Studio
·
Leeds
Northlight Architects
A seven-person practice gave away redesigns on every job. A scoping template and a change-order price list turned the free work back into fees.
Result
+31%
Before
14% margin
After
18.3% margin
Time taken
10 weeks
The story
Margin per project, six months on
Northlight was never short of work, and never quite profitable. A time audit of their last 40 projects showed a quarter of all hours went on unbilled redesigns.
We wrote a scoping template that names the number of design rounds, and a simple price list for everything beyond it. The partners practised the conversation until it felt normal.
Six months later margin per project had risen by 31%, and clients reported feeling clearer about what they were buying.
In their words
We still say yes to clients. We just say what it costs first.
Partner, Northlight Architects
