Design, Your Way
Design Support, Set to Your Level
A renovation is a significant investment of money and time. How much you love the result, and how smoothly the build gets there, is mostly settled on paper before anyone picks up a hammer. Clients come to us at different stages and with different comfort levels, so we are flexible in the support we offer.
Four packages
Pick the one that matches where you are today.
We work alongside outside architects and designers on a large share of our projects. If you already have a team, we are happy to be the builder and nothing more.
Package 1
You Bring the Design
No design fee. You already have construction plans and a designer you want to keep. We build to their drawings and coordinate with them directly while your designer handles the finishes.
This is right for you if
- You have already worked with an architect or designer and the plans are done.
- You have a designer relationship you value and want to keep.
- You want a builder, not a design partner.
What we do
- Review the plans and flag anything that will be a problem in the field, before it becomes one.
- Price the work line by line from the drawings.
- Coordinate directly with your architect and designer throughout construction.
- Manage permitting, scheduling, procurement, and the build.
Package 2
Finish Selection
1% of total project cost. The plans are settled. What is left is several hundred finish decisions, and those are the ones that decide how the finished house feels.
This is right for you if
- You have plans already, or drawings left over from a previous phase of work.
- You have a general sense of what you like, but not the confidence to pull it together.
- You have been staring at three tile samples on your counter for two weeks.
What we do
- Work through the selections room by room, on a schedule.
- Narrow the field to a considered set of options rather than an infinite one.
- Check every selection against lead time, so nothing you choose delays the job.
- Confirm the finish package hangs together as one house, not eight good decisions.
What is not included
Floor plan work, elevations, or 3D renderings. If you need those, look at Collaborative Design.
Package 3
Collaborative Design
2.5% of total project cost. We develop the plans with you, show you the space before it is built, and then hand you a shortlist and let you enjoy the shopping.
This is right for you if
- You are moving walls or adding space and need the layout figured out.
- You want to see the space before it is built rather than imagining it.
- You enjoy the shopping part and want to keep it.
What we do
- Measure and document the existing conditions.
- Develop floor plan options and work through them with you.
- Produce elevations and 3D renderings so you can see it before we build it.
- Advise on the finish direction and set the palette.
- Introduce you to our preferred vendors and let you take it from there.
Package 4
Full Design-Build
5% of total project cost. Everything in Collaborative Design, plus we curate the options, go shopping with you, and own the selections schedule from first drawing to final walkthrough.
This is right for you if
- The number of decisions in front of you is genuinely daunting.
- You want one team accountable for the design and the build, with nothing falling between them.
- Your time is worth more to you than the fee.
What we do
- Everything in Collaborative Design.
- Curate a specific, edited set of options for every selection in the project.
- Go shopping with you, so decisions get made in the room.
- Own the selections schedule so nothing you choose holds up the build.
- Carry the design intent all the way through construction.
How the design fee works
The design fee is a percentage of your total project cost. It is billed in two installments: half when design begins, and half when construction starts.
Where you start is not where you have to stay. Plenty of clients begin with Collaborative Design and move up once they realize how many selections there are. Some start in Full Design-Build and step back because they are enjoying the shopping more than they expected. We will adjust with you.
Everything is cheap to change on paper
Moving a wall on a floor plan costs nothing. Moving it after it is framed, wired, and inspected costs real money and real weeks. That is the whole argument for spending time on paper before anyone starts building.
The other reason is coordination. Whoever draws the plans and whoever builds them have to stay in step, and when they do not, the homeowner ends up in the middle. We do that coordination either way, with our designer or directly with yours. A large share of our work comes to us from architects and designers we have built for before, and that is a relationship we protect.
Not sure which package fits?
Most people are not, and it is not a decision you have to make before you call us. Tell us where you are on your project and we will point you to the right level of support. Twenty minutes, no cost, no obligation.