DESIGN BUILD and HOME DESIGN SOLUTIONS
Benefits of the Design Build Process to the Owner
- The general contractor is accountable for an effective collaborating design team
- The general contractor is accountable to the owner to keep the design budget friendly
- The project will have fewer design errors and omissions due to collaboration
- The project design phase results in less time to complete home renovation goals
- A professional adviser through the entire home remodeling experience
- Lower overall design cost and more continuity
- Earlier project completion
INITIAL CONSULTATION
The most opportune time to engage your remodeling general contractor is before you’ve made any major commitments and after you’ve decided that you are planning to build. Your general contractor can be a major contributor in establishing the feasibility of your project, developing the preliminary budget and assisting your family in preparing for routine life during the remodeling experience.
By hiring your advocate early in the process you can avoid unwanted surprises and setbacks. This comes from the general contractor assisting in developing a financial feasibility study for your property, reviewing of the deed restrictions for compliance and assisting you in preparing expectations for a major remodeling project.
DESIGN BUILD TEAM
The design build process begins with the assembling of a professional team of experts. Your general contractor will arrange for the designer / architect and engineer to create a 2D & 3D plan for your participation. The scope of the project and the owners abilities will dictate the service needs of the required licensed professionals to fulfill the project goals, such as including an interior decorator as part of the team. Once these service professionals are selected the general contractor will enter into design agreements with these design team members.
It is the responsibility of the design team to provide stewardship on behalf of the owner in the development of the teams design goals, timelines and priorities. These goals include conceptual drawings that reflect the ideas, photos and expressed wish list of the homes features. The general contractors responsibility is to provide the leadership necessary to accomplish the goals of the design team in a timely manner and to communicate updating cost information that can critically effect the construction budget goals.
The primary goal of the design process is to develop detailed construction drawings that reflect the construction performance and owners specification preferences. These drawings should incorporate the dimensions and appropriate spacing for special product conditions, such as the required need of finished flooring needs prior to building a set of stairs. (For not making the appropriate measurement adjustments can lead to uneven steps). The product selections may not be entirely selected by the time the construction drawings are ready for permitting. In these cases your home remodeling contractor should be able to provide the owner with a selections allowance schedule that reflects the class and category of the products that represent their wishes.
REMODELING CONSTRUCTION PHASE
At this phase of the Design Build Process the construction plans are complete and ready for permitting, a construction schedule has been completed and the construction budget is accepted by the owner. Depending on the flow of the design phase, the plans have been submitted for permit and the critical path materials / products have been ordered.
It is essential in a major remodeling project that the critical path product / materials be ordered or delivered before the project commencement. It is in no one’s interest for significant schedule interruptions during the construction. This leads to another important point, although there are complete construction plans at this point, vendor shop drawings are required for special products being fabricated off site and installed on site. Special patterned material installations such as wall tile designs or floor inlays will require special drawings to fabricate the required pieces and give the installer guidance. These should be complete prior to commencing the actual construction improvements.
Although we make all efforts to reduce the need for change orders and errors, construction is an industry installed and interpreted by humans. This is why you as the owner want the your general contractor to closely supervise and monitor all the onsite activities. It is a priority of a well managed project to be carefully scheduled and synchronized including the coordination of critical path material/products deliveries with corresponding work task phase. The handling and coordination of expensive materials and products can impact the overall cost and schedule of the project.
POST CONSTRUCTION AND WARRANTY PHASE
The homeowners are often eager to begin enjoying their remodeled home features at this point. The entire design build process has taken somewhere from 3 to 12 months and the owners dream is finally within reach. It is in everyone’s interest to properly complete the process including post construction punch list walk through, final compliance inspections and product start ups to insure the safe and comfortable use of the home. This also reduces stress and confusion on the owner to continue to make household arrangements for workman completing items. It is important to allow the trades complete their detailed punch list free of the possibility of damaging your personal items.
Home remodeling contractors in Houston have a variety of different warranty standards that they offer. We offer a comprehensive 1 / 2 / 10 warranty program secured and underwritten by a homeowner assurance policy for major renovations. Our program represents one year warranty on cosmetic home items, two year warranty on mechanical and electrical equipment and ten years structural warranty.
