Design-build—the home project delivery method in which your architect is the designer and contractor for your project— is certainly not a new concept and has been reported as being in use for over four millennia. It has been the prime way architectural projects have historically come to life throughout history.
What is ‘design-build’?
What design-build means to you and your project is that the gap is removed between your luxury home design and construction in the real world. This is achieved by allowing the architect to act as both the visionary and the implementer of your project. As our ideas of luxury residential design continue to evolve, for many luxury homeowners, design-build is once again becoming the only logical choice.
In contrast, the traditional building method — the design-bid-build method — oftentimes, homeowners and architects are unsatisfied with the end result because the design has been misinterpreted or incorrectly implemented by the contractor and subcontractors, which ultimately means the loss of the home’s original architectural design.
Photo Credit: Uneek Image
But that’s not the only reason. In fact, there are several benefits behind working with a design-build firm and several reasons that guide owners toward this decision—we’ve laid out a few of the most important below.
How design-build projects orient home projects for success
1. Design-build provides continuity
Firstly, when working on a multi-company home project, there’s a higher risk of design features getting lost in translation between companies.
What the designer and yourself as the homeowner have worked on and decided is best might not be what the builder prefers (or understands) from a design standpoint — and ultimately, the end result can be compromised. Cohesion and continuity can be problematic when working with a traditional delivery method.
Watching a design-build firm in action is the definition of a streamlined process. From the initial design sketches to the final walkthrough of the completed residence, the design integrity is meticulously monitored and managed.
2. Designer Involvement Is Priority
As mentioned, though it’s certainly not the case with every building or construction company, builders tend to stray from design plans without consulting the designer.
This can happen on large features or material choices or on smaller details, however, with a design-build firm, the designers you chose to create your home plans are guiding the process and leading the in-house builders through that vision in a hands-on, involved way. This helps to maintain the design integrity all the way through to the finish line.
Photo Credit: Tommy Daspit
3. Design-Build Takes Total Responsibility
Additionally, there are great advantages as a homeowner to having a singular company manage every piece of your luxury home project.
With a traditional design-bid-build project, responsibility is split across design and construction companies and all aspects of the project are divided amongst the groups, leaving room for potential blame shifting or misallocation of responsibilities and resources. Having a single point of accountability in your luxury home project means more clarity for you and peace of mind coming from knowing that every detail will be attended to.
4. Design-Build Expedites Projects
Lastly, in recent research released by the Construction Industry Institute (CII), it was reported that design-build projects continue to deliver on a faster scale, while providing greater reliability in cost when compared to traditional building methods.
In fact, it was noted that design-build projects see about 3.9 percent less schedule growth and are delivered much faster on average than design-bid-build projects. When you separate the design and build process by opting out of choosing a design-build firm, you run the risk of your project taking nearly twice as long to complete, costing more, and dealing with reliability and design congruence.
Photo Credit: Uneek Image
At Phil Kean Design Group, it is our mission to provide our clients with the complete solution for award-winning design and construction in their luxury residential projects. If you would like to speak with a Phil Kean Design Group representative about how our firm can bring your luxury home design to fruition, please fill in the form below and we’ll be in touch.