The "going rate" for a colored front elevation rendering seemed to be around $500 around Denver. Basically it was competing against the watercolor artists that permeate the back of most Denver area real estate magazines. For some strange reason the real estate sector in the Denver area is obsessed with these watercolor renderings some of which border on being naive art.
The problem however when basing this rate with a Sketch-Up model is that it goes beyond a mere “flat” rendering of an architectural structure. The tendency is to work the model on all four sides including site development to a certain extent and development of details well beyond the ability of traditional rendering “artists.” Additionally, the client will also have a tendency to request a multitude of color and material changes. Thus you also become a “color consultant” of sorts in addition to a 3D modeler and renderer.
In the end I believe it takes about 3 working days (24 hours) to create a 3D model and rendering. This includes the above mentioned color and material changes. $500 is the minimum for a good competent rendering. In my experience the price range is anywhere from $500 to $1,500 so essentially the proposal should read:
“For an amount not to exceed one-thousand five-hundred dollars and zero cents ($1,500.00).”
“Billing to be based on an hourly rate of ______ /hr.”
If you think 1,500 is too high just adjust the above quote. It could be lower if you get a bulk contract with numerous renderings. If you are not familiar with the client also include a requirement of a retainer of around ten-percent (10%) of the maximum cost.
Emphasize the final cost for the client as opposed to an hourly rate especially if you’re thinking of a range of $75-100/hour which will scare off most people in this current economic environment.