Would you bake an exotic cake from scratch without a recipe?

The cake you end up with might look like your intended result but would probably lack the rich flavors it should possess.  It seems to me that more and more people are entering into custom construction projects without a “recipe” or in other words without a fully formed team of construction professionals.  The core of the team is traditionally the design professional or architect and a Seattle general contractor.  Depending on the size and scope of the project many other Seattle building professionals can enter into the planning/building process.  To really create something special the entire process needs to be integrated into a team atmosphere.  Too often I see owners opting to try and save a few dollars by diy’ing the orchestration of their Seattle custom building project only to end up spending more in the long run.

Typically the planning starts with a Seattle general contractor contractor and a design professional such as an architect.  The architect listens to the desires of the owner and attempts to distill that information into a preliminary design.  The Seattle general contractor consults with the owner and architect to help guide the project in a direction that keeps with the desired result but stays on budget.  Once the preliminary design is satisfactory the real work begins.  There is usually a healthy push and pull between design and budget that the owner, architect and general contractor or Seattle builder engage in.

This is the point where it seems some have decided to go it alone.  They get a preliminary design they like and some basic budgeting to go along with it.  Then the architect is instructed to only take the plans to the point necessary for obtaining a permit.  This is done in a mistaken effort to save money.  Once the plans are ready the owner feels as if they can go it alone and solicit bids from Seattle builders, take the lowest cost proposal and voila end of project.

Not so fast.  First of all, when you go out to bid you have a set of drawings that are only descriptive to a plans checker who’s only interest is whether or not you have the requisite information shown on your plan to get a permit.  So when you start soliciting bids from Seattle general contractors or Seattle builders, you get a lot of questions.  Each question sparks an idea and chances are each general contractor gets a different answer when they ask the same question as your project evolves in your mind.  This makes it nearly impossible to make an informed decision or selection when reviewing bids from Seattle builders at the end of the process.  The worst case being, the design you thought you could build turns out to be far more expensive than you can afford.

Without going through a full design phase, the likely hood of changes during construction increase.  I’ve seen many instances where the civil and geo-technical engineers were hired independently of the architect and the three designs never fully came into harmony, ultimately increasing cost and time to completion.  When changes do begin to arise during construction they are usually more costly than they would have otherwise been had they been pre-planned.

Everyone has heard stories about the general contractor that cut corners and how awful that is.  The same thing is true when owners cut corners in the planning phase.  You might think by handling some of the architects duties, like creating the specification book or hiring the engineer you are saving yourself some money.  More than likely you will find that savings eaten up and then some in the confusion of a poorly planned construction project.  Having the right team plan your project will pay huge dividends when its time to break ground.  So do it right, consult a Seattle builder so you can have your cake and eat it too.

Kyle Keever, writes about and engages in general contracting in Seattle, Wa. Learn more about Keever and Associates at our General Contractors, WA blog.