The Design-Build Advantage

The Traditional Method

The traditional method of planning a project (design-bid-build) is to consult a designer or architect first, work to achieve a final design, send it to an engineer for specifications and calculations, put the design out to bid and then work to identify a contractor to implement the design. During this process, the architect and designer work with the client to develop the overall plan. The building contractor and other building professionals will generally not become involved with the project until final plans and construction documents have been completed. While this process does allow for competitive construction bids to be procured from multiple potential contractors at the completion of design, it is much slower and more time-consuming.

The major downfall that many clients encounter during this traditional process is that they find out too late that the architect/designer may not have paid attention to the budget parameters of the project. So, after months of designing and planning, often the client may find, after receiving contractor’s bids, that they have a project that, while beautiful and meeting all of their needs, is unaffordable.

Design-Build – A Smoother Process

The advantage of working with a design-build contractor, like Specialty Home Improvement, is that it produces a much more cohesive and efficient project from start to finish with typically faster design and construction phases due to the integration of the two.

Budgets for all phases of the project can also be controlled more readily due to having less fingers reaching into the budget pie. This process can apply to any size remodeling project—smaller, more intimate kitchen or bath remodels as well as large scale full home improvements and room additions. Every project, even the smaller ones, requires design decisions to be made—from tile layout and paint colors to fixture finishes and cabinet style.

During the early phases of the design process, we engage our trade partners, contractors, vendors and other industry professionals so that a comprehensive and detailed budget will be ready at the completion of the design. During our design-build process we coordinate with the designer, architect and engineer to ensure that we are working to keep the project on budget while still staying true to the design as much as the budget allows. If we see that the specifications of the project are exceeding the budget parameters, we can put the brakes on the process and meet with the you to examine alternate means to design the project that will help to meet the budget goals.

Overall, when design and execution are melded very early in the remodel process, the result is a beautiful, efficiently completed, on-budget remodel project.