Although it’s been around for many years, the design/build method recently has become a popular choice with homebuyers looking for higher quality and lower costs.
In traditional contracting, a client hires an architect or designer to prepare drawings and specifications, and then separately selects a builder after the construction plans are completed. In contrast, design/build is a construction process that evolved from the need for high quality construction standards at affordable construction costs and the desire for unique creative designs coupled with close personal service. Design/build is based on the team concept, which means that the principal players (Architect/Home Designer, Builder, Interior Designer, and Lender) are selected and assembled at the start of the project and will work together taking the project from design, through construction, and up to completion.
Design/build grew out of the need to find a way to build that maintains quality standards while ensuring rigorous budget control. In the Design/build environment the Architect/Home Designer serve to help the Client design a home that satisfies their dreams. The Builder certainly provides a significant source of product information and construction insight, but is most effective in his/her role of quality and cost control. Far too many homes are designed today and never built because actual construction costs far outweighed the construction budget.
Scalero Custom Homes takes this approach a step further by doing the architectural design and the construction within the same company. In fact, the same people that design your home are the ones in the field building it. What could be better than having the same people that will be building your home spending over a month staring at your home plan, before a shovel ever touches the ground?
Produces a Better Product:
Design/build works because the two most important people involved in the design and construction of your home (Architect/Home Designer and Builder) are involved in the project from the beginning. To a client this means a great deal more than just producing the home of their dreams. Typically the builder has no input into the design process and is handed a set of plans to build. At that point, suggestions by the builder will most likely not be implemented into the home design. If they are, it will cost the client time and money in the form of revisions to the plan. This does not happen when Scalero Custom Homes designs and builds your home. Bob Scalero designed his very first home on the back of paper placement in 1992 and has won over 50 industry awards ever since. Bob has held a professional construction license for nearly 25 years and understands pricing, sequencing and how buildings go together. Having a PhD in engineering is an added credential that goes a long way in the building industry.
Reduced Design Costs:
As a design/build firm, Scalero can offer our design services to a Client at a much lower cost than an Architect or Home Design company can, since we will also be building the home. Also, design changes and revisions are typically done at no charge to the Client.
Reduces Potential Problems and Excessive Cost:
Design/Build construction harmonizes the vision of the home plan with the building process. The true benefit to the client is having a builder involved throughout the home design process to offer advise and guidance with feasibility and cost analysis. Some times the creative aspect of design can go too far and what may look good on paper turns out to be costly and problematic to implement, and a potential source for future problems after the client moves in. A builder’s input throughout the design phase can avert these problems ahead of time. This is one of the leading reasons why Scalero has near zero design related problems that show up during or after construction — Bob designs homes with the mindset that he’s going to be the guy building and warranting it — you can be sure that every design aspect is carefully considered.
Value Engineering:
A Builder has much more experience with building costs than an Architect/Home Designer, so doesn't it make sense to get the builder involved in the design of the home at the beginning? Scalero combines knowledge of current construction costs together with the client’s budget and suggest cost saving design solutions, and we do it without compromising quality. The goal is to design a home plan that provides form and function while staying within the client’s budget. Working with a design/builder reduces the risk of unforeseen construction costs and ensures an efficient and easy building process. During the design phase, we will provide detailed estimates so you can be sure the project is staying within the limits that you have set. Too many times we meet clients who have their custom home designed without consultation with a builder only to discover, too late, that the result greatly exceeds their budget. By continually monitoring the costs and having regard to your expectations this situation can be avoided.
Quick Changes:
Typically designers and architects have a significant backlog of other projects that they are currently working on. It is very common for them to take weeks or even a month or more to make revisions or changes to a plan. On the other hand, Scalero can usually make major revisions to a plan within a week. During the construction phase, the design/build process is essential. Any uncertainties during the design phase can be revisited in the field, and most changes can be easily implemented - quickly. Instead of waiting weeks or longer for a Architect/Home Designer to revise the construction plan to reflect the new change, Scalero can typically revise the plan and start on the change within a day or two, thus avoiding the usual construction delays associated with changes.
Total Accountability:
One entity is accountable for everything, including how the end result looks, how much it costs and the timeline of completion. When challenges are encountered on a project (and there are always challenges), pointing fingers is not an option. After all, the same company is designing and building the home so the Builder cannot point fingers at the design firm and vise versa.
Better Communication:
Design/Build Construction ensures that the vision of the customer is never lost during the building process. Scalero believes that design and construction should be integrated in order to deliver a custom home perfectly tailored to the client’s desires and functional needs. Often there can be a “disconnect” between the Architect and Builder resulting in mis-communications on the original design. Scalero has decades of design experience and uses sophisticated computer aided design software to ensure even the smallest details get the attention needed.