Occasionally we have potential clients contact us who have foregone the design/build process and skipped straight to hiring an architect or designer for plans then contact us as a builder to build the plans that have been produced. This can seem logical. It sounds like a chicken or egg question. Which comes first, the designer or the builder? The design comes first, so you should start with the design. Right? Well, not so fast. In our experience, often clients have a plan in place, but no realistic idea of the price. Even if a designer is trying to guide them on price, in most cases, this isn’t going to be their area of expertise. If many (I would hope all) builders won’t price a job without a complete set of plans and specifications, and that is their business, it is hardly fair to expect the designer to know what the cost of construction will be. We’ve even run across situations where the architect tried to warn their clients of costly decisions, but ultimately, they are paid to draw what the client requests. With plans in hand the client goes shopping for builders and all too often are shocked and heartbroken to find out the plans that they have put so much time, effort, and money into, aren’t buildable for their budget. If you are not going to use a design build firm, I would suggest first finding a reputable builder that you trust and teaming up with them as you navigate the process of design. No, they aren’t going to know the exact cost before the plans are complete, but they can offer advice and help keep things moving in a viable direction. However, there is an even better way.
As a design/build firm, we discuss budget from the very first phone call to determine if a project is viable. It is of no service to our clients or to ourselves to design something never to be built. Sometimes the client’s wish list may not be viable for a stated budget, but a solution to the overriding problem is viable. For example, if you were to call and say you have a $75k budget and for that would like to have a 500-sf addition added to your home as well as a 300-sf screened in porch with an attached 100sf deck, we can quickly determine that the budget and scope of work don’t match. From there we can discuss the reason for the project (problem) and what can be accomplished (solution) for the budget. If we feel we can offer a solution, we’ll present a proposal before ever starting to design. That proposal will include not only a description of our solution, but also a ballpark range of what the construction may cost based on recent past projects and current market conditions. Instead of designing something that won’t be built, we can hone on what is really needed and design accordingly. Sometimes budgets are just too low, and we can’t find a way to help, but it’s better to know that from the beginning, before investing substantial time, energy, and money into design. However, if we agree that we can help and you feel we are the right company to help, we start design with the budget in mind.
After the schematic design is done, we produce an initial estimate to make sure everyone is still on the same page. This estimate will still be presented as a price range, as there are many details to work out at this phase. Pricing is constantly updated throughout the design process, so by the time you get to the final construction drawings, there should be no surprise over cost or worse, discover that the cost is so high the project isn’t feasible. We determine the feasibility upfront and work with clients to maximize what they can achieve within their budget.
Do you have a project in mind, but don’t know how much it will cost? Give us a call or fill out our contact us page and let’s get the conversation started!