The Skinny on Design/Build...

You can choose to develop your plans and hope they fit your budget after the fact, or, you can go the design/build route. A design/build company is one that employs both designers and builders and forces them to play nice together. They are compelled to cooperate towards the ultimate goal of creating the most exceptional project for the dollar spent.

Put another way, design/build is the alternative to hiring one company for the structural design, another for the interior design and yet another to interpret and build those plans. It is a process that encourages a seamless transition between design and construction by producing drawings that are informed by the realities of construction.

Because we know that we are ultimately responsible for executing our proposals, we consider the ramifications from the first pen stroke. Design/build is a process of making where our understanding of fabrication and practice of design inform each other constantly. This includes concern for quality, beauty and function, but most importantly it strives toward something poetic and artistic.

Nine Reasons Design/Build Rules

  1. You work with a single, responsible entity, not an architect, a contractor, an engineer, the building department, sub-contractors, etc.
  2. The expertise of both the contractor and the designer are combined to produce greater value for the owner.
  3. The final project cost can be controlled or outright guaranteed.
  4. You have greater input throughout the design process AND can control the project budget because you know the cost implications of design decisions.
  5. Your project can be “fast-tracked” because construction can begin while some of the finishing details have yet to be picked. This means that the overall time to design and build your project is substantially reduced because design and construction activities can overlap.
  6. Because KUHL tradesmen are involved in project design, construction problems are found before the job begins, saving your time and your money.
  7. Design adjustments that happen during construction can be implemented at a fraction of the time and cost compared to the traditional format.
  8. No more finger pointing. An integrated design-build team, where the contractor, architect and engineer work together, allows all parties to focus on the client's needs rather than protecting their own interests, as does often occur in the traditional format.
  9. Information is shared freely. All costs are known. There are no secrets.

© Copyright 2006, Kuhl Design Build