CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISION, HOME PLANS HOUSE PLANS & DESIGN BUILD

Project management services
-How to take the fear out of building a new home..

Construction is in my blood. My father was a contractor, his
father was a contractor and so it goes. I worked along side my
brother with our father from the time I was old enough to swing
a hammer. Summer vacations were spent helping Dad on a job or
backyard project. I went to school for Architecture and my
brother went on to become a foreman for one of the largest
construction company's in the area. Dad has retired and spends
his time woodworking while trying to keep up with Moms to do
list.

Along with design, I offer project management services at a flat
rate based on a percentage of the budget. I need to stress that
I am not offering general contracting services and wish to clarify
why I believe this fresh approach to construction is both
superior and safer. I am in this business because I love
construction and Architecture. That being said, I feel the entire
design and construction process should remain fun. Building your
home should be a memorable experience that is enjoyed. I have
described below some of the specifics of our project
management services and included what to expect from of a
General Contractor. I am not saying General contractors are
bad, I just know from experience there is a safer method to the
construction process for you, the future homeowner.

Project Management vs. General Contracting

Clear, established communication...
So now that your house plans & final drawings are complete your
ready to build. You just spent weeks or even months working
with a design professional to prepare house plans and
construction documents for your new home. You have poured
out your dreams, gone over building materials, construction
methods, budgets, dis-likes and so forth. By this time a good
designer or Architect will understand your goals and they
respect your intentions. At this point a good designer will know
what you take in your coffee.. That being said, does it make
sense to try and relay all of this information to a new player in
the game? Sure, a good set of drawings will obtain all the
information a contractor needs but how many people speak
fluent construction? Do you know the building process? Chances
are you don't and if you are one of the people that do, you hired
someone else to build your home because you simply do not
have the time to do it yourself.

Have more control and spend less money...
With our project management services, you control your money
at all times while we do all of the work. We screen all of the
sub-contractors, we review and write contracts, get quotes,
hunt low prices and make sure everyone is doing quality work in
a timely fashion. We submit our recommendations to you with
contracts and the specifics, you make the final decisions and
write the checks. This means you stay in control at all times
with the people who work on your project and how much you
pay them. With a General contractor, you give him a large
amount of money and he pulls the strings.

You spend your money...
A General Contractor will receive large draws at each
construction phase, this huge responsibility comes down to his
or her ability to manage this money. Once the G.C. has this
money in hand, your stuck. The process of firing a general
contractor who at this time could be handling hundreds of
thousands of dollars of your money is very risky. If
sub-contractors and materials are not paid YOU can be stuck
with a lien on your new home. Sure, you can go after the G.C.
but who wants to spend more time and money doing so? With
my process, you know everyone is paid because you wrote the
checks. You also know that you got the best value for your
money without having to wonder how much your General
contractor made off of the sub contractors labor.

Save money, cut out the mark-ups...
When you decide to use a General Contractor, you have very
little control over how your money is spent. A sink may cost you
$275.00 when the G.C. paid $200.00. This mark up process is
common business and continues throughout an entire
construction project. It will cost you thousands by the end.
Think about this, If a G.C. quotes $400,000 but completes the
project for $325,000 he keeps the "profit". With our services,
you know where your money was spent and when you come in
under budget, you keep your money.

How do we make money being your project manager?
How do we make money being your project manager? We work
on a small percentage of the estimated cost of construction.
This amount ends up being less than half of what a general
contractor will cost, not including money you lose to his markup
and profit. We divide our percentage over four to six months
during construction. If at anytime you are unhappy with our
services, you discontinue our payment and we turn the project
over to the person you choose. We believe in fair flat rates and
that business should be easy. You know from the beginning how
much you will pay me and where the construction money is
spent.

Who better to oversee your project than the designer?
Who better to oversee your project than the designer? Well, no
one... We know the details of your project and why they were
executed. What makes perfect sense to you and I may seem
trivial to an outside contractor while he is working on your home.
The result is work that usually ends up "the way we have always
done it".. We can be at the site all day if needed which means
you never come to the project just to see that progress went in
the wrong direction.

Let's wrap it up...
A final point is this, general contractors use their subs to make
money. A general contractor works for himself and at the end of
the day his business is his best interest. This is not personal,
they are in it to make money as well. With our approach we are
paid to be sure that your best interests are met. We make the
same amount of money regardless. Again, it is not that general
contractors are bad, there are simply better methods to choose
from.