Design Build Process : Overview
Castle Building & Remodeling is a Design/Build firm. Design/Build means we can work with you on your project from the preliminary design and estimating phase all the way through construction. If you already have a professional design, Castle Building & Remodeling will work with that design to produce a line-item specification with all the details necessary to give you a firm price on your project.
The design/build process, as the words would indicate, is broken down into two phases. The design & planning process works as follows:
- Please start by giving us a phone call to discuss your project. Please call 612-789-8509 and choose extension 1 to discuss what you want to accomplish, any special needs, and what type of investment you want to make in your home. As we discuss the project over the phone we will be mentally putting some costs to the items you describe. If possible, we'll then give you an approximate or "ballpark" price range, over the phone, for you to compare to what you intend to invest in your project.
- If this "ballpark”or “budget", price sounds right and meets with your approval and you are ready to proceed, we will schedule an appointment to meet you at your home. There is no charge for this initial consultation. While we are in your home, we will listen to you describe what you want your project to be, visually inspect the area(s) of your home in which you want the work, and look at any pictures, magazine clippings, or sketches you may have. We will discuss the project with you, and explain how we perform the design & planning process.
- After returning to the office, we will put together a detailed budget estimate. Click here to see an example budget estimate. After setting a time to review the Budget Estimate and answer your questions in our Design Selection Center, the budget estimate will be emailed to the homeowner along with a PDF copy of Castle's Design & Planning Contract. We invite you to visit us in our office in order to answer your questions and to talk through the project. Visiting our Design Selection Center will also give you a preview of our Design abilities and craftsmanship.
- The design costs associated with the drawings and the line-item specification usually equal approximately 3-7% of the project budget, depending on project design complexity and the hours Castle expects to spend on each phase of the Design & Planning Process. The way to keep design and planning costs down is to invest some time upfront determining how the job should look when completed, making precise decisions, and not changing the budget or scope of the design project numerous times.
- If you are already working with an architect or other professional designer, we will work with them to put together the specifications at a negotiated fee based on the complexity of the project. If no design is necessary due to the nature of the project, the specification fee can be negotiated. Working with an Architect can be a very different process than working with a Design / Build remodeling firm. For more information on the differences, please see the PDF “Working with Architects”.
- With your approval of the design and planning agreement, we schedule our first meeting and begin the design and planning process!
Click here to start the process of working with Castle Building & Remodeling or give us a call at 612-789-8509 to discuss your remodeling wants and needs.
