The key to owner success is the project oversight of a strong advocate.

Practically, this includes review of a property for sale, building an efficient consultant team, planning and entitlement aid, coordination between team members, and guidance throughout the design and construction. 

Coordinating a relationship of full benefits between you, the architect, the contractor, the consultants, and the municipal authorities involved requires a sensitive balance — and so does preventing unnecessary costs. By anticipating stakeholders’ concerns to avoid redundancy between consultants and distribute a clear division of work to everyone, I shrink soft costs and remove contradictions in plans and contracts. 

Getting Started

The solicitation and review of proposals, negotiation of contracts and insurance, and coordination of all parties involved can be daunting in and of itself. Most ground-up projects require an architect to develop the design, a geotechnical engineer to examine the soil conditions, a civil engineer to evaluate the property’s slope and provide a drainage plan, and a structural engineer to size the foundation and structure. 

This generally represents the minimum number of design consultants for a project; larger jobs may also have an interior designer, landscape architect, mechanical engineer, arborist, waterproofing consultant, and more.  

I ensure that this entire team upholds culpability for the design, that the contractor has a solid contract with suitable liability insurance, and that all contracts are coordinated appropriately and reference each other consistently. Sometimes, architects manage this process, but the advocacy of a builder’s eye can provide technical expertise at crucial moments, clearly divide the scope of work, and coordinate the building design with the paperwork.

As your advocate, this is how I prevent wasteful spending on infrastructure or duplicative services — leaving as much of your budget as possible to make sure you don’t compromise when it comes to the finishes you want. 

Building Success

After the design is developed and the building entitlements are approved it’s construction time!

The team typically meets every one to two weeks, and most contractors bill monthly. Change order requests are common in the early months of construction, and may continue throughout, depending on owner-driven changes and the coordination of plans with needed documents.

A core part of my oversight is distilling what happens in these meetings and process documents into an easily digestible executive summary for review by you. Careful review of each bill statement and change order request from the contractor is also crucial, as consultants often request additional design fees if a new item is added or if unforeseen conditions require changes to the plan. 

As your advocate, I ask comprehensive questions about any inconsistencies in all financial statements and work authorizations. My decades of industry success and library of historical unit costs let me quickly determine whether a proposed cost is within market norms, or if it needs scrutiny. 

By pushing back on potential irregularities as an independent agent, I promote a less emotional and more collaborative team, since the architect is no longer required to balance this task with their own professional duties to the contractor.

The result? 

A team that builds what you want along a quick, transparent, cost-effective schedule.