$5,000 Colour Expertise vs a $50,000 Design Firm

If you’ve never worked with a designer before, it is easy to assume “design is design.” You pay a fee, and you get everything: drawings, millwork plans, shopping, samples, site visits, sourcing, ordering, install coordination, and a fully finished home.

That is one version of design.

It’s not the version we sell in our $6,495 Complete Renovation Package or our $5,000 New Build Package (it’s slightly less because it doesn’t require as much “if this, then that” decision-making).

What we sell is something different, and frankly, rarer: high-level, expert colour and finish direction that prevents expensive mistakes, ties your renovation or new build together, and gives you a clear, cohesive plan you can execute without hiring a full-service design firm.

This post exists because I’ve now had a few clients purchase our DIY design package with expectations that exceed the price point. And I realize that it’s because there is a lack of awareness of the real cost of full service design. Which means that the unicorn we are offering, getting the look right and doing a little leg work on your own to save thousands, isn’t fully appreciated.

So let’s clarify, with real numbers and a few analogies that will help.

The simplest way to understand it

We are not selling “done-for-you full service renovation design.” We’re selling “colour + finish strategy” for homeowners who want to be happy with their renovation or new build while avoiding expensive regret. And without the cost of full service design.

You won’t find this service any where else in the world. And this is NOT an exaggeration.

No one, and I mean no one is promising that not only will you get your colours AND neutrals right, you’ll receive a shopping list of timeless finishes and a long list of detailed specifications that will ensure the success of your renovation or new build.

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What full-service design actually costs

Here’s what many people do not know: full-service design is priced like a professional service, because it is a professional service.

A common price range for comprehensive renovation or new build design support (drawings, millwork, sourcing, specifications, coordination) is roughly:

• $7–$12 per square foot (depending on scope and complexity)

So if we take a 5,000 sq ft home and use a simple midpoint:

• 5,000 sq ft × $10/sq ft = $50,000

That is not a “luxury outlier.” That is a normal range for real design work with drawings, detailed specifications, and project coordination with a designer by your side for months.

Now compare:

• $5,000 (our DIY colour + finish package)
• $50,000 (typical full-service design scope)

Our package is roughly 10% of the cost of a full-service engagement.

And that is exactly why it does not include drawings, millwork plans, site measuring, sourcing trips, ordering, or project management.

But it DOES give you the perfect recipe, in the right order, to give you a beautiful, timeless result. And it takes away an enormous amount of stress, overwhelm and decision fatigue.

You cannot hire your favourite “celebrity designer” for a DIY plan

Here’s a truth nobody says out loud: if you have a celebrity designer whose work you absolutely love, who has colour nailed, you can’t hire them to create a DIY plan for your renovation or new build.

That’s not how their business model works.

They are not selling “advice-only.” They’re selling a full-service experience. Which usually means:

• they take on projects selectively, only a few a year
• they design the whole thing
• they source, specify, and manage details
• and yes, if they’re based in Los Angeles, Dallas or New York and you’re not, you are paying to fly them (and their team) in

So when people compare my $5,000 package to “what a designer does,” they’re often unknowingly comparing it to a service that is practically unavailable to them unless they’re prepared to hire full-service, at full-service pricing.

What we offer is different: you’re getting celebrity-level direction on colour and finishes without hiring someone to run your entire renovation. Show me where else you can buy a true DIY plan from a real true expert at this level. You can’t. Most people with my experience only work full-service with high-end clients.

That is why it’s unique and priced the way it is.

The bargain is not that it’s “cheap.” The bargain is the access.

A $5,000 DIY package is not meant to replace a full-service designer. It’s meant to remove the most expensive form of regret: choosing the wrong colours and locking them into stone, tile, cabinets, flooring, and paint. Avoiding trendy choices that will date quickly.

You can find my packages here.

You’re not paying me to walk through showrooms and carry samples for you. You’re paying me to make sure you don’t spend the next 10–20 years living with a colour or style mistake you can’t unsee.

And yes, most people are overjoyed because once you have the plan, you can:

• hand it to your contractor,
• share it with your cabinet supplier,
• show it to your tile shop,
• and move forward with confidence because the field of finishes you need to consider are dramatically distilled to your BEST options.

That is the value.

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The key distinction: “Colour Strategy” vs “Project Execution”

Analogy #1: Chef vs meal delivery

A full-service designer is the restaurant: menu planning, ingredients, cooking, plating, service, cleanup.

Our package is the recipe + flavour pairing + grocery list created by someone who knows how to make it delicious.

You still have to shop and cook. But you are no longer guessing.

Analogy #2: Architect vs structural engineer vs painter

If you want arched openings, picture moulding layouts, millwork elevations, cabinetry details, you need drawings. Drawings come from:

• a designer who drafts,
• a draftsperson,
• an architect,
• or a builder’s design team.

Our package is not “architecture.” It is the colour and finish plan that makes the architecture look correct once it’s built.

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What our $5,000 Complete Renovation Package includes

This is what we deliver (and it’s substantial):

• A cohesive finish direction for your renovation: tile, countertops, flooring, paint colours, and the overall palette relationship. It’s presentation with hundreds of details slides.
• A plan designed to avoid undertone mistakes (the number one reason renovations look “off”)
• Guidance that supports confident commitment: inspiration and visual direction so you are not choosing finishes one-at-a-time in a vacuum
• The “make it make sense” factor: helping you see how finishes relate so your home doesn’t turn into a collection of random “safe” choices

And yes, we often include rug and furnishing inspiration because most homeowners can’t commit to colour until they can see what the colour is for.

That is not fluff. That is how humans make decisions.

One more thing you’re paying for is pushback

This is not a “yes to everything” service. If your idea is going to clash with your fixed finishes or fight the architecture and style of your home, I’m going to tell you. That’s the benefit of the 25 years of experience you’re accessing. Because the most expensive mistakes in a renovation aren’t the things you buy, they’re the choices you lock in and can’t unsee once they’re installed, especially when one trendy “new” decision makes everything else look wrong and suddenly you feel like you have to keep renovating.

Read more: Why Timeless Homes are Rare

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What it does not include (by design)

Here is what our package is not:

• No millwork drawings
• No kitchen or bathroom elevations
• No moulding layouts
• No CAD plans
• No sourcing trips on your behalf
• No ordering, procurement, receiving, or install coordination
• No “we run around collecting samples and present them to you”

If you want those deliverables, that is a different engagement, priced accordingly.

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“But $5,000 is a lot of money.” Yes. And here is the reframe.

If you’ve never paid for professional services in this category, $5,000 can feel enormous.

But in renovation economics, it’s important to compare the price to the size of the financial decision you’re making.

Most renovations involve tens of thousands (often hundreds of thousands) in hard costs. In that context:

• $7,500 is the cost of one wrong countertop decision
• Or one flooring mistake you live with for 10–20 years
• Or your “neutral” cabinet colour that turned pink/green/purple against your fixed finishes
• Or your “inspiration kitchen” that still feels wrong in the end, because your budget and the missing pieces that made the inspo photo work never came together in your house.

Our work is leverage. It reduces the risk of permanent regret.

Why beige is “back” and why many designers are rusty with it

Another piece people don’t understand: the black/white/grey era has dominated trend cycles for about 16 years. That’s long enough that many designers working today have built their entire careers specifying cool neutrals, crisp whites, and grey-driven palettes.

So now that the market is swinging back toward warm, creamy, beige, brown and green interiors, a lot of people in the industry are out of practice. Beige is not “easy” just because it’s neutral. Beige is nuanced. It lives and dies on undertones and relationships to fixed finishes.

Get the Killam Colour System here

That’s why so many new “warm neutral” renovations still look off. They’re warm-ish, but not related. Green marble next to taupe or pink beige zellige–when it should have been cream. A “safe” countertop fighting the floor. The result is expensive confusion.

This is precisely where my expertise is unusually valuable: choosing timeless warm neutrals correctly is a skill, and right now it’s a gap in the market.

By the way, if you’re a designer reading this, it’s not your fault. Practical, real-world colour was not taught in design school. That’s exactly why you should be in Vancouver or Chicago this spring for my True Colour Expert training. Learn more here.

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Why we require you to gather samples and send photos

This is the part some DIY buyers don’t expect: you have to touch the process.

Because in a remote package, the only way to confirm undertones and relationships accurately is to see:

• your final choices,
• with large paint samples,
• beside your fixed elements,
• photographed clearly.

So yes, you will still need to:

• source samples,
• arrange them,
• sometimes photograph them for us.

That is not “you doing my job.” That’s the reality of a DIY service where you’re the project runner. And the fact that I can do this online is a lucky break for you, because it means I can help you create a beautiful, timeless, cohesive home from thousands of miles away.

If you want someone else to do that running around, you’re looking for full-service design.

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Who this package is for

You are a great fit if:

• You want expert colour and finish direction, but you don’t want to pay full-service rates
• You are willing to do the legwork to execute the plan
• You want confidence and cohesion more than you want hand-holding
• You understand that new builds and renovations are expensive, and you want to reduce risk
• You’re already working with a builder or designer, but you want a colour expert to make sure your finishes and paint colours will be correct

Who this package is not for

This package will frustrate you if:

• You expect drawings, millwork plans, elevations, or CAD
• You want someone to shop, source, order, and coordinate for you
• You want a designer to “take it from here” and run the project
• You are not willing to gather samples, take photos, and make decisions

That is not a moral failing. It just means you need a different service.

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If you want millwork, moulding, and “architectural upgrades,” here’s what to do instead

If your goals include:

• picture moulding layouts,
• arched openings,
• custom trim packages,
• built-ins,
• detailed cabinetry changes,

You need a professional who produces drawings and coordinates trades.

That might be:

• a local interior designer (full service),
• a design-build firm,
• an architect or draftsperson,
• a cabinet company with design services.

Then you use our work as the colour/finish framework so those architectural changes look correct and timeless when they’re built.

Think of it as:

• Their job: design and document the architecture
• Our job: make sure the colour and finishes don’t sabotage the result

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Frequently asked questions

“Can I upgrade to get drawings?”

No. This package is colour and finish direction only.

I’m a colour expert, not a drafting service. In the same way your architect, builder, or designer may be excellent at layouts and construction details, they are not trained to choose undertones and neutrals correctly.

Most successful renovations or new builds need both:

• a professional to produce drawings and document the build, and
• a colour expert to make sure the finishes, paint, and fixed elements all relate.

If you need drawings, hire a local designer, draftsperson, or architect for that scope, then use our colour plan to keep every choice cohesive and timeless.

“What if I want this to be more hands-off?”

Then you want full-service design, and you should budget for it accordingly. This package is built for homeowners who want guidance, not delegation.

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Learn to see colour for yourself

And if you have a lot of expensive decisions to make in 2026, join my Create Your Dream Home: Colour Foundations 6-week online course.

It combines step-by-step modules with live weekly sessions for exercises and Q&A, so you can make confident, timeless choices before anything gets “locked in.”

A funny moment from the fall session: at the end of Day 1, when I asked what they learned, one student wrote, “I realized I don’t know anything.”

That’s a breakthrough, because once you can see colour properly, decision-making gets faster, calmer, and dramatically more accurate.

This course will change the way you choose colours and finishes forever. Register here.

PS. if you want to review this course at my new slower pace, email my team for a special reviewer rate.

Over to you my lovelies! I’d love to hear your comments and a range of what you paid for a full service designer who helped you with your renovation or new build!

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Related posts:

“I’ve Got This” and Other Unrealistic Thoughts about Renovating

Renovation Success Starts Here: Your First 10 Decisions

Most Important Question when Planning Home Renovations