Principal designer
How much does a CDM principal designer cost?
Short answer
For a domestic extension, loft conversion or refurbishment, expect the pre-construction principal designer service to sit in the high hundreds of pounds. ClearCDM prices that work from £750 plus VAT, with the construction phase service from £450 plus VAT on top. Larger residential and commercial projects rise from there. Fees are usually quoted either as a fixed sum or as a percentage of contract value, and the fixed sum is easier to compare.
What actually moves the price
| Factor | Effect |
|---|---|
| Project type and complexity | The largest single factor. A single dwelling extension is a different job from a commercial development |
| Contract value | A proxy for complexity and for the size of the design team. Sensible schedules move in brackets rather than as a straight percentage |
| Whether the construction phase is included | Significant, and often the hidden difference between two quotes. A pre-construction only fee is not comparable with a fee that runs to the health and safety file |
| Time on site | Only matters where the appointment continues through construction, and then it matters a lot |
| Number of designers | Some effect, because each one is another party to coordinate |
Questions that make quotes comparable
- Does this run to start on site, or to the health and safety file?
The commonest reason two quotes look different when they are not.
- Is a site visit included?
A principal designer who has never seen the building is working from drawings.
- What happens if the design changes during construction?
On most projects it does.
- Is the Building Regulations principal designer role included?
Usually not, and it is a separate appointment either way. Why.
- Is it a fixed fee or an estimate?
And if fixed, what would change it, and whether anything is added as an expense afterwards.
What ClearCDM charges
Published in full, plus VAT, read off a schedule rather than as a percentage:
| Project | Pre-construction service from |
|---|---|
| Extension, loft conversion or refurbishment of a single dwelling | £750 |
| Large residential project | £1,000 |
| New build dwelling | £1,200 |
| Commercial fit out or refurbishment | £1,200 |
| Commercial development | £1,850 |
The construction phase service starts at £450 plus VAT for six months or less. The full fee schedule, including how contract value and time on site move the figures, or price your own project in about two minutes.
Is it worth it?
The honest answer depends on what you compare it with. Against the cost of the appointment, it is a few hundred pounds on a project costing tens of thousands. Against doing nothing, the comparison is not really financial: the duties land on your builder and your designer by default, unpriced and unresourced, and the information gathering the role exists to do simply does not happen. The commonest expensive outcome on a small project is not a fine. It is a fortnight lost mid build to something that a survey would have found.
Sources
- CDM 2015, regulation 5: appointment of the principal designer and the principal contractor legislation.gov.uk
- CDM 2015, regulation 11: duties of a principal designer legislation.gov.uk
- CDM 2015, regulation 12: construction phase plan and health and safety file legislation.gov.uk
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