Is this even feasible?

[imcrainjames]

Hi all,

 

I have recently started to dabble in Architectural Rendering, and from what I know so far, I really enjoy it.

 

That being said, I am really curious what those of you (who feel you are proficient in this) think regarding the time it takes to do basic residential renderings.

 

More specifically, I am considering pursuing a career aimed at the residential market doing renderings for remodels, additions, etc.

 

Is this really feasible from a price point prospective? I mean, is it unrealistic to think I could charge someone a modest fee for the amount of time I would need to put into a rendering?

 

Any advice in this area would be appreciated. I just don't know any one who does this in my area, and very little about the practice in general (apart from what I am learning through 3ds Max).

 

Thanks so much in advance ...

 

--

James Crain

Developer & Designer | Personatech

Mobile: (636) 373-4745

Email: jcrain@personatech.com | @imcrainjames

Website: http://www.personatech.com

[-MerlyN-]

I'd say that greatly depends on the scale of the project, the quality that you are able to provide and the time it takes you to achive a finished rendering. Last but not least it also depends on the kind of customers you serve.

 

There are an uncountable number of threads on this forum alone, where people discuss what money is reasonable to charge for different types of work. Search is your friend.

[imcrainjames]

I realize there are a myriad of factors that go into establishing a price, and then deciding whether or not that price is enough to make a buck/living is rather subjective.

 

However, what I am trying to gauge off of this community, is that in your [all's] opinion, do you think there is a market in targeting small scale renderings (i.e. middle class families, additions, remodels, etc.). Would you consider it worth your time?

 

Perhaps that is a better way of stating my question. After all, my question isn't as much about what to charge for a particular service, as it is whether or not the market is even viable.

 

[Edit] Having read a few posts about pricing, etc. I realize it is hard to answer a question like this. I guess my concern is that I am really just wondering how long it "should" take a professional to do small scale renderings. Along with what I have said above here, I am just hoping to better understand what I might be getting into. [Edit]

 

Hope that helps. Thanks in advance ...

Edited September 30, 2010 by imcrainjames
Poorly stated my question

[Bwana Kahawa]

One thing to bear in mind is that if you aim to target that particular market, you're unlikely to be able to charge massively high prices - people having a room refurbished wouldn't want to spend a large amount of their budget on a 'picture', compared to a commercial organisation marketing new properties.

 

Therefore you'd need to turn around a fair amount of images to generate enough income to live off. Key to this would be efficient workflows, building up a decent library of reusable assets, etc.

[Justin Hunt]

Also, with such small scale jobs, the clients tend to be intimately attached to the project. As a result you end up tweaking until the cows come home. The amount of effort more often than not, not reflect the fees.

 

Many start doing small to mid size residential stuff, but very quickly move onto larger commercial projects for this very reason.

 

jhv

[BVI]

Also, with such small scale jobs, the clients tend to be intimately attached to the project. As a result you end up tweaking until the cows come home. The amount of effort more often than not, not reflect the fees.

 

Spot on Justin, we avoid this market like the plague. This type of client takes things very personally and most of the time cannot seperate themselves from the project.

[imcrainjames]

Awesome, awesome answers.

 

This is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for.

 

Thank you all so much.

[Devin Johnston]

I agree with everyone so far the residential market in this case would be a tough nut to crack, I doubt you could charge enough to make it worth your time and effort. The only real way to know though is to give it a try, get a job or two and see if you can make it work.

[Justin Hunt]

The small scale, investor developer is one who might be willing to fork out for marketing images and still not be too emotionally tied to be a PIA. Often they are willing to accept a lesser quality/ quicker time frame which is one way to make a profit.

 

These smaller jobs are good fillers between bigger jobs, and can sometimes lead to long term relationships and repeat work, eventually leading to some interesting quirky projects. So I wouldn't write them off, but I also would want to do them full time.

 

jhv