YES

Getting a skilled mate to help with a house project can save money, but is it worth risking a friendship? Two readers reveal their thoughts

‘We said what we thought and took everything in good humour’

Bianca Opris (@opris_b_designs) is an interior designer based in Brussels

‘You can work for friends if there is trust and communication. When I started out, working for friends was an obvious way to gain experience and build up my portfolio, and I was prepared to offer mates’ rates in exchange. I made over a young couple’s tired 1980s house. Designed and projectmanaged an apartment update. And oversaw a big extension build for someone I’d met via Facebook.

‘With the young couple I was friends with, we weren’t afraid to voice our (few) disagreements to reach a positive outcome. We communicated regularly, said what we thought worked and what didn’t and took everything in good humour. For my Facebook friend, we became a team and delivered a large residential renovation as if we’d done it for ages. Again, there was communication and mutual respect. I did my utmost for the project and she said she felt supported mentally and emotionally on top of the work itself.

‘With my other friend, I knew her and her family very well but every decision was questioned in the “family forum”. That situation takes careful navigation. Working for a friend changes the relationship dynamic. But we got there in the end.

‘The design process is consultative, that way the agreed plan pleases both parties. I try to be as flexible as possible as I know imposing my ideas won’t work. Not with friends, not with any client.’

If you’re paying full price for a service, you feel you have more of a comeback if something is wrong