Are you looking for a design and build company to help you create the home of your dreams? Envisioning your home environment, how you want it to look, and feel is so important to creating the right atmosphere for you to relax, to be productive and spend quality time with your friends and family. Having that perfect image in your mind of a unique design to suit your personality and needs is one thing but finding the right company to help materialize that image into a reality is another matter. Using a design and build company is a great option as there will be no conflicts between, he designers and the builders, but it can be a challenge to decide on which company to use. Its important to spend time on doing your research before you decide who to go for, as it’s a collaborative process and choosing the wrong company could potentially end up costing you a lot of time and money unnecessarily. Here are a few points to help you think about what to look for in a design and build company that can help your design dreams become a reality.

This is a must. Looking through the portfolio of the design and build company’s portfolio that you are considering hiring is the best way to get a feel of the quality and style of their work and level of craftsmanship. In fact, you should try to look through several companies so that you can compare and get an idea of what feels right for you. A design and build company which has a portfolio of different styles shows versatility in skillsets, which means that they may be capable of different design methodologies. However, if you have a very specific taste, then you may want to go for a design and build company that specializes in what you are looking for.

A design and build company’s portfolio may be diverse with many styles, but do you think they can capture your style and what you are looking for? It’s important to find a company that can understand your style needs and match your needs and taste. Pick a couple of projects that you resonate with and talk to them about what you need. You will be able to gauge if you are on the same wavelength when it comes to design.

Reputation is everything. You want to hire a design and build company that you can trust with your time and money. Customer reviews and recommendations are valuable when considering which company to use, as these are honest reviews on their previous work. You can also request references from previous clients for both the design and build phase of their projects.

The more experience a company has the more likely they are to understand your needs and foresee any issues that they can advise you of in advance. This can save you time and money in the long run. They may also be able to advise you on better design suggestions you may not have thought of, which all comes with experience of doing similar projects. Ask them lots of questions It’s always good to have a general discussion on their previous design and build projects, to find out if they had encountered any setbacks, if so, what did they do about them, did this extend the projected timelines, how did this effect the cost etc. As well ask asking design-related questions, make sure you also ask about the build stage – what types of jobs have they previously done, using which skillsets, how much were costs per square meter and for any experience in anything specialist that you are interested in requesting. The design and build company should take responsibility for any problems and be able to provide tangible solutions for their clients.

One huge advantage of using a design and build company for your project is having one point of contact for your whole project, so you need to make sure that the company you chose are open and easy to communicate with that you can speak with honestly and have any concerns addressed and taken seriously. You want to ensure that you can build a good working relationship with your design and build company, they must be approachable and able to answer any questions that you have in a timely manner. It’s also important that they keep you updated as the project progresses and inform you of any changes to timelines or designs. It’s good to speak to the design team first and find out how they work with clients during this phase.

Using a design and build company can save you money, you should expect less upcharges because of the established relationship between the designers and builders. They should be well aware of how to work together, so there is less room for design errors in interpretation which could otherwise lead to additional costs. The designer should also be aware of the construction costs at the design stage, and be able to save money here. It’s good to get an insight into what these may be, and if any additional savings could be made, as well as to check how this may impact the quality. Do your due diligence

Hopefully these points will help you on what to look for in a design and build company that is right for you, which will not only save you time and money, but allow you to still maintain the right level of design control and creative freedom. Do you due diligence on what to look for in a design and build company before you decide which one to go for, and make sure it feels right so that you have peace of mind that your project will be in good hands. Once you find the right design and build company you can relax knowing that your design ideas are in good hands on the way to becoming a reality that you’ve envisioned.