It’s in our company name, and it’s a growing method of working in residential construction. So let’s start with the basics before we dig into all the ways that working with a Design-Build firm can give you a home renovation experience that exceeds your expectations.
Design-Build is an alternative project management system to the traditional Design-Bid-Build approach in construction. With the much more complicated Design-Bid-Build, homeowners have two separate contracts, one for design and one for construction. This creates a host of complexities and can lead to a homeowner being stuck in between an architect and a general contractor blaming each other for a project gone wrong.
There’s a great way to avoid all that finger pointing. Design-Build radically simplifies the process by having the entire team working under one contract. It gives customers an all-in-one solution for everything from planning, pre-construction, and cost estimates to design and construction. When done right, a Design-Build approach gives homeowners a stress-free home renovating experience.
A common challenge homeowners face in remodeling their home is a general contractor who goes over budget. This can happen when construction companies show incorrect prices on proposals, fail to include crucial requirements, or don’t consider fluctuating cost of materials.
A Design-Build firm takes full accountability of the project, which allows them to create comprehensive and accurate budgets that reflect the real-time cost of materials and labor. Having that understanding of the whole project helps avoid surprises with budget and timeline. It also prevents that uncomfortable moment when you see five guys in high vis vests standing around watching one guy do all the work.
At Truth Design Build, we also implement a “cost-plus” billing model to deliver even more value to our customers. Cost-plus means the homeowner gets a transparent view into the project to see what tasks are required, who does them, the cost of materials and labor, and even our profit margin on every task.
With an itemized breakdown of costs, customers can understand exactly where their investment is going and make better decisions on how to achieve the goals of their remodel within budget. For example, if a homeowner wants a more complex kitchen design but is willing to spend less money on an item like cabinets, we can give them options on more affordable cabinets that can make room in the budget for the additional design desired.
The cost-plus approach allows us to pass any cost savings in the process directly on to our customers.
When homeowners hire an independent designer or architect who works separately from the builder, they may end up with a significant gap between the final design and what’s actually possible within their budget. This can happen because of a designer’s lack of comprehensive knowledge about the intricacies (and expense) of the building process.
Working with a Design-Build firm, all of that work is done by a unified team where the designers work closely with the build team to ensure a seamless flow of information that helps maintain the overall vision while still allowing for field adjustments to bring that vision to life.
This integrated process means the homeowner has a stress-free and seamless experience as their project moves from one stage to the next. The customer gets a single point of contact who provides open and ongoing communication. That sounds a lot better than having to play the role of project manager and mediator between designers and builders.
For the construction phase to go as smoothly as possible, the contractor needs to vet designs for details like factoring in door swing or HVAC chases. This quality control is built into the Design-Build process and prevents imprecise designs that can cause delays, change orders, and overruns. With everything from pre-construction to materials selection accounted for from the outset, a Design-Build firm can prevent massive headaches for the homeowner and deliver projects of the highest caliber.
We may be a little biased, but we truly believe that choosing a Design-Build construction company for your next home renovation project will give you peace of mind that you just can’t get working with a traditional custom home builder.
If you’re looking to update your home to create a more beautiful and functional space, we’d love to hear from you. Get inspired by some of the remodeling projects we’ve completed or reach out today to discuss how we can make your luxury home remodeling experience as seamless and rewarding as possible.
We create inspired living spaces through a unified approach to design, cost, and feasibility. We empower clients to make decisions that serve their interests through our focus on transparency, reliability, and connection.
