HOW DO I EFFICIENTLY DESIGN AND REMODEL MY BOSTON HOME WITHOUT COST OVERRUNS AND STRESS?

Stress, inefficiency, overspends and home remodeling don’t actually have to be synonymous. 

Many Boston homeowners are confronted with the following: 

I have a home.  It’s not my dream home, but could be made into it…so how do I efficiently design and remodel my home without losing my mind? 

I need my attention, creativity and sanity for my job, my family…and my life. 

Is it even possible to design and remodel a Boston home on time and on budget without stress…? 

I have a creative vision in mind and know what I want—do I hire an architect?   

Or a builder… 

Or both? 

What’s the first sensible move? 

These are all good questions. 

Done incorrectly, upset can result from overspends, project schedule overruns and stress generated from poor planning and inefficient operation. 

In a survey done several years ago, the home improvement industry ranked second in consumer complaints!  This was second only to the automobile industry… 

I founded NEDC nearly twenty years ago and we have been doing high-end and luxury architectural design build home remodels across Boston since this time. 

We take our clients from conceptual design through interior design, architectural planning and artisan build followed by a five-year warranty on all work. All on a single platform.  

In my experience there are three key pain points which Boston homeowners are confronted with when they embark on a significant home design and remodel: 

• Stress.  It can be quite stressful as a homeowner trying to find, hire, coordinate and run the multiple professionals involved in a home design and remodel.  Architect, Interior Designer, Exterior Designer, Contractor, Specialists…The list goes on.  

• Cost overruns.  This can be extremely common in the industry.  A homeowner starts with a vision and budget of X.  By the time an architect is hired, planning is completed, and the project is bid to multiple contractors the project budget has…doubled.  Painful.  But very real. 

• Timing.  Projects that are not well planned and coordinated easily overrun.  This happens frequently in the home construction industry.  We all have at least one friend with a horror project that makes us glad we aren’t them.   

Is it possible to design and remodel a Boston home in an efficient, cheerful, professional manner which is completed on time and on budget…in a manner which is relatively free of stress? 

YES IT IS. 

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN BUILD VERSUS DESIGN BID BUILD

There are two primary approaches to a major home design and remodel. While this can be made very complex as a subject, the natural creative process is fundamentally simple. I will cover both here: 

Design-Bid-Build is the process that has been introduced over the past 150 years or so whereby you as the client directly hire an architect to draft plans and design your project — to then have it bid out to multiple contractors seeking to win the bid and perform the project. This approach has been generalized as mainstream over the past decades and sold to homeowners, often creating client stress and potential loss of both client funds and time. This approach has many liabilities for the client due in no small part to the fragmented spheres of responsibilities which this system and method creates. 

 There is no single person or entity fully accountable to the client for the entire project’s success. 

This single factor alone can create a host of problems for the client. 

By default the client is ultimately responsible for both Architect and Builder as well as the ultimate success of the project. Thus one can have impractical and expensive design work, impractical planning, numerous change orders, shoddy craftsmanship, and projects which are off timeline and over budget. In the end, the client can be left damaged. You or a family member or friend may have experienced this in the past. We have many clients come to us after poor experiences with this approach. 

Architectural Design-Build (also Design Build) is the natural approach to creation of the built environment and has been used for thousands of years to create many of the beautiful structures of earth. Architectural Design Build is the route of choice if one desires to save on time and money, reduce stress, and eliminate a fragmented sense of project responsibility in the people working for you.  

Architectural Design Build is a model that stresses single-source accountability with the creative design, planning, and remodel executed start to finish by one firm. 

Architectural Design-Build in Boston is currently being turned to by professionals, families, and individuals as the cutting edge of efficiency, aesthetics, practicality, and accountability when it comes to designing and remodeling a home. This approach packages architectural design and interior design services with artisan-level building and remodeling services. This natural synthesis makes for a simple, efficient, and accountable creative process followed by a streamlined and responsible build phase, reducing cost, time of execution, and client stress throughout. With the Architectural Design Build approach, the client is dealing solely with one fully accountable firm. 

New England Design and Construction specializes in Architectural Design Build with a specific focus on sustainable luxury homes. We are extremely mindful of environmental impact and passionate about project efficiency and client comfort. 

Here are some client words following their Architectural Design Build projects: 

NEDC Client, Chestnut Hill. 

NEDC Client, Boston 

“I have nothing but glowing remarks for NEDC.  

I have worked with many home remodeling firms over the years regarding many small to medium to large remodeling projects and NEDC by far has been the best contractor I have ever dealt with for a host of reasons. 

 First, they really care about their clients and their home. They are good listeners and work really hard to get you the results you’re looking for on your project.  

Second, they don’t nickel and dime you and their work is of the highest quality and at a fair price point.  

Third, the company is well staffed which means there are always multiple individuals connected to your project to answer questions or address needs or concerns.  

I have had the best experience with NEDC and can guarantee you that you will too!” 

“NEDC did a gut renovation of our house. The process with them was amazing from start to finish. From our first meeting with the president, Dave Supple, who inspected all corners of house and talked about our goals, to the wrap-up of the punch list with the project manager and lead designer, everything went exceedingly well.

The process began with a series of broad design options and price ranges, then settled to one primary design during which we refined all the details and finalize the budget; then we moved onto all the material, appliance and finish selections, which is also done hand-in-hand with NEDC’s designers.

Once construction began, we had a weekly meeting with the project manager to discuss what had been done the prior week and what was coming. This allowed for timely course correction.

The project was completed on time – maybe even a bit ahead of schedule, I don’t remember, despite some COVID permitting setbacks – and at the budget that was set at the end of the design process. We were very happy with NEDC.” 

NEDC Client, Cambridge MA 

ABOUT NEW ENGLAND DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION: 

At New England Design and Construction, we are a creative team of 24 architects, interior designers and project administrators dedicated to the legacy of the architect as a master builder.  We specialize in high end and luxury architectural design build across Boston with a focus on sustainable design.  

We specialize in whole-home remodels, home additions and larger home design and remodeling projects across the following areas: 

Cambridge, Somerville, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, The South End, South Boston, Chestnut Hill, Brookline, Newton, Natick, Belmont, Wellesley, Lexington, Sudbury, Wayland, Weston, Winchester, Waltham, Duxbury, Concord, Carlisle, Medfield, Needham, Sherborn, and across Boston’s Metrowest and the GBA. 

This is NEDC: 

The True Meaning of an Architect: 

We’ve put together a Boston Home Remodeling Cost guide based on our nearly twenty years of experience.  This is available as a free download here

DAVID MUNIZ SUPPLE – FOUNDER/CEO 

1. DAVE@NEDESIGNBUILD.COM

2. 617 474 0309 

RYAN MANHOFF – BRAND DIRECTOR 

1. RYAMM@NEDESIGNBUILD.COM

2. 484 809 3636