Characteristics That Separate Successful Design/Builders From Other Business Models Include:
An experienced Management Team that has created and follows a strategic and sustainable business plan, implements industry best practices and continuously identifies and mentors strong leadership within the team in each department.- A strong Financial System that that predicts, tracks and analyzes the cost of doing business and producing projects, and includes an estimating system that facilitates timely and accurate "What-if" project pricing abilities during the entire design process.
A Marketing System and Strategy that identifies and attracts targeted prospects qualified to do business with the Design/Builder and helps them discover the unique values and advantages of the Design/Build project delivery method.
- An established and tested Sales System used and or supported by all employees which prequalifies that a prospect's purpose, budget and decision making process is a match with the Design/Builder's Business model and provides a consistent approach and results for those prospects who become clients.
A Design System that properly identifies and documents the information needed by the client as well as the Design/Builder's project team and serves as a communication tool to make sure the design and final project serve the client's purposes within the agreed budget and timeline
- A Communication System and Process that uses technology to create, capture, manage, and distribute timely and accurate business and project information between team members, trade partners, design professionals and the client in a way that manages and meets established expectations.
A Production System that produces a quality project and experience for all of the parties involved within the established budget and puts management of the project at the jobsite and in the hands of a qualified Lead Carpenter and or Project Manager.
- A Personnel System that identifies, attracts, advances, recognizes and rewards those employees who best support a true Design/Build Business model and project delivery system.
If you are looking for help or training to create or switch over to a Design/Build Business Model contact Shawn today. Will you be ready when the economy improves and there is money to be made?
"The topics you touched on yesterday really hit home and the light bulb has gone off!
We will take this information and start to apply to our business immediately."
David Haney, Dave Haney - Custom Woodworking
Design Options for Design/Builders: Partnering for Design
Design/Build has caused a major role reversal. In most Design/Build situations, the contractor is now choosing the designer, after the project or design retainer has been sold! Finding a design professional who will work in this new role can be a challenge, but if the relationship is built for mutual benefit, all parties win, including the homeowner.
Typically, the hardest part about subbing is finding a good sub worth partnering with. High quality standards being a given, a good sub also complements your team and meets all the legal and insurance coverage requirements. The same will be true if you subcontract the design work for Design/Build projects. There are plenty of design professionals out there, but how many are working as subs, better yet work as project partners with general contractors?
Agree to Agree
If you truly want to partner with a design professional on a subcontracted basis, start with the guidelines of the relationship. Contractors and design professionals can both have strong personalities and have been observed on occasion to let ego compromise the project or relationship. Working out what each expects of the other and how the relationship will work before partnering on a project will help avoid some of the disappointments typical to a blind date.
Topics to consider might include the ability to design within a budget, incorporating construction methods already familiar to the contractor’s team, who will pay to fix the plans if mistakes are discovered, and who will cover the errors and omissions insurance coverage in case of design failure.
Take Time to Establish and Evolve Your Design/Build Partnership
Consider a lunch meeting together with your designer to discuss expectations and workout any kinks before meeting with any clients. Blind dates may be fine if you have no expectations for a long lasting relationship, but don’t lose a client by double dating with a stranger.
Fortunately, in a true Design/Build setting, the contractor and designer are together at every meeting with the client. This provides a great way for both to observe and monitor the dynamics of the meeting and the contractor/designer relationship. Be sure to include time (maybe another lunch meeting) for a debriefing discussion right after leaving the design meeting to work out any issues and or confirm what worked well. Doing so can help both of you advance and improve your process and your working relationship.
Successful Design/Build doesn’t happen by accident!
Read this previous blog post about doing design in-house
Be sure your business is ready when the market improves! If you are looking for better results from your Design/Build business contact Shawn today.
Design Options for Design/Builders: In-House Design
Design/Build contractors have come to realize the need for and importance of design as it relates to getting and producing the construction of a project. Typically, there are two options for getting the design done; In-house or out-sourced. This article will discuss in-house design. In my next blog I will discuss partnering with others to get the design work done.
The Designer Must be Qualified To Do The Job
Not all contractors or homeowners have creative design skills, but most can tell a good design from a bad one. A drive through your local area may provide a few good examples of projects where the contractor completed the design, but perhaps should have stuck just to the build part. The project could have met the client’s needs for space or function, but the end result may have been a T-1-11 box added onto a Victorian gem.
The first consideration before offering in-house design services should be an assessment of the designer’s skills and qualifications. Depending on the type of projects you do or the design expectations of your clients, do you have the experience and skills on staff to complete the required designs and drawings? Also, consider the legal requirements for the design or designer in the market area you work to be sure your designer and or your business can even offer such services.
In-House Design Considerations
If you are currently doing your design work in-house, or plan to, consider the following before it’s too late:
- Do you have the time in your schedule to add or keep up with the demand for design, particularly if your business or volume grows?
- If you bring a designer on staff, will you have enough work to keep him/her busy and productive? If not, what other skills do they have or what other skills does your business need that this person could bring with them?
- Are you limiting your client’s projects and design desires to your in-house capabilities and experience? Will that be a problem?
- What will happen if you or your only designer is injured or otherwise unavailable to do the design work?
- If you do not have a professional designation, what will you do if your prospect or client wants the prestige of a professional architect, or the project requires structural engineering?
- Even if you plan to do the design work in house, should you find an additional resource or two as back-up to get the design work you need done when you needed it?
If any of the above could affect you or your business in a negative way, partnering with others may be the answer. Watch for my next blog for some insight on partnering with others to get the design done.
Be sure your business is ready when the market improves! If you are looking for better results from your Design/Build business contact Shawn today.
Thoughts On Design/Build From a Remodel Coach for Homeowners
Guest Blogger: Reva Kussmaul, owner of Remodel411. Reva began her practice as a remodeling coach in 1998. Reva believes that remodeling should be a 50/50 relationship and if it wasn’t cultivated as such - nightmares can occur. According to Reva, those nightmares are typically caused by a gap in communication and it could come from either side. For Reva it became quite obvious that someone who knew about and cared about both sides was a missing piece to the puzzle of remodeling nightmares. So, she decided that both homeowners and contractors could use a coach when it came to their relationship - the remodeling relationship that is. Check out her book: Remodel 411: Secrets to a Successful Remodeling Relationship
Thoughts On Design/Build From a Remodel Coach for Homeowners
As a remodel coach, I recommend homeowners work with a design/build firm when they’re undertaking larger projects because I find it to be quite beneficial and all-inclusive in that you have a designer who knows how to build and create plans from that knowing and you’re working with a contractor who has their hands on the design process and is in communication around that process at all times.
The beauty of a design/build firm is - it’s beneficial to all parties. It’s much easier for the contractor to be involved with a team so they’re not shouldering all of the work themselves, thereby opening up time for discussions with the client about possible challenges or changes. It’s beneficial for the client because I’ve found they feel like the contractor has more time to actually listen to their needs. That’s the purpose of a great team - creating win/win scenarios.
I find it is quite challenging when working with a designer/architect who isn’t part of the contractor’s team and, really, isn’t necessarily on the homeowner’s team either. It’s not that they’re against either of those entities but if they’re working individually they’re about creating a plan for a job and they are simply not always up on the cost impact of possible changes/designs they’re suggesting. OR, they give a very low-ball cost and then the homeowner is blown away when the contractor costs it out accordingly. I suggest homeowners work with a firm that is going to have all of their team members on the same page, at the same time, in the same place.
The other suggestion is there be a separate dedicated project manager on a large project as well. This works well because when someone’s job is project managing that is what he or she is doing all day. It makes such a difference to have that liaison between the contractor, designer and homeowner.
I’ve worked with designers who charge $3,000 for a bathroom design including tile lay-out and then want me to make the decisions about the actual lay-out, correct measurements, etc. They were charging money for something they really weren’t that knowledgeable about and didn’t feel confident in. When it’s a design/build firm that’s all inclusive, when one member of the team completes the initial design, the person actually drawing plans steps in and it progresses from there in an orderly fashion.
I don’t feel it’s as necessary to work with a design/build firm when doing smaller projects, however, if a home owner has used a larger firm for a long-term project, had an amazing experience and already trusts them with their home, I always recommend loyalty.