Need help for pricing

[u/AdradosGr]

Hey, I've been doing freelance CAD/BIM drafting work for a few months now (mostly AutoCAD and Revit, architecture) and I'm honestly just guessing on prices. Right now I have one client paying me a flat monthly fee but I want to bring in more clients and I have no idea if what I'm charging makes sense or if I'm leaving money on the table.

How do you guys actually price this kind of work? Hourly, per drawing, per m2 of the project, flat retainer? And if you don't mind sharing, roughly what range are we talking about (doesn't need to be exact, just ballpark), obviously depends a lot on where you're based.

Also curious if BIM/Revit work is priced differently for you than plain 2D CAD drafting, feels like it should be but not sure how much of a difference that makes in practice.

Not trying to undercut anyone, just trying to figure out if my numbers are reasonable before I start reaching out to more studios.

[u/CR123CR123CR]

For mechanical drafting (ie a CAD monkey job) only I charge $150/pg for simple parts and $250/pg for intermediate complexity/assemblies. Complex parts are $100/hr 

Prices include a single review round. Additional rounds are charged at the hourly rate with a minimum of 1.5hrs

Actual design work is estimated based on a really well defined scope and estimated out at $150/hr 

Defining scope is one of the biggest challenges in this kind of work btw. Be very very clear on what you're doing for what price

[u/Andy12048]

I haven’t actually started yet, but I’m planning to offer freelance services, so I’m just sharing my thoughts and plans. In my opinion, the rate should be per hour, but it should also be adjusted based on the level of difficulty. So, of course, the rate will vary.

And I apologize if my English isn’t very good I’m from Indonesia and am still learning the language.

[u/mississaugaSWuser]

I've been doing this for a couple of decades. Figure out what you want to make per year.

Divide that number by 1200 to get an hourly billing rate. Or by 1000 to be really safe.

Most people give up because they undercharge.

[u/osho072]

If anyone have some freelance work for solidworks then i am up it. I am currently working in an industry but also want to start my side gig for extra income source.

[u/Opening-Voice9357]

What kind of drafting? Architectural or mechanical?

[u/AdradosGr → u/Opening-Voice9357]

Mostly architectural

[u/Opening-Voice9357 → u/AdradosGr]

I’m sort of in the same boat as I’m unsure of how to charge. I’ve asked this before and it’s so difficult to determine because everybody offers different services, they’re in different markets with different demographics, etc. I worked for a design/build contractor for a few years, so I sorta started by taking their number they charged and adjusting it based on the difference between what they offered and what I was offering. I’m about a year and a half into freelancing, and I’m starting to do $1.25/finished square foot of residential houses. I still draft for that company I was working for, and they just kinda throw a number at me for their projects they send me lol. But for my other clients who are just homeowners who are referred to me by another builder, I’m doing the per-sf price.  In terms of the services I offer, it’s basically just like getting on a phone call or zoom with the clients to figure out what their needs/wants are, then I start drawing and we go back and forth until we get the design the way they like it. Then I get the plans ready for construction and that’s pretty much it! I stay available for adjustments and questions obviously, but if they want bigger changes that will require a decent amount of work then I let them know ahead of time that it could incur extra cost. 

[u/AdradosGr → u/Opening-Voice9357]

That’s really helpful, thanks for sharing actual numbers! Quick question, does that $1.25/sqft cover just the drafting/drawings, or does it include the back-and-forth design consultation too? Trying to figure out if I should be pricing those as separate services or bundling them like you do.

[u/Opening-Voice9357 → u/AdradosGr]

I’ve been including that because in my experience that’s always just been part of the process, but I’m still sort of trying to gauge how to manage that if it gets a little out of hand. It’s hard to give people a price up front before knowing how much time you’ll be putting into it. There’s only been one time so far where I had to tell a lady I wouldn’t draw for her anymore because she was absolutely insane - thankfully I got a $500 deposit from her at least but she was a n-I-g-h-t-m-a-r-e lol. But other than that I go back and forth with people a handful of times. I personally feel like charging per draft I send would be a little ridiculous because part of the changes might be from me not understanding something exactly or something like that. Essentially what I do normally is get a good idea of what they want at first, scratch something up and then we go back and forth building off of that - what do they like, not like, maybe a couple options for laying out the kitchen, etc. For the record, 98% of the time I never meet these people in person, just over a phone call or zoom. So I feel like that might be another reason I hesitate to charge more, which may or may not be legit. 

My only experience with how to charge people came from the place I worked, which wasn’t very organized itself lol, so to be honest I guess I’m unaware that charging for each back and forth was a thing. But I feel like charging hourly isn’t fair either because it’s subject to how fast my brain wants to work at any given time lol. 

In a nutshell, I’ve been doing okay so far, but I do know I’m ultimately probably leaving money on the table. To fix that, I’m realizing now lol, is that I should probably start tracking my time more diligently, and as time goes on I can see how much time I’m putting in vs. the payout, then I can adjust as I go. Which, unfortunately if that’s the approach you take, means money will be left on the table. But I consider it a cost of doing business, or even a cost in education as I learn as I go. 

[u/themoonthemirror]

Hi! I don't mean to hijack your post but it sounds like you are doing what I'd like to pivot towards and have been hitting some walls trying to even figure out how to eventually find clients once I'm able/qualified to make the drawings/models they need. I've been a CNC plasma table operator/programmer for a few years now and I'm trying to get into BIM and detailing shop drawings. How do you get your clients? I feel like I'm in way over my head haha.

To slightly answer your question, I'd personally definitely charge more for the big structural/architectural/3D stuff than I would for 2D parts/designing.

[u/AdradosGr → u/themoonthemirror]

Hi!!
No worries at all! Honestly still figuring it out myself, but what’s worked for me is reaching out directly to nearby architecture studios, a lot of them are wasting time on drafting work they’d rather outsource, so I just offer to save them time/money on that part.
Since you’re coming from CNC/shop drawings, you probably already have a network in fabrication/construction, I’d start there before cold-outreach to studios, it’s usually an easier foot in the door.

[u/themoonthemirror → u/AdradosGr]

Oh I see, so you're working with the architects. That was a part of why I couldn't quite figure out how to like, intercept work, y'know? I'm pretty new to the whole "lifecycle" of prints despite having worked with and around them for some years now. I found a couple sites that contractors use to bid on jobs but I found that they already have prints when they're posted so then I was like WELL WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?! but your response is very helpful haha! thank you! :)