Beginning a home addition or whole renovation can be very intimidating. Do you hire an architect first? A general contractor? An interior designer, or even a kitchen and bath designer? There are many professionals to consider when undertaking a large-scale home project.
If you feel overwhelmed, it's ok. It's normal, especially if it's your first time renovating a home.
Today I am sharing with you some of the benefits of hiring a design-build firm to streamline all the different disciplines involved in a home renovation or addition. Let’s jump right in…
1. A Design-Build Firm Excels in Organization
Normally you may be inclined to hire an architect first. Which makes sense, because you start most projects with design and planning before you execute them, right?
But what about budget? Everyone has a budget in mind. That’s the advantage of hiring an architect-led design-build firm. They can manage your design wishlist and budget simultaneously. Just think of it as a more balanced approach to design.
You may hire an architect only to find out that your dream home is twice your budget after investing many months into design and planning. With a design-build firm there are 3 priorities that will be managed from the start: scope, budget, and schedule.
Since the construction management team is all in-house, the budget and schedule can be estimated while the design is developing to prevent any decisions that could possibly lead to going over budget or lengthening project timeframes.
As the Principal of an architect-led design-build firm, I work with every client from the very beginning, discussing the conceptual design all the way through to the overall budget and schedule of the project. Although I have an entire team working on different aspects of the project, I look at the overall big picture goal for each project as my team of experts work out all the details to bring it together.
2. A Design-Build Firm Reduces Risk for the Client
In the traditional design-bid-build method, you as the homeowner sometimes feel stuck in the middle of the “he said, she said”, or even the “it wasn't my fault, it was his fault” game. That more traditional method has plenty of adversarial complexities that can take all the fun out of a project.
When there is one team working to get to the same goal, it is a much smoother communication process with a lot fewer egos in the room. We are one team, under one roof, with one goal.
They say one of the biggest problems as the design-builder is that there is no one else to blame for your mistakes. Which is why it is very important for our team to rely on their experiences and help the rest of the team, even if it's not their department.
We have created our own checks and balances, if you will. Our construction team reviews our design team during design, and our design team reviews our construction team during construction. Extra sets of eyes all looking out for each other is a beautiful thing…and that can only happen in a single-source design-build firm.
3. A Design-Build Firm Means One Party to Pay
Our construction process is a little different from the traditional general contractor "lump sum" or "fixed fee" contract. Our agreement is based on management and all of our subcontractor costs are "open-book" and accessible to our clients for their understanding.
Most importantly, we still manage all of the subcontractors and verify all proper insurance is in place prior to any crew starting on our jobsites. We take all of the administrative work out of our clients’ hands, but keep the details available and viewable for their comfort and understanding.
4. A Design-Build Firm Provides a Unified Vision
Constructability is another key advantage of hiring as design-build firm. Not only do projects often come in over budget in the traditional design-bid-build firm, but sometimes they aren't even practical designs that are buildable. Because we have a team of construction experts all in-house, we review the plans (and the existing conditions if it is a home alteration or addition) to confirm that the design is realistic and doesn't have any unrealistic structural parameters to deal with.
Because there is a project architect and construction project manager on every project, it allows me to focus on the bigger picture of the design direction at all times. This is a critical process to ensure that the project is not moving forward with tunnel vision.
By far the greatest advantage for a client is that we manage their wishlist. We can make their wishlist a reality and get practical from the start. I have heard numerous nightmare stories where clients were expecting to start their dream home after they had completed their architectural plans, only to find out that all the bids came in way over budget.
In our process, we do the exact opposite to avoid this very problem. We stop and put the pens down at multiple intervals to check our design against the budget. If we see that we are creeping up in cost, it is much easier to make adjustments early in the design process rather than after the drawings have supposedly been "completed".
5. A Design-Build Firm Shortens the Length of the Project
One of the clear, undisputed reasons for the design-build method is that it’s a fast track process. There is no hand-over of the plans to another company, only to wait for them to "digest" the project design intent. There is no baton to relay…just one, smooth consistent progress of the design.
On all our projects, we know we are going to be working with our loyal and craftsmanship-oriented trade contractors. This allows us to engage with the men and women who are actually executing our designs and affords us the opportunity to get their expertise early on in the design process…which oftentimes leads to a better outcome, because who else knows ironwork better than an artisan ironworker?
Because we are working hand-in-hand with our contractors from the beginning, it gives a greater understanding and appreciation of all the homes we are building. When the plans are actually complete, many times it's not the trade contractors’ first time looking at the plans. They are able to hit the ground running and save us a lot of time in our project schedules.
So if you’re contemplating doing a home renovation, addition, or even building a new home, rest assured…if you hire a design-build firm, you will have better peace of mind knowing that a single source is responsible for making your dreams a reality. Which frees you up to focus on the fun stuff: the design. You’ll never have to feel like you are orchestrating a symphony of musicians that you've never met or even heard of!
Have any questions about working with a design-build firm? We've got you covered! Leave us a comment below or book a discovery call with us.
Until next time,
Rosario