Construction projects can be costly, no doubt about it – but those costs can be controlled during the design phase if you’re working with a qualified architectural design-build contractor. If you’re planning to remodel your home soon and would like to control costs, there are many ways to get the job done. Here’s what you need to know.  

Know Your Remodeling Goals

Before you ever meet with a contractor, take some time to determine your remodeling goals. Knowing your goals in advance of beginning your project will help you through the design phase, and will ensure that the work your contractor performs will accomplish whatever you need. Knowing your remodeling goals can also help you stay focused and avoid scope creep throughout the design process. 

Make a list of “must-haves,” and “nice-to-haves.” When you’re working with your designer to design your home improvement project, being able to tell your contractor about your list of “must-haves” can help them create a project that works for your home and stays within your budget. The list of “nice-to-haves” can help you build out your project without going over budget. 

Know Your Budget

Have a budget in mind before you start design work with your contractor. If you’re going to seek financing for your project, shop around for a good interest rate and repayment schedule.

Different lenders will be able to offer different terms. Take the time to find a lender that can offer you the best rate possible while also providing enough money to accomplish your goals. 

Hire a Reputable Architectural Design-Build Contractor

Once you’ve got a list of goals and a solid budget, it’s time to find a reputable design-build contractor. Here’s why.

A good architectural design-build contractor knows their customers. A design-build contractor with experience will be able to develop a sense of what their customer wants through the initial consultation. And, of course, a good builder just knows their customer base generally. They know how to design a project that meets the needs of their clients without going far over budget. 

Architectural Design-build contractors can control costs during the design phase. Design-build contractors can control costs during the design phase. Following the initial consultation with the client, the design-build contractor can create a design that meets the needs of the client exactly, without going over budget.

How Does This Compare to Working With a Separate Architect and Builder?? 

Architects are paid hourly – often charging high fees for their services. When the work is done, the customer takes the design to contractors to get bids for the work. Sometimes, the work designed by the architect goes far over the homeowner’s budget. Architects have no control over what contractors and builders will bid for a job.

When this happens, there’s little or nothing the homeowner can do. Having invested their money in a design from an architect, the homeowner must either pay a much higher price for the work to be performed, or they must pay to change their design. 

What to Expect When Working With NEDC

We are Boston’s leading architectural design build firm with a focus on sustainable home design. We offer a single source point of responsibility, from conceptual design through artisan build–directly handling every aspect of your project from start to finish. Our planning sequence directly effects project cost and allows us to value engineer and control the overall project budget. This begins as follows:

• Design consultation. During this consultation, we’ll determine the scope of your project and provide a ballpark estimated cost, so you can decide before the design work is completed whether your project is realistic. 
• Design work goes through rounds of drafts. During the design process, the professionals with NEDC create a design with your overall budget in mind. Throughout the design process, you’ll be told how much various features cost, and you’ll be given choices. You’re always in the driver’s seat. There are no surprises when the design work is finished. 
• The design work is completed. At the end of the design phase, the budget is updated, and you’re given a final total. NEDC charges a flat fee for Boston renovation costs, once the design is completed.

Control the Scope to Control Boston Remodeling Costs

The scope of a project is the overall size. By far, the scope is the biggest cost driver of any home improvement project. The bigger the scope, the more expensive the project will be.

Adding a room, moving a wall, moving plumbing fixtures – all of these details impact the scope and thus the cost of your project. Your professional with NEDC can tell you what they can do to control the scope and thus control costs. 

Get Started With Your Home Improvement Project

You can control the cost of your home improvement project through the design phase of remodeling. The most important thing you can do is work with a reputable architectural design-build contractor through the design development of your project. The professionals at NEDC take your budget seriously and can help you control costs throughout your home improvement project.

We use good communication practices and transparent billing practices to ensure that our clients are protected from going over budget on their projects. With our flat-fee pricing structure and thorough design process, we can help you transform your home. To get started with a design consultation, contact us today.