Hi Eugene,
I'm interested in reading what our colleague's opinion was. I will look it up; you have just provoked my thoughts and compelled me to share my own experience. As humans we adapt, we change and our opinion today may be different tomorrow.
In a former life, my wife and I built houses for spec. She was a RE broker which helped us find land and sell afterward. We prepared our own plans, we were our own GC's and did it with our own savings. I other words, we owned every link in the RE development process.
We only answered to our buyers, they were our only client.
There were obvious savings in operating this way. Many small homebuilders operated under this same model. I am in fact reading below at a colleague doing just that in Fernandina Beach, FL
In retrospect, the savings did not offset the downside; especially in the financial side.; Although we were able to make money, the truth is maybe these projects would not have been economically feasible if we had to pay real Estate agents, Financing interest, Architects and Contractors for their services. If we were just developers. Deals of this sort seldom do. But operating under these terms is perfectly possible, as long as no outside party is involved.
Once you offer your services to others, the game changes completely. It is not so match as being afraid of lawsuits; it is More about providing the best services, which means the best possible result, to you client.
When a client decides to bring a lawsuit, there is likely a cause, a dissatisfaction. Even if no lawsuit is brought in, the dissatisfaction will still be there. I am interested in finding the root and addressing, so the project can be successful.
This to me is a complex issue, which i have pondered extensively.
We will continue providing Contractor-led Design-Build Services, and will hire another architect, (if and) when necessary because:
- Said outside party, as another subcontractor will have the same obligations to the Owner as every other vendor, therefore will need to answer primordially to the Design-Builder, who has the project as a main objective. When the Architect is inserted in the Critical Path and he understands there are activities before and after, and when the budget is the driving force, he / she will perform in this mindset, with a sense of urgency and value engineering consistent with the project's and Owner's interest.
- An independent Architect has exactly that: independence to make determinations and bring forward the requirements regarding building codes, life safety, etc. Which cannot be argued by the contractor or adversely influenced by being the same entities. The conflict of interest disappears.
- An Architect practicing solely architecture will have a better capacity and accountability to produce drawings in a timely fashion. If the same office does both, one of the two services may be compromised in time by other commitments.
- The Architect, as an outside party could be an important source of referrals to a Contractor and viceversa, whereas, an entity that is both will be seen as a competitor and will likely not benefit from referrals.
- Insurance: Contractors need to be insured for obvious reasons. They are liable for the work they perform and potential damage to others. Architects carry professional liability, for errors and omissions. Underwriting insurance for a person or entity that performs both concurrently is a red flag.
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Ivan Contreras AIA
Qualifier / Director
Contreras Muñoz and Co
Miami FL
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-04-2019 17:55
From: Eugene Ely
Subject: Design-Build Delivery for Custom Home
Re Ivan's point about liability not being able to be assigned (to somebody else presumably). A San Diego design build architect of residential projects argued this point differently some years ago. His take was that if you're the architect and the contractor and the developer, who's going to sue you? Yourself? It's all a matter of perspective. If you conduct your life from the perspective of lawsuit avoidance, it's a pretty narrowly limiting way of living.
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Eugene Ely AIA Emeritus, LEED AP
San Jose, CA
Original Message:
Sent: 01-31-2019 19:45
From: Ivan Contreras
Subject: Design-Build Delivery for Custom Home
Hi Sabre,
This is a very interesting concern. I am also both, and a great believer in design-build delivery for smaller high end custom projects.
Since I started my career as an Architect, eventually found myself in construction, finally came full circle once I obtained my architect's license in addition to my contractor's; and after witnessing first hand a failed project where one entity was everything, my main piece of advice is: don't.
The way I approach our design-build projects is contractor-lead; Although we oversee the project, we hire an outside part to produce drawings.
This would also apply if the project were architect-lead. He/she should not be the GC, but he can be the construction manager/owner's rep.
Our mutual situation is not common; in some instances the Architect is an employee of the GC, which sets an inherent inability to practice freely. In other words, if the boss directs the architect employee to certify something to which he disagrees, then his job could be at peril.
In addition, the liability for the entire project cannot be dissipated or assigned. You would be responsible for everything.
Regarding your question, we hire a basic set of drawings, then rely on submittals from subs, and also complete interior elevations, and architectural interiors in-house for internal use. But if the project is refined enough, there will be an interior designer involved.
What the Owner cares about initially is the
Construction Budget. The cost of the drawing should be included in said budget. It should contemplate all necessary drawings, engineering, surveys etc. In my experience it is a small portion of the entire construction cost, the owner doesn't really care. and their new home is the product you will be delivering, not the plans.
I hope this helps
Ivan Contreras, CBC, AIA, LEED AP
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Ivan Contreras AIA
Qualifier / Director
Contreras Muñoz and Co
Miami FL
Original Message:
Sent: 01-27-2019 13:04
From: Sabre Simone du Boise
Subject: Design-Build Delivery for Custom Home
What are the recommended deliverables for a design-build custom home project where the architect is also the general contractor. I am specifically interested in the construction documents and if specifications would be required. This is for a home that has approximately 3,750 heated and cooled sq ft. I don't want to charge the client for documents that are not necessary but want to ensure that I meet the criteria for standard of care. Thank you in advance for taking the time to comment.
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SSdB AIA
Architect & CGC
Roswell GA
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