Do You Need an Architect for Your Custom Home or Remodel?

If you’re contemplating whether to engage a design-build firm for your custom home or remodeling project, you’ve landed on the right page. Constructing a custom home entails a substantial investment, and enlisting a design-build firm is an investment in your future dwelling. While drafting services and pre-made house plans may promise dream homes at a lower price, opting for a cheaper design alternative amid the multiple costs associated with custom home construction involves compromises.

A reputable design-build firm contributes value to a project in various ways, profoundly influencing the home-building process and your satisfaction with your new residence. Picture a design-build firm as a highly-skilled visionary, adept coordinator, and adept problem solver. They can streamline your fundamental decisions from the outset, offering a design process tailored to your preferences. Subsequently, they translate your aspirations and objectives into an aesthetically pleasing and feasible home design that aligns with your financial parameters.

Essentially, a design-build firm serves as your advocate, committed to realizing your vision. Here, we’re uncovering several of the most apparent (and perhaps unexpected) ways a design-build firm enhances the value of a custom home construction project.

Table of Contents

Why Hire a Design-Build Firm for a Custom Home?

Concept and Design Pitfalls

Work with both Architect and General Contractor at the same time

Why Hire a Design-Build Firm for a Custom Home?

Building a complete home from the ground up is an exciting and pivotal moment for any property owner. Of the many things to consider, a custom home is a project that requires hundreds and thousands of decisions for design choices, floor plans, and features. But the finished product should be a labor of love that is a true representation of your lifestyle and aesthetic. Unfortunately, in addition to the overwhelming choices there are a handful of barriers and hurdles that need to be cleared to build a custom home. A project can quickly get derailed without an experienced builder leading the charge. The many phases of construction are interdependent with each other and begin moving the moment design and concept are approved! Obtaining building permits, obtaining funding, and managing and scheduling trade work create a complex series of processes that must be overseen. For a single property owner, this task can be close to impossible. This is why working with a licensed general contractor or better yet a General Contractor-led Design-Build firm is one of the best ways to see a Custom Project or Remodel through!

Concept and Design Pitfalls

One prevalent misconception in the home building sector is the belief that a set of plans is sufficient preparation for commencing construction. While it’s true that working with an architect facilitates the design of plans, these drawings often lack consideration for crucial factors such as the property owner’s budget, site conditions, and material availability. While a reputable architect and engineer are essential for obtaining approval for building permits, this objective can sometimes be detached from the ultimate aim of completing the home construction process. This disconnection underscores the potential value of engaging a general contractor or a design-build firm led by a general contractor (GC) for custom homes and home remodeling projects.

A significant challenge faced by individual property owners and families in the home construction industry is conceptualizing a home that proves unfeasible to build. Although designers and architects typically don’t intend to over-engineer structures, the risk of doing so remains if they lack a construction-oriented approach. Architects may incorporate every desire and requirement of a property owner into the design without fully considering practical constraints. However, just because something can be included in the design doesn’t necessarily mean it should be. Factors like material availability, material costs, installation labor, and other economic considerations are often overlooked by property owners. Consequently, when the final plans and specifications are approved, property owners may find themselves faced with unexpected delays and expenses that completely blow a budget. Even with an architect’s list of preferred partners, general contractors, and other trades might find it hard to be under an original set budget.

Work with both Architect and General Contractor at the same time

To circumvent such issues, collaborating simultaneously with both a General Contractor and an Architect proves beneficial. Property owners and homeowners can assemble a compact development team comprising all essential disciplines to secure plan approval. At the same time, the general contractor offers supervision regarding practicality and cost-effectiveness for future implementation. Conversely, in Denver, companies offer comprehensive services, amalgamating architectural, interior design, and general contracting under one roof. These companies are called Design-Build firms.

Sustainable Design Build is a GC-Led Design Build approach, wherein project management and supervision are construction-oriented, ensuring seamless execution from groundbreaking onwards, devoid of complications concerning timelines, budget, or material and labor availability. This includes engineering, architecture, and interior design services all operating under our company’s core values and processes. Our design-build process integrates various disciplines essential for constructing a bespoke home, all under the guidance of seasoned professionals.