As the interest rates in the United States continue to go up, you can easily see that overall sales and construction are suffering from them. In 2023, observe how house builders are entering the year with lower prices but higher expenses.
What’s even more concerning is that the US is still facing a housing shortage, with up to 5.24 million homes needed in the country. Compared to three years ago, this means that the number of missing houses has increased by up to 36%.
To avoid running out of funds, why not consider going for custom homes or even designing your own home? But where does design-build come into play? Design-build is the best way you can meet your needs while lessening costs and increasing your building efficiency.
The design-build model encourages owners to sit at the same table as engineers, builders, architects, builders, and estimators to form ideas – the best ideas. Read on to comprehend design-build and how it works.
What Is Design-Build?
Design-build is a kind of project delivery method replacing the traditional method with separate contracts for construction and design. It is a method where one entity operates under a single contract. In design-build, the project owner’s main goal is to speed up typical construction processes by working exclusively with one firm.
Design-build yields excellent results for office buildings, stadiums, schools, water infrastructure, and transportation. It also provides superior results when building luxury homes or custom homes.
Design-build allows you to be more creative when designing your own elk ridge custom homes while staying within your budget. Your design-build team will go through your designs and provide feedback on its functionality, material choice, and budget flexibility. So you won’t have to worry too much when envisioning your home as you have help available to you at all times.
Design-build is also the most effective approach to save money and time while avoiding disputes and the blame game. After all, only one entity holds contractual risk and single-source responsibility for every step of a project. This includes estimations and pre-construction to engineering, schematics, and construction.
How Design-Build Works
In a design-build project, you typically have to hire a design-builder who watches the whole project. They also have to hire any necessary subcontractors and sub-consultants, including engineers and architects.
With design-build encouraging owners and designers to work in a single-source collaboration, you have your entire team working together through all the stages of your project. This also means that you’ll have easier communication and a faster workflow due to your team working cohesively.
Step-by-Step of a Design-Build Process
The flow of the design-build process surpasses that of traditional methods. Moreover, it comprises only five general steps, which are:
1. Finding the Right Team
Firstly, you have to find a design-builder or contractor to lead your project. Choose a team leader who is willing to study and deeply understand your company’s budget, needs, and vision.
Ensure to research the experience and skills of a firm by browsing through their website or visiting them personally in their office. They should also have all the necessary roles on their staff. If they don’t you can hire sub-consultants or subcontracts in advance.
In comparison, design-bid-build forces you to be more open-minded. You may have growing bids and costs as your project proceeds. However, with design-build, you have more power over the project’s overall cost. This is because design-builders can offer their feedback and opinions on the design ideas.
2. Project Initiation and Conceptual Design
Once you assemble your design-build team, they’ll typically start by matching your goals and vision for the project with your set budget. This includes developing preliminary drawings, settling schedules, and providing cost analyses. Your team will also evaluate if your project is possible and search for potential challenges.
Once your team finishes working on the primary details of your project, they will proceed to the design phase. The engineers, design professionals, and architects work together to create drafts through designs and drawings. This is where your team may use a 3D modeling interior design software to help picture your ideas.
3. Development and Planning
Once you approve the design, your team will start creating detailed construction parts and specifications. This will help your team check if your idea fits within the budget and find the materials needed.
Your team will review areas that require improvement to enhance productivity and achieve cost savings. They will also ensure that the design meets your style preferences and functional requirements. This step typically establishes all the expectations for the project. Since you have a contractor and designer working together, no additional bids will be set and your project will start much sooner.
4. Construction
This stage often overlaps during the development stage so the construction can start as soon as the design is completed. The design-builder will prepare the site to eliminate unnecessary changes and keep the expenses in line with the budget.
During the construction stage, you need to simplify your communication as there’s typically only one line of contact for the project. Accountability also gets established since everyone is moving towards a singular goal and deadline. So, any concerns or issues will typically be resolved much more efficiently and quicker.
5. Completion and Post-Construction
Once you’ve completed construction, the next step is handover and commissioning. During this step, your team inspects and tests all systems installed in the house to ensure they work properly.
The project will then be passed over to the client. Aside from the project, you may also need to give warranties, training sessions, and documentation. If the contractors have constructed any complex systems, the design-builder will educate the client about how they work and their functionality.
Benefits of a Design-Build Model
Design-build streamlines your project delivery through a singular contract. It’s a simple but important process if you want to save your resources (time and money). Why are people opting for the design-build model instead of the design-bid-build? Well, to understand why, here are a few benefits that the design-build model provides:
- Saves your wallet: your team works toward innovation and efficiency for the project, ensuring there are no unwanted purchases
- Reduce project risk: with proper planning, you are more ready to fight against potential risks
- Faster delivery: collaborative work means everything gets completed faster with fewer issues
- Singular responsibility: one entity is held accountable for everything from performance to cost and schedule
- Smoother process: fewer issues happen, which means teams are collaborating and owners are more pleased
- Better communication: promotes higher levels of openness, transparency, and communication
- Reduced litigation claims: closing warranty gaps owners to virtually reduce litigation claims
- Fewer order changes: since the contractor and architect work together, unwanted changes are reduced
- Reduces project costs: projects finish on time and within budget with reduced schedule delays and unforeseen costs
Aside from the benefits stated above, design-build can also benefit the practitioner by receiving a higher profit margin. It also ensures that your team remains equally and fully committed to ensuring that your project costs don’t strain your budget. Additionally, design-build reduces litigation risks and increases the chances of a higher market share since many owners and clients would rather choose design-build over other models.
Design Your Own Home With a Modern Model
With faster processes and organized systems, you can easily see luxury custom builds in your area in less than a year. By choosing the design-build model for building their homes, owners, and clients can save up to 10% on projects. Explore how other models compare to design-build by browsing through the rest of our comprehensive guides, filled with essential tips and information you should know!