I was billing $85/hour and working weekends. Six months in, I restructured my fees, fired two clients, and took my first vacation in four years.
Margaret Halvorsen, AIA
Principal — 3-person studio, Portland, OR
A peer group for architects who design beautifully and are finally ready to run their practice the same way.
214
Practicing Members
3.2×
Avg. Fee Increase, Yr 1
6
Sessions / Quarter
The competition loss was a Tuesday. I found out by email. The permit set had been due that Friday — 340 sheets, 3 a.m. every night for six weeks.
Nadia Osei-Bonsu, AIA — Founder
3 a.m.
Every night. Six weeks.
The permit set that broke something.
Trace paper. Every surface.
I called Elena Marsh — she runs a five-person firm in Chicago. I expected sympathy. Instead she said: “What did you charge for that set?” I told her. She was quiet for a long time.
You charged for your time. Not for what you know. Those are completely different numbers.
Elena Marsh, AIA — Chicago
$0
What I charged for expertise.
Time-based billing hides the actual value you deliver. Clients pay for certainty, not hours.
Six months later, I had restructured every active contract. Two clients left. Good riddance — they were the ones calling at 9 p.m. on Sunday. Revenue went up. Hours went down. I started Atelier because I needed more Elenas.
Nadia Osei-Bonsu, AIA
Founder, Atelier
Brooklyn, NY
Solo practitioner → 4-person studio
2019 → 2026
Learn something useful
before the ask.
Three ungated lessons from the Atelier archive. No email required. The download prompt comes after — because we'd rather earn it.
When you quote one number, you force a yes/no decision. When you quote three, you reframe the conversation around scope, not price. Structure it this way: — Option A: Core scope, 16-week timeline, $X — Option B: Full scope, 12-week timeline, $X + 30% — Option C: Full scope, expedited 8-week timeline, $X + 60% The math is simple. The psychology is everything. Clients who choose Option C aren't paying for speed — they're buying the feeling that you're treating their project as urgent. That's worth real money. Three firms in Atelier's last cohort reported that 40% of new clients selected the premium tier when offered. None had offered it before.
The script that works: "I've been reflecting on our project and I don't think I'm the right fit for where this is heading. I want to refer you to [name], who I think is better positioned to serve what you're describing now." Three things this does: 1. It's not about them — it's about fit 2. It offers a path forward (referral) 3. It leaves them with a story: "My architect referred me to someone better" Follow up with a brief written summary of project status, outstanding deliverables, and a clean handoff package. Bill for the handoff time. One Atelier member used this script in January. The fired client sent two referrals in March.
The Four-Question RFP Filter: 1. Do you have a relationship with anyone in the decision chain? If no → probability of winning drops to ~8%. Proceed only if the project builds a portfolio piece you genuinely need. 2. Is the fee structure defined in the RFP? If yes and it's hourly → walk away. Hourly RFPs select for the cheapest bidder. 3. What's the submission requirement? If it requires original design work → this is spec work. The AIA Code of Ethics is clear. Decline. 4. Who else is being invited? If the RFP went to 8+ firms → you're providing market research for a client who hasn't decided to build yet. Pass all four? Write the proposal. Fail any one? Write a polite decline and spend those 40 hours on a client who already trusts you.
12 more lessons in the Fee Restructuring Playbook — free download below.
What happens when architects
stop practicing alone.
Session recordings, member outcomes, and the kind of candor that doesn't survive a LinkedIn post.
I had been at $110/hour for three years. After the fee session I raised to $165 and lost zero active clients. I was just afraid.
James Okonkwo, AIA
Associate Principal — 2-person studio, Austin, TX
Cohort 2
November 2025
Session: The Post-Mortem Framework
Six members dissect a project that went 40% over budget. Names changed. Lessons aren't.
68%
of members raised fees within 90 days
Cohort 3 survey, n=34
The RFP filter alone saved me from submitting on four projects I would have lost. That's about 160 hours back.
Priya Chandrasekaran
Sole practitioner, Boston, MA — Year 2 in practice
Cohort 5
September 2025
Session: Scope Creep Scripts
Live roleplay: one member plays the difficult client, one plays the architect. The room learns from both sides.
I was about to take on a client who had fired two other architects. Atelier talked me out of it in twenty minutes. Saved a year of my life.
Marcus Webb, AIA
Principal — 7-person firm, Philadelphia, PA
Cohort 1
January 2026
Session: Transitioning to Your Own Shingle
Three members who made the leap in the last 24 months. What they wish they'd known.
Ten sessions.
All the things school skipped.
Fee Architecture
Three-tier proposals, value-based pricing, retainer structures
Scope Management
Change-order scripts, scope creep detection, contract language
Client Selection
Red-flag identification, qualification process, the client you can't afford
The Fee Restructuring
Playbook
12 pages. The exact scripts, frameworks, and worked examples that Atelier members used to restructure their fees — without losing clients they wanted to keep.