It’s no secret the residential design build industry is booming, leading many homeowners to ask if design build is right for them. We understand owners have questions as they explore the many build and renovation options available within the industry.
Offering dozens of options for every need and over 30 years of experience, Levi’s Construction is the unparalleled residential construction leader throughout San Francisco. Our bilingual, expert design and construction teams coordinate every detail of the build or renovation process, from initial designing and planning to the last coat of paint and screw.
What is Design-Build?
A wide variety of project delivery techniques exist in the construction world, but one of the most popular is design-build. The technique has been around for hundreds of years and was formerly known as integrated project delivery. In 1993, the term professionals began to use was design-build.
Even though the idea has existed for a long time, more and more homeowners are now choosing to work with a residential design build team who can handle an entire renovation or navigate a new build. This process offers a more collaborative approach allowing contractors to integrate design into their practices. Essentially, they act as the single point of responsibility. This responsibility includes creating building plans, completing all required permitting, developing a project budget, and estimating through the finalization process.
With the active and fast-paced lifestyle of many of its clients, the team at Levi’s Construction can show their clients the benefits of its unified and simplified approach with the design-build process. No matter what needs built, remodeled, or renovated, Levi’s Construction experience and finely-tuned skill meet even the most demanding requirements.
Advantages of Design-Build
With one contracting team overseeing a build or renovation, homeowners have the opportunity for more coordination and communication, which often leads to a smoother overall experience. Utilizing the design-build process, a homeowner benefits from a whole team with the same experience and commitment to the project serving as the general contractor and the additional attributes of an architect, engineer, subcontractors, material suppliers, and specialists.
From beginning to end, the team provides unified recommendations in design, schedule, and budget. Any hiccups or changes are addressed by the entire team, which allows for problem-solving collaboration. There is no opportunity for excuses or passing the buck. The design-build experience also allows for a unique culture of collaboration, a fundamental difference between design-build and design-bid-build contracting.
When a homeowner embarks on a project, many factors must be considered. In the traditional design-bid-build model, the homeowner would need to find a contractor, hire an architect or designer to draw up plans, get bids from multiple contractors, and hope that everything comes in on time and within budget. With design-build, all of these steps are rolled into one.
In short, the main benefits of choosing a residential design-build team over the design-bid-build process include the following:
- Simplifying designing, planning, and building processes with a single contact person
- Reduces the number of errors on a project
- Allows for more home or business customization
- Transparent communication
- Fewer disputes, interruptions, and delays between outside parties make it easier to stay on schedule and within budget
- No restrictions on building types
- Access to an entire team of experts and industry specialists
There are many reasons someone might choose to work with a design-build builder. First, it simplifies the entire process from start to finish. The homeowner must only communicate with one person instead of coordinating between multiple parties in a variety of fields. Second, having a single point of contact reduces the chances of errors in the project.
Disadvantages of the Design-Build Process
Due to the speed of the project, the design-build process is not always the best choice for every renovation or new build. Home or business owners are lured to the design-bid-build process because it may yield the lowest construction cost and require more owner involvement. Usually, there is no opportunity to speed up the construction acceleration.
With many individuals working on the build, the pricing, project clarity, and overall control experience much more micromanaging in a design-bid-build process. With current lifestyles, not all home or business owners desire such high levels of involvement.
Critical drawbacks of the design-build process for owners include:
- You must have a high level of trust and communication with your design-build contractor because they will not consult for every decision.
- There is no competitive bidding to secure the best price for every step. Owners must understand they may not be getting the lowest project pricing.
- Design-bid-build allows time for value engineering and more cost-effective approaches, which extends the project’s overall timeline as opposed to the speedier design-build method.
- Home or business owners are less involved in building and minute selections.
Levi’s Construction – the San Francisco Construction Experts
Whether you’re exploring residential contractor options for remodeling jobs or building a home from the ground up, there’s no one better and more trustworthy than Levi’s Construction. With over 30 years of experience, our insured, bonded, and bilingual crew approach projects with care, skill, and dedication. We pride ourselves on being the best San Francisco Bay area construction contractors!
If you’d like to learn more about us and what we do, check out our website or call (510) 543-1182. You can also reach us via our contact page or email at levisconstruction@comcast.net!