Designer/Decorator/Contractor License

Comments(8)

• 
  InActive_Account4th October, 2004

  1) Big discounts? How big is 10% on average, some few products maybe 30%?
  
  2) Why would a designer need to be licensed? In case the hot magenta paint catches the drapes on fire because it was painted too close to them and broke one of the designer codes?
  
  There are associations for designers to give them credibility such as NKBA - Nation kitchen and bath designers just things like that.[ Edited by The-Rehabinator on Date 10/04/2004 ]

• 
  hevhead4th October, 2004

  There is a difference between a decorator and a designer. A decorator deals with space planning and elements such as paint, fabric and accessories. A designer deals with codes, and can work in commercial environments as well as residental homes. They also work closely with contractors and architects and are able to make structural changes to a space. Not all designers need to be licensed though. It depends on the state that you are practicing in. I am a designer and used to live in PA. There you did not need to pass the exam to be a designer, you just needed to have the right education and experience. Other states, like VA, you need to have a license (by passing the exam). If you are serious about decorating you should take some kind of class. The Art Institutes offer a Residential Planning diploma. THey even offer online classes now. If you obtained that or something similar it would look really great on your resume and to any clients you might have. Designers typically have a Bachelor's Degree either in Interior Design or Fine Arts. The exam I mentioned is the NCIDQ. If you go to http://www.ncidq.com you should be able to find out more information and have your questions answered. Also it is good to be a member of a professional organization such as IIDA of ASID. You should also check out their webpages! Good Luck

• 
  dkdrake4th October, 2004

  I am wondering about the discounts. I am an Architectural Designer and my husband recently got a contractors license. But everywhere we go, they tell us they dont offer discounts to contractors. I can't even find a 10% discount! Where do you go to get these?

• 
  hevhead5th October, 2004

  I have no idea where a contractor might get discounts. I work for a firm so I have made contacts through them with companies that usually sell to the trade only. These are for textiles, wallcoverings, flooring, ect. When it comes to building materials your best bet is to ask a fellow contractor for information. Hopefully someone else on here will be able to help.

• 
  just_for_giggles5th October, 2004

  I know contractors get big discounts in materials, and that decorators/designers do as well.....
  
  OK, OK, I *thought* they *may* have gotten them. In the car business, there is a 20-30% mark-up on parts, and a decorator I once hung out with bought some of her fixtures at 40% off - like lighting and faucets and stuff.

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  linlin5th October, 2004

  I am a General Contractor in Florida and we get no discounts. Inf act some store when they have sales the professionals cannot get the sale prices if the transaction bill to the commercial accounts

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  NC_Yank5th October, 2004

  Since the mega hardware stores have come into existence, many of the discounts are now gone.
  
  I use to get 2.5% on my lumber....thats done to 1%.
  
  My tile was 30%.....but so much for that.
  Any of the small discounts we get (very few) we use to offset office expense etc.
  
  On the license question, you may need to also check with your local city / county officicals.......the larger the city the more likely they have a "licensing process", which amounts to nothing more then a tax.
  
  NC

• 
  dkdrake5th October, 2004

  You can get discounts if you want to sign up with a number of different manufacturers and order direct. But it doesn't pay to do that for small orders. They want you to buy in bulk. The shipping is so high for one item that you could have gone to a local store to get it for the same price. With those situations, the more you buy, the more of a discount you get. It only benefits those who can buy enough to resell. You would have to sign up with a cabinet company and another company for countertops, another one for appliances, another for flooring, etc. It's just not worth all the hassle.
  
  There are middlemen who you can work with. I cant remember their name but there was a company that had a rep come in to where I use to work . They were signed up to buy from a lot of different big name companies. You sign up with them and you can buy from any of those companies then.
  
  That might be better than no discount at all since we can't order enough to get the big discounts. You would order everything from the middleman and he would have it dropshipped.