I work with Rick Barrett on a very intensive way under BLADESIGN which is, as you know, my sword design site. I work with different smiths, but I find Rick Barrett to be the most flexible and versatile.

Here is how I work with my clients: 
I always make a site for each project. Once the prices are presented, either we proceed or not. There is no discussion on the prices. They will be dealt accordingly if the project changes. I very much hope that it does not happen, as will lead to further change of pricing. 
If things get a go ahead from your part, you pay a 50 percent deposit. Final payment is due against delivery. Only in very unique cases you pay in three installments. This cannot be unfortunately the case because this is not an everyday project. I must be reassured that, once started, you will not cancel it. I hope you understand this.

Here is what I have to tell you after my lengthy conversation with Rick Barrett.

Most of the dimensions are not a problem. For a shobu zukuri style blade with such little taper, what would normally be the kissaki portion of the blade will definitely be more resembling a standard 10cm o-kissaki less the geometric change in profile and cosmetic enhancement of a yokote. The only two areas that provide any problems are the hamon and amount of curvature. The hamon will be togari-gunome or choji in execution but this still translates slightly different in its final presentation. The curvature itself is something Rick Barrett is a bit picky about. He does not like to straighten blades as that causes internal stressing in the blade as well as the fact that the entire process up to the point of quench as been an act of causing the steel to submit. The quench itself is what gives life to the blade, it takes the material from being a stagnant bar of steel to a hardened edged blade with a natural curve born of its own properties. In the past her has straightened blades to achieve a specific degree of curvature but will no longer do so as it takes life from the blade. In a sense, what happens is that you take one of the only remaining naturally occurring properties from the blade and force it into a complete state of submission. Rick Barrett as well as all smiths of prestige will prefer his  blades to exhibit as much natural character as possible. 

For the fittings, they will all have to be hand made of course and can be done to your specifications without a problem. The same is true of the color scheme and saya.  This will all be done by Rick Barrett himself, who is also a excellent jeweler. 

If you are willing to compromise for a 70 to 74cm blade in gunome midare your wait and cost can be decreased. 

For the blade alone it will run around $6.800 in full Japanese polish and the highest quality shirasaya. For the blade in full mounts all in steel with steel saya components as well it will be closer to $10.800. This will include Tsuba, Fuchi-gashira, Sayajiri, and hangars all hand made with hand carved gold inlayed dragonfly in a tachi style. 
There are many things that can affect the price however should you decide to make changes, like I said before. 
One of the primary things is getting the exact hamon which may take a couple blades to achieve, as I have mentioned in the email, as well as this length of blade, which is extremely difficult to forge, as anything beyond 29" becomes unruly to handle. Please bear this in mind.

There is one katana in shobu-zukuri style that is 72cm long with an extremely deep gunome-midare hamon. The peaks actually come back to just beneath the shinogi ji for the length of the blade until it starts to taper down for the boshi.

This is a fairly extensive project and we will definitely need to communicate quite a bit along the way to make sure things are done right. Yet at the same time you must allow for some creative freedom. 

If you are super serious and want the blademade of tamahagane, that can be done as well. But this have to be decided very quick. At the moment there is tamahagane available.
Below I placed two pictures for you to view carefully.