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Design/Build Approach
Unified Approach
Over the last 25 years a concept
has evolved which is known as the “design/build “ approach to
residential construction. It is an alternative to using a
separate General Contractor, Architect, and Interior Designer
where one company is responsible for providing all of the above
services to the consumer.
The design/build approach
provides a single source of responsibility and accountability
for the entire process. You are never put in the position
of being a mediator in disputes between the Architect, the
interior designer and the builder.
The goal is to improve
coordination and to minimize the hassle and stress of
constructing a single family home by having a unified
professional team in charge of all phases, from concept to final
completion.
Reality
Based Design
This approach saves money
because your home is designed from the beginning with a specific
budget in mind. Since the builder is also the
designer/drafter, your home will be designed with the most cost
effective methods and materials.
The design/build approach also
saves money on design. Since the builder is accountable
for the translation of ideas from concept to final product, the
plan details and specifications provided by outside
professionals are reduced, saving thousands of dollars due to
reduced requirements for documentation and unnecessary drawings.
Further, we provide the
construction documents without charge to clients who hire us as
a builder, thereby completely eliminating the design cost.
Committed
Design—Unknown Cost
When
dealing solely with the designer or an Architect, you have to
commit to a design without knowing the cost of your new home.
This often results in an non-build-able design or one that is
much, much more expensive than your original expectations or
intentions. In many cases you are forced to lower your
specifications because you are tied to a set of plans that are
too costly to redraw.
Real
Time Savings
The
design/ build approach saves time and money. Estimating, design
and price gathering from subcontractors and suppliers happens
simultaneously and since the designer and builder are the same
entity, your home can be fast tracked with a unified schedule.
Competitive
Bidding?
The
only negative consequence to this approach to the owner is the
lack of competitive bidding. In our opinion and experience,
competitive bidding doesn’t work in any fashion and results
usually in stress, confusion and disappointment to the owners.
Decisions based on the competitive bidding approach to custom
home construction are the riskiest decisions anyone can make.
Guaranteed Final
Cost
By
setting a specific budget from the very beginning of the
project, a guaranteed final cost can be achieved while meeting
all of the customers expectations. The design/build approach
eliminates nearly all of the allowances associated with other
types of contracts. The few allowances that are used are preset
by the home owner and builder in order to keep them with-in
budget.
Trust
Based Relationship
Establishing
a comfortable working relationship between you and your builder
is the single most important factor in determining how
successful and pleasurable your home-building experience will
be. Design/Build establishes a unified working relationship
between the owners and those responsible for completing your
home. In our opinion this is the most important reason for
choosing the Design/Build approach.
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