Traditionally, a remodeling
project requires the expertise of two totally separate
professionals, the architecture and the home builder.
First, you would hire the architect to design and
specify your project according to your needs and
desires. Then you would hire the contractor to turn the
design into reality by constructing the project
according to the drawings.
With this traditional approach there is usually
very little, if any, communication between the architect and the
contractor prior to actual construction. This means that any suggestions
the contractor may have to make the project more cost effective or to
tackle a particular design challenge properly doesn’t get incorporated
into the architect’s plan. This can often result in expensive change
orders or unnecessary compromises.
The Design/Build approach is a
"one- stop-shop" approach to home building
and remodeling that has revolutionized
residential remodeling in many important ways. While the
approach is not necessarily new, the Design/Build approach
has become very popular because it eliminates many of the
common problems, frustrations and set-backs associated with
the old fashioned, traditional methods.
By combining the services and
expertise of the contractor, the architect
and/or designer into one unified service
you allow the architect/designer and the contractor to work
together as a cohesive team in a very synergistic way. This
typically results in a much more effective process from
beginning to end with fewer changes during construction and
in many cases a much higher level of client satisfaction.