hiring checklist and organized handover

See a fictional example

Service guarantees

What we promise, and the conditions beside each promise

Owner-only payment

We accept no commissions, referral fees or paid placement from the firms we evaluate. Our fee comes only from you.

Conditions

If we know of any relationship between our team and a candidate firm, we tell you before you decide.

Documented checks

Every check included in your package is documented, with its source, date and result.

Conditions

Each check carries one status: Completed, Awaiting confirmation, Unavailable or Not applicable.
A check waiting on someone else stays “Awaiting confirmation” until it is resolved. We never show it as completed.

Relevant license verification

We check the relevant official licensing record for the professionals we recommend and document what it shows.

Conditions

We check the record in your project’s state for the person proposed to lead or take professional responsibility for your project.
We recheck time-sensitive records close to your decision, and show you any unresolved issue before you decide.

Transparent comparison

We identify the inclusions, exclusions and unanswered questions in the proposals we compare.

Conditions

If a proposal doesn’t mention a service, we don’t assume it’s included. We ask, or mark it unresolved.
We compare what firms commit to in writing. Whether a scope is technically adequate is a question for a qualified professional.

Your choice

You decide who to hire. We explain our recommendation and disclose known relationships or conflicts.

Conditions

You can choose a different firm, or decide not to hire anyone. Our fee covers our work, not a particular outcome.

Delivery-backed money-back

If we fail to deliver an agreed screening or comparison deliverable, and can’t correct that failure within the remedy period stated in your agreement, you may cancel and receive a refund of our service fee.

Conditions

Remedy period: 10 business days.
Covers our deliverables as listed in your agreement. It doesn’t cover a firm declining, a firm’s fees or performance, permit decisions, or changes to your plans.
Separate search-shortfall remedy: if the search can’t produce at least three suitable firms that confirm their interest in writing, you choose an agreed extension or a refund of the search milestone not delivered.

Our guarantees cover our work

Owner-only payment and disclosure of known relationships
Documented checks with source, date and status
License verification for the professionals we recommend
A comparison that shows inclusions, exclusions and open questions
Delivery of the deliverables in your agreement

No one can honestly guarantee

How a professional will perform
Permit approval or government review times
Construction costs or completion dates
A particular amount of savings

Screening scope

What our “background checks” include

Each finalist screened in detail gets the checks below. Every line records whether it came from an official record, from the firm, or from a reference, or that it isn’t confirmed yet.

Official licensing recordOfficial record checked
Available disciplinary recordsOfficial record checked
Business identity and registrationOfficial record checked
Relevant project experienceFirm supplied, then reference confirmed where possible
Public reviewsPublic sources, cited
Reference follow-upReference confirmed, or recorded as no response
Insurance documentationFirm supplied; professional and general liability recorded separately
Proposed project leadFirm supplied, confirmed at interview
Interest and availabilityFirm confirmed in writing
Site-visit arrangementsFirm committed in proposal
Consultant responsibilitiesFirm committed in proposal, or flagged
Practical experience with comparable workFirm supplied, then discussed at interview

What our checks are not

Criminal background investigations
Private or restricted records
Exhaustive litigation searches
Certification that insurance coverage is adequate
Technical review of drawings or scope
Legal review of contracts

See everything we ask every architect and engineer

When a public-record search finds nothing, we report the source, the date and the result. We don’t describe anyone as “cleared”. Professional-liability and general-liability documents are recorded separately; questions about what a policy covers go to an insurance professional.

The fine print, in plain language

How engagements work

Existing drawings are not existing proposals

Drawings describe a design. Proposals describe the work and fees a firm is offering. Quote Protection compares proposals you already have; if you have drawings but no proposals, you need a search.

Professional fees are separate

Our fee pays for our hiring support. The architect’s or design firm’s fees are agreed directly between you and them, and paid to them.

Proposal targets depend on participation

We aim for the number of suitable proposals in your package. Firms decide for themselves whether to propose. If too few take part, the search-shortfall remedy applies.

References may not reply

We contact up to two references per finalist and record what they say, or that they didn’t respond.

Support runs through signing

Your support window starts when you approve the agreement and runs until you sign with a professional or the window ends, whichever comes first.

Pauses, changes and extensions

If you need to pause, the window can pause by agreement for up to 30 days, once per engagement. A changed scope that needs a new search is quoted before work continues. Extensions are agreed in writing.

Third-party charges

Record fees, surveys or a professional’s consultation fee are yours to pay. We never incur them without your approval.

Payment

Our fee is paid in full when you approve your service agreement. Your architect’s fees are paid separately, directly to them.

What we don’t do

We don’t design, draw, engineer, apply for permits, manage construction, review contracts as lawyers or interpret insurance coverage.

Questions

About fees and guarantees

Fees

What does your fee include?

Each package lists exactly what’s included: the brief, the number of firms researched, proposals compared, clarification rounds, finalists screened, references contacted, interviews scheduled and attended, and the support window. See Packages & Guarantees for the full comparison.

Are architect fees separate?

Yes. The professional’s fees are agreed between you and them, under your own contract with them. Our fee is for our hiring support only.

Is this worth it for a small project?

It depends on how much is at stake. Our fee makes most sense when professional fees and construction costs are large enough that choosing the wrong firm, or missing an exclusion, would cost you far more than our fee. If your project is small and needs only simple drawings, our fee may be a large share of what you would pay the designer. We will tell you that on the first call.

Checks and guarantees

What do your checks establish?

Each check records what a specific source showed on a specific date: for example, a state licensing board record showing an active license. When a search finds no record, we say exactly that, with the source and date, rather than calling anyone “cleared”.

Checks don’t predict future performance. We don’t run criminal background investigations, access private records, carry out exhaustive litigation searches or certify insurance coverage. Technical and legal questions go to qualified professionals.

What is covered by the guarantee?

Our guarantees cover our own work: owner-only payment, documented checks, license verification, transparent comparison, your choice of firm, and delivery of the deliverables in your agreement. We don’t guarantee a firm’s performance, permit approval, review times, construction costs, completion dates or savings.

Where does your involvement end?

At signing and administrative handover, within your support window. After that, you work directly with your professional. An optional kickoff and handover session is available after signing.

Tell us what you’re planning.

Share a few details. We’ll reply to arrange a short project-fit call and tell you plainly whether our service suits your project.

Tell Us About Your Project See a Sample Hiring File

There is no charge for the first conversation. Paid only by you. No architect commissions.