An architectural studio's hourly fees must fund design, review and purchased technical services without treating construction value as studio revenue. Fictional Stoneleaf Studio sells 264 hours from 480 scheduled professional hours per base month. The principal is already a paid member of the three-person delivery team.
Match accepted design responsibility, consultant purchases and review time to the collected fee.
Price a design responsibility, not the construction budget
Stoneleaf Studio is a US hourly architectural practice whose jurisdiction and office market remain unselected. Schematic design, development, documents, construction administration and feasibility divide one delivery pool. Each category is allocated professional effort, not a complete independent project. The fictional forecast covers January 2027 to December 2029.
The fee scope needs usable site information, agreed outputs, review stages and a sponsor who can accept decisions. Construction value, client deposits and the outside consultant's capacity are not additional studio sales. This case supplies no jurisdiction-specific professional or approval advice.
Allocate review within the same professional calendar
The base 55% utilization produces $43,362.00 at a weighted $164.25 per sold hour. Design development and documentation cannot each be treated as if they had the whole team available simultaneously. The table excludes opening ramp and growth.
| Service | Base sold volume | Fee per hour | Base revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schematic | 39.6 hour | $165.00 | $6,534.00 |
| Design develop | 79.2 hour | $175.00 | $13,860.00 |
| Documents | 79.2 hour | $160.00 | $12,672.00 |
| Site admin | 52.8 hour | $150.00 | $7,920.00 |
| Feasibility | 13.2 hour | $180.00 | $2,376.00 |
| Total selected mix | 264 hour | $164.25 weighted | $43,362.00 |
External technical purchases do not enlarge internal capacity
Outside technical consultants, rendering and survey work cost 10% of revenue in the scenario. These are purchased services rather than employees or physical inventory. Their outputs can also require the studio's own coordination and review time.
Quarter-time operations supports the principal and two designers without adding a professional. Internal BIM/CAD tools, office and meeting resources remain fixed overhead. Define which consultant scope is included in the fee and which later change needs a revised agreement before ordering more work.
Base-month contribution and opening-year profit are different
The base model has $2,960.07 monthly EBITDA before opening ramp. The saved opening-year result is -$1,770.48 EBITDA on $476,982.00 revenue, with net income of -$11,925.98. EBITDA excludes depreciation, interest and income tax. The opening ramp matters even when a base month looks positive.
Proposed equity totals $180,000.00, including $110,000.00 from the owner; it is uncommitted. Launch uses are $23,800.00, and collection is assumed at 30 days. No debt or physical stock is modeled. Refundable office deposits are excluded; the included consultant, cover and premises allowances still need actual quotes.
Test fee scope against review and consultant records
Track design effort, internal reviews, client changes, consultant purchases and the payment path through a defined commission. Distinguish a delayed sponsor decision from productive work and from a newly requested service.
If consultant coordination or design changes consume more of the calendar than expected, revise the fee boundary and sold-hour assumption together. Raising a headline design rate without controlling included obligations cannot establish project contribution.
Make the next decision with your own evidence
Collect commission-level design/review logs, actual consultant scope and quotes, accepted change records and payment dates before setting the next fee and calendar.
Explore published business plan examples ↗Stoneleaf Studio is a fictional prelaunch scenario prepared with AI assistance. Inputs are illustrative; forecast results come from the matching saved financial model. Funding is proposed. The diagrams explain the case and do not depict actual premises, established demand or promised earnings. Replace the assumptions with evidence before committing.
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