Design-build or architect and builder?
Two ways to run the same house. Both work, and they put responsibility in different places.
Updated
Short answer
In design-build, one company designs the house and builds it under one agreement. In the conventional route, the owner hires an architect or designer to design it and then hires a builder, often by tender, to build it. Design-build gives one point of responsibility and lets cost shape the design early. The conventional route gives the owner an independent designer and a price competition on a finished set of drawings.
Who holds which contract
On a conventional project the owner holds a contract with each party. On a design-build project the owner holds one.
Side by side
| Design-build | Architect, then builder | |
|---|---|---|
| Contracts | One, with the design-build company. | Two or more: the designer, then the builder. |
| Responsibility | One company answers for design and construction. | Design and construction are answered for separately, and the owner sits between them. |
| Cost during design | Priced as the drawings develop. | Usually priced once the drawings are complete. |
| Price competition | Between trades, inside the project. | Between builders, on the finished drawings. |
| Independent advice | The designer works for the design-build company. | The architect can act for the owner during construction. |
| Schedule | Design, approvals and ordering overlap. | Steps tend to follow one another. |
| Changes | Priced by the same team that drew them. | Drawn by the architect and priced by the builder. |
Which suits which owner
Design-build suits an owner who wants one point of contact, wants the budget tested while the house is being designed, and is comfortable with one company being responsible for both.
The conventional route suits an owner who wants an independent professional on their side during construction, wants several builders to price the same drawings, or already has an architect they trust.
We work both ways: we design and build, and we also work with architects, from the planning stage through the drawings to construction.
Questions
Is design-build cheaper?
Not by definition. It can avoid redesign when prices come in over budget, because cost is checked as the drawings develop. A tendered set of drawings gives a direct price comparison between builders.
Can I bring my own architect to a design-build company?
Yes. The builder then works from the architect’s drawings, and the project runs more like the conventional route.
Have a lot, a house or a set of drawings? That’s where we start.
Tell us where the property is and what you’d like to build, and we’ll tell you what we need to see next.