The Benefits of Using Combined Architecture and Construction

The traditional approach to remodeling an existing home or building a new home requires two separate contracts; one with a design professional (i.e. an architect) and another with a contractor who builds the project. Typically, the architect prepares detailed drawings and then the client seeks bids from several contractors, hoping to make an apples-to-apples comparison between bids. In some cases, this system works well; in many others, problems occur. The bids might come back too high for the client to afford if price was not part of the discussion between the client and the architect during design. One or more of the bids might be affordable but the quality of construction might turn out to be poor. The contractor might charge for change orders that are a surprise to both the architect and the client if his bid didn’t include elements that weren’t clear on the drawings. Often, these lapses of communication can lead to accusations of unfair practice.

In contrast to the traditional approach, a combined architecture and construction contract allows for the architectural design and the construction of a project to be seamlessly integrated. Here are some potential benefits:

• The process flows smoothly when one entity is responsible for managing the entire project.
• The architect and contractor are on the same team (the A/C team), thus reducing or eliminating possible miscommunications that can occur between the design professional and the contractor.
• During the design phase, the architects can freely discuss construction details with the lead carpenter.
• The need for costly change orders is greatly reduced or eliminated.
• The project budget is agreed upon by all involved early in the process so that nobody gets in “too deep” without knowing the cost implications.
• The project schedule can be determined early in the process with a start date and end date agreed by client and A/C team. Time delays are kept to a minimum as all parties involved have an interest in a timely completion.
• Overall project costs are reduced since change orders and construction time are kept to a minimum.