All contractors and clients have the same goal: Save money and get your new home, addition or renovation built as soon as possible, and that is exactly what they should be trying to accomplish, but how do you do it?
I love the example of hiring the least expensive mason to lay out the house, pour the footings and slab, and then build the block walls. The number one priority with the foundation is that it has to be SQUARE, LEVEL AND PLUMB, or the job is a complete mess and everyone is fighting to get their job done until the finish. If you really want to save money and time, it is necessary to hire the absolute best mason that money can buy.
I have potential clients complain about the cost of plans as well as how long it takes to complete them. They say that they want the plans as soon as possible and at a low cost. The truth is they really want the entire project finished as soon as possible and at the lowest cost.
Let’s have a race to get plans approved by the building department so you can start construction as soon as possible – Architect “A” completes the plans in 30 days and submits them for plan approval by the building department. Architect “B” submits the plans in 60 days. The “A” plans get back 3 pages of comments from the building department and that Architect doesn’t rush to make the corrections. The “B” plans have 3 comments and the architect responds immediately and you have a permit a week later. Architect “A” still hasn’t responded, but you did save money ON THE PLANS.
During construction, the builder occasionally has issues where he needs the architect to make revisions or provide a sealed letter. Architect “B” takes care of it immediately. Architect “A” drags their feet and construction stops until the issue is corrected. So the time issue would have been better with Architect “B”.
What about the cost? If the “A” plans were hastily put together just to submit them to the building department quicker they may not be very detailed. If that’s the case the contractors and suppliers might add 5% or 10% to their bid “just in case”. If the “B” plans are very detailed, bids are more accurate and the costs come down.
So when it’s all done, the “A” plans project took 3 months longer to build and cost 10% more. The bottom line is that the goal is not to save money and time on the plans, the goal is to save time and money on the entire project, and that starts with a really good set of plans by an architect that is responsive during the construction process.
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Name of Author – Lee Curtis