You must have heard of the term Design-Build. Simple enough, right? A company who does the Design and build of a house is called a Design-Build Firm. That is true to some extent. But not every Design-Build firms are ‘built’ the same.
Some are designers with affiliation to builders decide to go in on a venture together will call themselves a design-build firm because that is what clients want.
Then there are builders who hire designers on contract, to work on a project, and they call themselves design-build.
Finally, we have companies who we consider as a true Design-Build. These companies have inhouse staff who do the Design and the Construction Management for projects. Obviously, VictorEric Falls into this category.
The differences in the various business models may sound subtle, but the execution of these projects can be dramatically different.
Let’s look at 2 scenarios…
A client wants to build a house professionally. He hires a design-build firm to do it.
Scenario 1:
Company A (comprise of really 2 companies A1, A2) takes on the project. The designer completes the drawings without too much thought into the construction, made everything look pretty, got it approved by the client, completes the project and hands it off to the partnering company A2. When it comes time to build it, not everything fits together perfectly as they do on the digital drawings. To work around that, company A2 decides to make certain calls, and simplifies a few features to make things work. In all fairness, most of these decisions were good calls, but every now and then, company A2 makes some stupid calls like having an awkward beam in the middle of the living room ceiling. Now the owner must live with this eyesore.
Scenario 2:
Company B takes on the project. Company B is an established builder but doesn’t have in-house designers. He hires a contract designer who completes the design beautifully, which at the time works perfectly for the construction too. Two months in the construction, however, the owner decides they need an extra suite in the basement. The builder tries to get the designer to revise the plans, but the contractor designer travels a lot and they are unable to reach him. The builder had to search and hire a new designer for the job. This designer first needs to understand the original plans, then make those necessary changes. The logistics of that took and extra week. Of course, the owner had to pay for those extra hours.
Let’s go back and identify the major benefits of working with a true Design-Build company.
- A design-build company is to deliver a project under the same entity. So, the client can seek legal remedies for any fault from one party.
- Since the designer and builder are on the same team and have had experience working together, the designer is well-aware of what the builder needs to see on drawings and how to come up with designs that are feasible.
- On the same note, the inhouse builder is also able to identify the costs associated with the different features which helps better manage the budget and reduces the need to redesign.
- Construction also becomes more efficient as the designers are always available to answer questions and facilitate changes when needed.
- When major changes are required, the team can consider all variables holistically, and provide the client with the best recommendations possible based on cost, schedule, city approvals, and aesthetics.
- Finally, a design-build company provides a turn-key solution. This means the firm relieves the client from the headache in coordinating with the different parties.
The term Design-Build has been overused in the industry and some may check only a few of these boxes. But if you are looking for a true Design-Build firm that checks all these boxes, VictorEric can help.
Call 604.677.0021 or email us today. info@victoreric.com
