Audrey Interiors

Interior designers in Harvard don't pull permits; the licensed contractor does, through the Harvard Building Department. Decorative work — paint, finishes, furnishings, lighting — needs no permit. Construction-side work does: kitchen and bath remodels trigger building, plumbing, and electrical permits, with a separate gas permit for gas line work. The 1700s and 1800s Colonials around the common frequently need knob-and-tube rewiring and service upgrades before a modern kitchen load, while newer estate homes rarely do. The town-common historic district reviews exterior alterations only; conservation review applies to sitework near Harvard's substantial wetlands, not to interior design.

Harvard interior design fees sit in the upper-mid tier — typically 15 to 30 percent below the inner affluent suburbs and above Worcester proper. Hourly rates from established designers commonly run $125 to $250. Flat-fee single-room scopes usually run $2,800 to $6,800, and kitchen-bath selection packages run $4,000 to $9,500. Whole-house estate commissions are priced as a percentage of project budget, commonly 12 to 20 percent of combined construction and furnishings cost. Period-restoration work on common-area Colonials prices toward the higher end because of detail-matching and millwork. Cost-plus procurement markups typically run 16 to 30 percent over trade.

Massachusetts requires a written contract and a Home Improvement Contractor registration for most residential interior design work; ask for the registration number and check it before paying a deposit.

More on permits, costs, rebates and common questions, plus every other interior design contractor serving the town, on the Interior Design in Harvard page.