Why Design Build?
Design-build is a relatively recent approach that aims to fix the problems inherent in a typical design-bid approach. By going with a design-build firm, the result should be more predictable cost, and open communication. Let’s dive more into the benefits you get from working with a design-build firm like Truth.
There is often a stark difference between the home remodeling industry and the commercial remodeling industry. The commercial world tends to be full of checks and balances, a significant amount of upfront coordination to ensure the job goes as smoothly as possible, and much more interplay when planning design elements, the cost of the construction, and the means and methods of construction. Residential home remodeling, on the other hand, seems to fly by the seat of its pants.
With residential home remodels, more often than not, there is very little crossover between design, cost, and feasibility — which creates a number of problems. The Design Build approach helps to rectify this.
Design-build is a relatively recent approach that aims to fix the problems inherent in a typical design-bid approach. By going with a design-build firm, the result should be more predictable cost, and open communication. Let’s dive more into the benefits you get from working with a design-build firm like Truth.
There is often a stark difference between the home remodeling industry and the commercial remodeling industry. The commercial world tends to be full of checks and balances, a significant amount of upfront coordination to ensure the job goes as smoothly as possible, and much more interplay when planning design elements, the cost of the construction, and the means and methods of construction. Residential home remodeling, on the other hand, seems to fly by the seat of its pants.
With residential home remodels, more often than not, there is very little crossover between design, cost, and feasibility — which creates a number of problems. The Design Build approach helps to rectify this.
The Shift to Design Build
As of 2018, the Design Build model accounted for 44% of all construction projects in the United States, and is anticipated to be 47% by 2025. While that may seem like relatively slow organic growth, it demonstrates a shift away from the traditional Design-Bid approach and toward the Design-Build approach because of the various benefits of the latter.
The Benefits of Design Build
As a design-build firm, we take full accountability for your entire project, including the quality of the design, the final appearance, the total cost, and the construction timeline. One of the major failures in the construction industry is the lack of comprehensive and up-to-date budgets that accurately reflect the real-time cost of materials. Other construction companies often provide budget proposals to clients that show incorrect prices, omit crucial requirements, and do not reflect the true cost of the project.
At Truth, we provide an extensive and detailed budget that shows the cost of each component of your project, allowing you to make informed decisions and prioritize your preferences. Through our ‘Cost-Plus’ billing model, we believe in transparency, and provide weekly invoices that detail how your money is being spent. This level of granularity and transparency requires a bigger lift on our end, but we believe it’s essential for you to have full confidence that your hard-earned money is being spent wisely.
When clients hire an independent designer or architect who works separately from the builder, there can often be a significant gap between the final design and the client’s budget. This is usually due to a lack of comprehensive knowledge about the expense and intricacies of the building process. It can be extremely disappointing to have a design that fulfills your dreams, only to find out it costs 50% more than your budget. However, if the design and build are under one roof, the designers work closely with the build team to ensure they strike the perfect balance between inspiration and reality.
Consistent design implementation is essential in two ways. Firstly, the design needs to be cost-conscious and stay within the clients’ specific budget. However, this doesn’t mean it has to be cheap; it means finding the best solutions within the given budget, whether it’s $5 tile or $75 tile. Secondly, consistent design is crucial in the transition from the office to the field. The design must be feasible and easily implementable by contractors in the field.
Design-Build makes it possible to bridge the gap between design and construction by having them work hand in hand. By doing so, designers can ensure that the necessary information is included in the documentation, while the construction team can understand the spirit of the design. This seamless flow of information allows for field adjustments while still maintaining the overall vision of the design.
While design implementation is as important as understanding the costs, so is feasibility. It’s one thing to understand the intent of the design, it’s a whole other thing whether the design is possible to build from a physics perspective (in some cases), and from a code perspective (in other cases).
Having seen designs that didn’t allow for adequate crawl space clearance, or factor in door swings, or think about HVAC chases, we know how important it is that all such elements be vetted as best as possible to ensure that the construction goes as smoothly as possible in the field, which helps both budgets and timelines. Half-hatched design or architecture leads to delays, change orders, and over runs. Our approach accounts for all this by integrating all of these elements from the outset.
As a design-build firm, we take full accountability for your entire project, including the quality of the design, the final appearance, the total cost, and the construction timeline. One of the major failures in the construction industry is the lack of comprehensive and up-to-date budgets that accurately reflect the real-time cost of materials. Other construction companies often provide budget proposals to clients that show incorrect prices, omit crucial requirements, and do not reflect the true cost of the project.
At Truth, we provide an extensive and detailed budget that shows the cost of each component of your project, allowing you to make informed decisions and prioritize your preferences. Through our ‘Cost-Plus’ billing model, we believe in transparency, and provide weekly invoices that detail how your money is being spent. This level of granularity and transparency requires a bigger lift on our end, but we believe it’s essential for you to have full confidence that your hard-earned money is being spent wisely.
When clients hire an independent designer or architect who works separately from the builder, there can often be a significant gap between the final design and the client’s budget. This is usually due to a lack of comprehensive knowledge about the expense and intricacies of the building process. It can be extremely disappointing to have a design that fulfills your dreams, only to find out it costs 50% more than your budget. However, if the design and build are under one roof, the designers work closely with the build team to ensure they strike the perfect balance between inspiration and reality.
Consistent design implementation is essential in two ways. Firstly, the design needs to be cost-conscious and stay within the clients’ specific budget. However, this doesn’t mean it has to be cheap; it means finding the best solutions within the given budget, whether it’s $5 tile or $75 tile. Secondly, consistent design is crucial in the transition from the office to the field. The design must be feasible and easily implementable by contractors in the field.
Design-Build makes it possible to bridge the gap between design and construction by having them work hand in hand. By doing so, designers can ensure that the necessary information is included in the documentation, while the construction team can understand the spirit of the design. This seamless flow of information allows for field adjustments while still maintaining the overall vision of the design.
While design implementation is as important as understanding the costs, so is feasibility. It’s one thing to understand the intent of the design, it’s a whole other thing whether the design is possible to build from a physics perspective (in some cases), and from a code perspective (in other cases).
Having seen designs that didn’t allow for adequate crawl space clearance, or factor in door swings, or think about HVAC chases, we know how important it is that all such elements be vetted as best as possible to ensure that the construction goes as smoothly as possible in the field, which helps both budgets and timelines. Half-hatched design or architecture leads to delays, change orders, and over runs. Our approach accounts for all this by integrating all of these elements from the outset.
So, why Truth Design Build?
There are dozens of options for design-build firms in Denver, so why us?
While the above points may be obvious to some, they are still not standard practice in the industry. However, they are standard practice for us because we believe in having a growth mindset, continually improving, and gaining efficiency through creative thinking and problem solving. We have a proven track record in delivering projects on time and within budget through this effective process we continually work to perfect.
Additionally, we have monthly professional development sessions with our team and are in the process of implementing Agile Methodology, which is a system of management focused on continued growth and increasing one’s skillset and competence.
So why Truth Design Build? Because we understand that Design-Build is first and foremost a process-driven approach. Because we are transparent. Because we care. Because we are committed to excellence, even if sometimes imperfectly so.
That’s really all anyone of us can ask of one another.
