CA Lic. No. 726041
J.A. Bettencourt Construction, Logo
Phone Icon (760) 943-0776

Get a Quote


The Design & Build Concept

A design-and-build company is made up of an existing team of experts who have worked together successfully on many projects. The company is managed and led by a general contractor who collaborates with an architect or designer and engineers. This collaborative team works with the client or homeowner to design and build with the client's goals and budget foremost on everyone's minds.

By choosing to do business with a design-and-build company from the beginning, the client is much more likely to avoid unexpected costs or building issues and can benefit from creative cost-saving engineering. From the very beginning, the design-and-build concept incorporates all phases of your construction project into one, including:

• The Design • The Budget • The Construction

 

The Advantages of Design & Build

All too often, a client hires an architect or designer from one company to design the building and a contractor from another company to construct the building. Hiring an architect or designer to create a plan for a brand new building from the ground up is usually an excellent decision. Hiring an architect or designer to create a plan for a remodel or new addition to an existing structure, however, may not always be such a good idea. Architects and designers are experts in creating brand new structures, but they are not always experts in how best to tie an old structure into a new structure.

Typically, the most expensive aspect of doing a remodel or new addition is the interface construction between the old structure and the new structure, especially when adding a new second story and handling issues related to loading. The interfaces are where most of the engineering and costs occur. Architects and designers do not always know the best, most efficient, and least expensive way to achieve the interfaces, but a good contractor and builder will know all of this information. Often, the contractor reviews the plans and sees a much easier, less expensive way to construct the project. The total bid for the job is usually higher than the client would like, but the client has already spent thousands on the design plans and is reluctant to go "back to the drawing board" with the architect or designer. Sometimes, however, it is less expensive to do just that, or to scrap the original plans altogether and start over with a design-and-build company.

 Custom Design

A Work of Art

If you were to imagine a building project as a work of art, the client would most likely be visualizing the "art" as the end product — the finished new kitchen, bathroom, or custom home additions. The architect or designer would most likely visualize the "art" as his or her creative design concept on paper and then as the structure. A design-and-build company visualizes the "art" as the entire project — from the first idea to the last finish detail. This includes practicalities, such as the client's budget — an aspect of the "art" that is not always focused on or honored. Each phase of the project is a brush stroke towards creating the whole. With everyone on the same page, the project has its best chance of being completed in a timely manner according to an expected budget. Hiring a design-and-build company is the best way to fulfill your dreams.