What is
Design + Build?
It all begins with an idea, a dream! Lots of homeowners dream of that new house, or adding that addition, but don’t know how to make their dream a reality. Bradford Construction Management (BCM) is here to help! Our design-build process places you, the owner, in the driver’s seat. We work with you from design and budgeting; what we call the pre-construction phase. During this time, we will work with your architect — or we can bring in our own — to ensure the design captures your dreams and is constructible. That sets your project up for success right from the beginning! Our expansive industry knowledge will limit the need for budget increases, due to scope changes.
So, how does it work?
First, we will ask you what your expected budget range is for the project, then we will work up a pre-construction cost for you, which will cover all the design work and issuing of drawings. During this time, we will work with the designer to make sure that your budget is kept, and that the design is constructible.
What does that mean?
We will use our vast knowledge of construction means and methods to make sure everything that is in the design works, in the real world, not just on paper. This will limit course of construction issues, and therefore, limit change orders.
What is a change order?
A change order is when a General Contractor quotes a job, but once they start building, realizes something on the drawing is incorrect. At that point the General Contractor needs to get a quote from their sub-contractor to complete the task correctly. That cost burden will come to you, the owner, as a change order, since the General Contractor did not supply the design. With our Design Build process the General Contractor and the Designer are one team! We work together, so if there is an issue with the drawing set, it’s on us! So, we are very involved with design review, which ends up with a much smoother running project.
Once the design and final budget is completed, we will then assume the role of General Contractor, and get to work! The good news is, we know the project and scope better than anyone, because we designed it! We will work with our team of trusted subcontractors, to get the work done.
Now, the real BCM difference is we will manage your residential project much like a large commercial project.
What does that mean?
subcontractors will be issued a schedule, that they need to agree to. All products will be put through a formal submittal process, which the design team will need to approve, before anything is ordered; this assures our clients that they are receiving exactly what they were shown during design phase. All questions relating to construction will be issued as RFIs (requests for information) to the team, and all answers will be tracked, and distributed to the entire team. So, if we move a wall, because the carpenters found an issue, the electricians, plumbers, designers, Project Manager, and Superintendent will all be on the same page! This avoids costly confusion. Your project will have a Superintendent, and Project Manager, assigned to it. So, you know that BCM is there overseeing your project every step of the way. You will be given an owner’s account on our project management software, where you will be able to view all the project’s information and updates, in real time! You will be able to view Daily Reports, drawing updates, submittals, RFI’s, the project’s schedule, and much more! You can also download the mobile app and have the whole project in the palm of your hands!
We invite you to reach out and ask us for more information about our Design Build process, and how it can help deliver your project on-time, and within the budget that you set! Don’t just dream about what your home or office could look like, take action, and see how BCM can design and build to any budget!
How Are Typical Projects Managed?
Typical residential projects utilize a project delivery method called Design-Bid-Build. This method is what most individuals are familiar with in the United States.
How does Design-Bid-Build Work?
When using the Design-Bid-Build method, an owner will reach out to a designer, and hire them directly. So, the designer will work for the owner. Once the designer is completed the drawings, the owner will then have to send out RFPs (Request for Proposal) to all potential General Contractors. Typically, this can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Once the owner has all the General Contractor proposals, they then need to decide on which General Contractor to hire. Once the General Contractor is selected, the owner now knows their project’s cost, or base budget we should say. Keep in mind the General Contractor was not involved during design phase, so they don’t know what issues are in the drawing set. The General Contractor will now enter into their own RFP process which typically takes three to four weeks. During this time, the GC’s sub-contractors will be going through the drawings in detail, so the budget can change if new issues arise from the drawing reviews. Once the GC selects their contractors they can now get to work! The project is now months along and the work hasn’t started!
During construction any Change Orders due to design, will be at the owner’s risk, since the owner hold the design contract.
Basically, with a Design-Bid-Build project delivery the owner, designer, and contractor are all on different teams, but with our Design Build process everyone is on the same team, using the same budget, working together to deliver the project on-time, and within the owner’s budget. So, you, the owner, get the project you’ve been dreaming of, at the budget you wanted!