What is the difference between a design-build firm and a production builder? Simple design-build firms create homes that fit your family’s wants and needs while providing a seamless relationship between the designer and build team. Most national builders offer a set number of plans with minimal modifications, such as a bonus room or larger rear porch, which seems like customization, but do these plans really meet your needs as a family? Are these plans laid out the way you live today, or are you just settling for the best available layout the national offers?
As a design-build firm, Monogram Homes offers stock plans we have built before, but we also allow those plans to be modified to fit your family’s specific needs. For example, you may not like the location or access to the laundry room in a plan and would rather it be moved from near the garage closer to the primary bedroom. You may want access from the primary closet to the laundry room, a larger pantry, or a revised cabinet layout. What about a pool bath allowing access from the pool area without walking through the home? As a design-build firm, Monogram Homes can make these changes to accommodate your specific needs. Simply put, we put the lifestyle first in our designs, so you don’t have to settle.
There are reasons why design-build works; let’s explore each one individually.
- Teamwork
The design-build team and the owner are in this together, and they have the same goal – to complete a successful project that meets or exceeds the owner’s expectations. This team of designers and design-assist consultants is established right at the very beginning of the design process. When projects encounter challenges (and there are always challenges), pointing fingers is not an option. Instead, the design-build team is solely accountable for having one single contract with the owner. Thus, when challenges occur with design, budget, or construction issues, everyone rolls their sleeves up and works on solutions together as a team.
- Accountability:
One entity, the design-builder, is accountable for the entire project, including the quality of the design, how the end result looks, the total costs, and how quickly construction can be completed. When the same group that designs the project also builds the project, much more attention is given to the details, including designing to the target budget, frequent estimate updates, and design constructability reviews. The costs of all aspects of the project are considered early on in the process, including all design fees, anticipated construction costs, and market condition forecasts. As the design updates, the design-builder will update the cost estimate in real time. This allows frequent evaluation by the owner to pursue additional scope or rethink a current solution. All this data is transparently shared with the owner by the Design-Builder at all steps along the way.
Unfortunately, it is not unusual to hear about situations with design-bid-build or construction manager at risk where the project cost is much more than the designer said it would be or the construction manager was not involved during the design. This often results in missing the target budget. This can cause intense stress during the project resulting in a financial burden or delayed schedule per needed re-designing. Such a scenario is unacceptable in the design-build world. Design-build focuses on results and owner satisfaction.
- Continuity:
A design-build firm is involved in the project from initial concept to completion, which adds inherent efficiency and effectiveness to the process. Clear and effective communication channels are established before early concepts are created. This allows a streamlined process throughout the duration of design and construction. Design-Build best practices utilize an integrated project leader who leads the design team during design and carries forward to be the point person during construction. This integrated project leader sees the project from the cradle to the grave and becomes the glue that holds the team together as well as reliable communication with the owner.
- Expertise:
There is a tremendous advantage to working with a design-build firm with an established in-house team and design-build partners. This allows your design-builder to be able to think both like a designer and a builder. Design-build team leaders are licensed design professionals with advanced formal training and applicable project experience. A qualified design-builder brings a wealth of construction experience to the table at key checkpoints during the design phase. Understanding how early design decisions can impact the budget or construction schedule is a vital trait of a skilled design-builder. An experienced design-build team is an expert in both general construction and building systems and has strong partnerships with reliable and pre-qualified subcontractors. Working with a design-build firm with an established in-house team and design-build partners is a tremendous advantage. This allows your design-builder to be able to think both like a designer and a builder. Design-build team leaders are licensed design professionals with advanced formal training and applicable project experience. A qualified design-builder brings a wealth of construction experience to the table at crucial checkpoints during the design phase. Understanding how early design decisions can impact the budget or construction schedule is a key trait of a skilled design-builder. An experienced design-build team is an expert in both general construction and building systems and has strong partnerships with reliable and pre-qualified subcontractors.
- Professional guides:
There are stories of design and construction projects getting out of hand. However, design and construction should not be chaotic or stressful. The design-builder acts as a trusted advisor to the owner throughout the design and construction process, guiding the way to the best possible outcome.
- Owner Involvement:
Design-build operates under the assumption that the owner wants to be an active participant in their building project. The owner can be assured that their project goals will be accomplished by being involved in the process. Such involvement gives the owner a lasting sense of pride in their project. Unlike national builders who limit your selections of flooring, countertops, and lighting fixtures, the design-build process empowers the owner to hand-select these and many more specific components of the project.
- Open, Honest, and Frequent Communication:
Pricing is transparent in design-build regarding allowance items like tile, lighting, plumbing, and other items. This allows the owner to make educated real-time decisions during the design and construction. Other delivery methods often hide costs or wait until an issue arises before budget concerns occur. Design-build creates transparent communication environments not because people say what everyone wants to hear but because they say what everyone needs to hear. Through clear communication, the budget is defined early on, becoming the driver for critical decisions and agreements for the entire project.
- Time Savings:
Maintaining or exceeding the construction schedule is paramount for a successful project. Design-build construction involves managing hundreds of timelines that need to coordinate in lockstep. Design-build creates opportunities for the owner to contemplate major design decisions, ask questions, get real-time feedback, and make proactive decisions that can impact schedule goals.
