Client-Facing Interior Design Proposal Without Internal Prices
· 7 min read
A client-facing interior design proposal should show what the client buys, in which room, in what quantity and at what client price. It should show nothing about purchase prices, supplier discounts, markup or profit. The reliable way to get there is to prepare the working estimate first, export only the rooms and items that need a decision, and check the file before you send it. Below is the process, plus a checklist of the places where internal numbers usually leak.
What belongs in a client-facing proposal
Your working estimate serves three readers: you, the procurement manager and the client. Each needs different columns. Decide once what the client sees, then apply the same rule to every project.
| Element | In the client PDF | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Photo, name, description | Show | Check the description text for internal remarks |
| SKU, dimensions, finish | Show | The client needs them to approve |
| Quantity and client price | Show | Use whole packs for tiles, wallpaper and flooring |
| Room totals and grand total | Show | Rejected items must not be counted |
| Alternatives (cheaper, faster, in stock) | Show, clearly labelled | Give a base total and a total with alternatives |
| List price, supplier discount, purchase price | Hide | Internal |
| Markup and profit | Hide | Internal |
| Supplier payments, advances, supplier invoices | Hide | Show only if your contract says so |
| Internal notes, task comments | Hide | Re-read every description before export |
Why the chain of prices matters
Internal columns are connected: change one and the others move. Here is a labelled example, in EUR.
| Step (example) | Value |
|---|---|
| List price of a sofa | 2,000 EUR |
| Supplier discount 15% | 1,700 EUR purchase price |
| Markup 20% on purchase price | +340 EUR |
| Client price | 2,040 EUR |
The client proposal contains only the last line. If you are unsure how your markup translates into a client price, check it first with the markup calculator, so you do not change prices after the proposal is sent.
Prepare the estimate before you export
Most mistakes in a proposal come from a dirty source estimate, not from the export itself. Go through these steps in order.
- Decide the stage. A first proposal usually contains everything proposed. A later one should contain only what the client has already agreed. Do not mix the two in one document.
- Remove what is rejected. Items the client declined must be excluded from totals, otherwise the sum will not match your conversation.
- Clean the descriptions. Delete remarks such as "ask for 10% more discount" or "supplier is slow". Keep only text written for the client.
- Resolve missing prices. An item with "price on request" makes the total look lower than it will be. Get the price or mark the line clearly as an estimate.
- Check quantities. For finishing materials, confirm net quantity, reserve for cutting and the number of whole packs.
- Assign every item to a room. Items without a room will end up in a general block and confuse a room-by-room document.
- Compare with the approved budget. If the total is above it, decide how to explain that before the client finds it.
Quick readiness checklist
- Every line has a photo, name, SKU and dimensions.
- No line shows a purchase price or a percentage of markup.
- Currency is the same across the document, or the conversion is explained.
- Delivery is either included in the item or listed as a separate line, not both.
- Totals match the sum of the rooms you are sending.
Choose the scope: rooms, items, alternatives
A single 40-page document for the whole apartment is hard to approve. Clients respond faster to a short document with a clear decision at the end.
One room at a time
If the kitchen is ready and the bedroom is not, send only the kitchen. The client sees a complete picture of one room and the room total, and you avoid questions about lines that are still being worked out.
Only the items that need a decision
Sometimes you need approval for five items out of eighty: lighting, a sofa and three chairs. Select exactly those lines and export them. A short list gets an answer in a day, while a long estimate with five open questions often waits a week.
Alternatives under the main item
If the client hesitates over a price, show a cheaper or faster option next to the main one instead of making a second estimate. Rules that work well:
- Offer one or two alternatives per item, not five.
- Label them as alternatives so nobody counts them twice.
- Give two totals: the base total and the total if the client picks the alternatives.
- Check that the alternative differs in a way the client understands: price, delivery time or availability.
Check the file before sending
Open the exported file as if you were the client and read it from top to bottom. It takes five minutes and saves you from the worst awkward conversations.
Where internal numbers usually leak
- Spreadsheet exports. A spreadsheet file can contain every column of the working estimate. Send a PDF to the client unless you have checked each sheet and column yourself.
- Screenshots. A screenshot of the working screen with the economics columns visible is the most common leak in chats.
- Screen sharing. Switch to the client-facing view before a call, not during it.
- Description text. Internal remarks typed into a name or description go into the document as they are.
- Attached documents. Supplier invoices show your purchase prices. Attach only what the client should see.
Final checklist before you press send
- The file is a PDF, and the name includes the project, the scope and a version, for example "Project_Kitchen_proposal_v2".
- Your studio logo and details are correct.
- Prices and photos are on or off exactly as you intended.
- Only the planned rooms or items are present.
- Alternatives are labelled, and both totals are visible.
- The cover email says what you need: approve, choose one of two options, or confirm the budget, with a date.
How to do it in ArchiBoard
In ArchiBoard the client PDF is built from the same estimate you work in. Internal figures (purchase price, markup, profit) are not included in the client PDF. The steps below follow the "Export to PDF" flow; more details are in the export help chapter.
- Open the project and go to Estimates. To read the estimate the way the client will, set "Estimate view mode" to "Specification" and choose "Preliminary" or "Approved".
- If you need only part of the items, tick them with the checkboxes. Shift+click selects a range.
- Click Export to PDF.
- In Rooms, select the rooms you need or "Whole estimate". If you ticked items, enable "Only selected items".
- Turn prices and photos on or off. If you want to show a cheaper option, include alternatives. They appear under the main item with the label "Alternative option", with the base total and the total with alternatives at the bottom.
- Click Download PDF and open the file for a final check.
The logo in the document comes from Profile settings → "Professional", so set it once. Be careful with "Export to Excel": it produces one sheet with all fields, so use it for your own work, not as the client file. If you want the client to follow approvals online instead of receiving files, see the client portal. There you choose which data they see. For the wider estimating workflow, see estimates. The exact export steps are in the help chapter on exporting estimates.
FAQ
Will the client see my markup in the PDF?
No. In ArchiBoard, the studio's internal figures (purchase price, markup and profit) are not included in the client PDF. Still, open the downloaded file and read it before sending, and check the description text too, because anything you typed there goes into the document as written.
Should I send a PDF or an Excel file to the client?
Send a PDF. It is fixed, easy to read on a phone and does not invite edits. An Excel export contains one sheet with all fields, including internal ones, so it fits your own work or a colleague on the team. If a client explicitly asks for a spreadsheet, check every column before sending it.
How do I send only the kitchen?
Open Estimates and click "Export to PDF". In "Rooms", leave only the kitchen selected, then click "Download PDF". The client receives one room with its own total and nothing about the other rooms. This works well when rooms are approved at different times.
How do I show a cheaper option without a second estimate?
Add an analog to the item, then include alternatives when you export. The cheaper option appears under the main item with the label "Alternative option". The document shows two totals: the base total and the total with alternatives. The client compares the two options in one place.
When is a link better than a PDF?
A PDF is a snapshot, so it becomes outdated when prices or dates change. A link to the client portal shows the current estimate, delivery dates and payment schedule, and lets the client approve or reject items. Use a PDF for a formal proposal or a signature, and a link for ongoing approvals.