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Frequently Asked Questions
Have interior design questions? Check out our FAQ below or email me at Chris@forgeandessence.com
Team Work
Our design-build firm fosters a team-oriented mindset… everyone is working toward a common goal: A project delivered on time and within your targeted budget. Early collaboration between our interior designer/project manager and contractors throughout the pre-construction phase ensures your project fits within the budget without compromising quality or design. When your project encounters challenges (and there are always challenges), finger-pointing is not an option. We are solely accountable for enacting a solution. A teamwork approach provides a seamless experience for you, the homeowner. You don’t have to manage separate contracts or act as an intermediary between interior designers and construction entities if problems arise.
Total Accountability
Because we design and build the project, we focus on every construction detail and provide frequent estimate updates. The costs of all aspects of your project are considered early in the process: all design fees and anticipated construction costs. We update cost estimates in real-time as your design morphs. This allows you, the owner, to evaluate the project frequently to pursue additional scope or rethink a current situation. Unfortunately, it is expected that the design-bid-build model will have situations where the project cost exceeds the designer's estimate due to a separate project manager's lack of involvement during the design phase. Such a scenario is unacceptable in the design-build world.
Continuity
We are involved in the project from the initial concept to completion, adding inherent efficiency to the process by establishing clear and effective communication channels between all parties. Your project manager is the glue that holds the team together from start to finish. Instead of handing off the design to another construction entity, she ensures clear communication throughout the project.
Expertise
Our expertise can lead to more effective problem-solving and better decision-making throughout the whole project. Further, our experienced design-build team is an expert in general construction and building systems and has strong partnerships with reliable and pre-qualified, vetted subcontractors.
Professional Guides
Design and construction projects should never be chaotic or stressful. Our design-build firm will be a trusted advisor to the homeowner throughout the design and construction process, allowing us to guide you to the best possible outcome. We take full responsibility for the project and want to see it executed as well as the homeowner does. We value and invest in each project as if it were our own.
Owner Control
Our design-build collaborative approach allows you, the homeowner, to participate actively in designing and building your project. Such involvement gives you lasting pride in your project and ensures your needs are met. Emphasizing homeowner engagement and input throughout the process ensures the project outcome meets expectations. It also ensures the homeowner’s voice is heard during important planning, design, and construction decisions.
Collaboration
Unlike projects where the designers and contractors have separate contracts with the homeowner and are not accountable to each other, a design-build model removes all finger-pointing. Our design-build firm has a single contract with the owner, allowing the owner to retain total control over the project. Our team is there to empower and collaborate from the initial concept to completion. This creates a win-win and produces a genuinely collaborative environment.
Open, Honest, and Frequent Communication
We prioritize consistent and frequent communication, guided by a dedicated single point of contact—your project manager and interior designer—throughout your journey. This provides trust between the owner and the design-builder, empowering homeowners to make enlightened real-time decisions throughout the design and construction phases. With our commitment to transparency, we pledge to share what you genuinely need to know. We promise to uphold our word and deliver with integrity. All budgetary changes due to scope growth will be reviewed and signed off before instituting the change.
Efficiency
Maintaining the design and construction schedule is crucial for the success of a project, as it requires the coordination of numerous timelines in unison. The design-build approach offers owners the opportunity to consider significant decisions, pose inquiries, receive real-time feedback, and make proactive choices that can influence scheduling objectives. Our design-build system is exceptionally adaptable and responsive during the construction phase. Any issues that arise during the design and construction process can be promptly identified, allowing for collaborative changes throughout the process.
Cost Savings
Our model uses a design-to-budget approach that identifies essential design elements upfront rather than reacting downstream and cutting costs from an over-budget design. In addition to cost savings, the project is completed more efficiently. Even when scope growth occurs, and inevitable design changes are made along the way, the single and integrated team is naturally in a better position to respond quickly and efficiently. Homeowners know your projects will be completed within their targeted budget.