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Design is the cheapest stage to change your mind in. This calculator prices each deliverable separately — consultation, layout, rendering, permit set — so you can see what you are actually buying.
Every change made during design costs a revision round. The same change made after the block is up costs demolition, new material and lost time. Published design figures for this market run from $150 for a consultation to $5,000 for a full package, against a build that starts around $10,000 — which is the whole argument for doing it first. This calculator prices the deliverables individually, because 'design' covers several different documents that do different jobs.
Published figures: an initial consultation $150–$300, a basic 2D layout plan $500–$1,500, a 3D rendering $800–$2,500, a full design package $1,500–$5,000, and a material and finish selection session $150–$400.
Design is priced on how much has to be resolved, not on how many sheets come out. A single island has one relationship to get right. A whole back yard has circulation, drainage, planting, lighting and sightlines all pulling against each other.
A remodel design has to establish what you already have before it can propose anything — what the structure is made of, where the utilities actually run, whether the footing will take a change in load. Published remodel consultations run $200–$600 against $150–$300 for new work.
Most designers include one or two, then charge per round. Making the big decisions in round one and saving finishes for round two is the cheapest way to use them.
A permit set is a different document from a design. It carries dimensions, sections, gas sizing and appliance loads, and it is what the City reviews. If the project includes new gas, new circuits, a sink or a solid roof, you will need one.
When the same company designs and builds, part or all of the fee is often credited against the construction contract. When you intend to bid the work out, expect to pay in full — and to get comparable bids in return.
This calculator works from the 2026 cost figures published for Santee and East County San Diego. What it cannot see is your slab, the capacity of your gas meter, what is under the old patio, or how a crew would get block and a stone slab into your back yard — and those are exactly the things that decide a real price. We will come out, measure, and give you a written scope with no pressure attached.
Book a free site visitPublished figures for this market: an initial design consultation $150–$300, a basic 2D layout plan $500–$1,500, a 3D design rendering $800–$2,500, a full design package with layout, materials and renderings $1,500–$5,000, a design consultation for a remodel or addition $200–$600, and a material and finish selection session $150–$400.
It is worth it when there is a decision that words will not settle — the height of a bar, whether a raised tier blocks a view from the kitchen window, how a stone veneer reads against the house. It is not worth it to confirm you like an idea you have already decided on. If there is one decision the whole layout hangs on, a rendering usually costs less than getting it wrong.
Frequently, when the same company designs and builds — commonly $1,000–$2,500 on a project of this size. Get it in writing before you pay, and ask specifically what happens to the credit if you go ahead with a reduced scope. If you plan to bid the work out to several builders, expect to pay the design fee in full.
A design sells the idea and settles the layout. A permit set proves the thing can be built: dimensions, sections, gas line sizing, appliance loads and structural details, drawn to what the City reviews. They are different documents with different audiences, and having them drawn together is cheaper than commissioning the permit set afterwards from someone reverse-engineering a rendering.
Many builders design what they build, and on a straightforward island that is usually the efficient route. An independent designer earns their fee in two situations: when you want to put the same scope in front of several builders and compare like for like, and when the kitchen is part of a larger landscape change where circulation, drainage and planting have to be resolved together.
At minimum: a dimensioned plan, elevations, an appliance schedule with cut sheets, and utility locations. Those are the four things a builder needs to price accurately and a homeowner needs to check that what was agreed is what gets built. Renderings are useful for deciding; they are not useful for setting out a footing.
Planning the whole project? Start at the Santee outdoor kitchen calculator hub, or read more about our Outdoor Kitchen Design service.