The Design/Build contractor can take care of your project from design through completion. As with most endeavors, a successful building project involves a dedicated "team" of professionals working together toward a common goal. Working with a talented architect or designer, you can usually develop a design that properly balances both your aesthetic and practical goals. You may find though when you send the completed plans out for bids, the design may not meet your budgetary requirements. Since most independent architects and designers are not builders, they may not have the same day-to-day understanding of real-world construction costs as does a builder. This is one of the many strengths of the Design/Build concept. The lack (or often complete absence) of communication between builder and designer during the design phase can be a major source of frustration and unnecessary expense for all. By involving your builder early in the design process, you can minimize the possibility for the potentially expensive lessons that can accompany such an undertaking. This is the essence of Design/Build -- the ultimate goal is a marriage between the creative, emotional aspects of the design process, and the more practical aspects of budgeting and the construction process – working together as one throughout.

One of the most important steps in the Design/Build process is the preliminary cost estimate. Unfortunately, it is also the step most often skipped in a typical construction project. The purpose of the preliminary cost estimate is to assure the feasibility of a proposed project in the preliminary design phase, before more money is expended on final working drawings, engineering, permits, or sometimes even before lot purchase. With a set of preliminary plans and reasonably complete material specifications, it is relatively easy to determine a very accurate and realistic cost estimate to build the proposed home. If adjustments are needed, they are made now, and you can proceed to finishing the working plans with confidence.