I'm no expert, so I don't know how much my advice is worth in this case. I have done two major renovations and new kitchens, both involving additions...one a more substantial project (adding dining room, master bedroom and bath plus gutting the kitchen and original dining room) , one less so (90 sq. ft. addition, gutting original small kitchen and back stairway/dining room wall.)

My unequivocal answer: It depends. Really. First, it depends on how innovative and/or tricky the job is. If you're looking for something out of the ordinary or you have particular design challenges related to terrain or the original house, you may wish to bring in an architect and/or kitchen designer.

And second, it depends on who the design build contractor and architect/designer are. A great design-build contractor is worth a dozen uninvolved, uninspired designers and architects. And a terrific kitchen designer will run rings around a run-of-the-mill design-build contractor.

So the best advice, I can think to give you is to think about what it is you are going for and whether the particular people you are talking to seem to have the talent and temperament to get you there, rather that focus on what their professional labels are.

FWIW....

I've looked at design-built properties in my neighborhood and they have so much similarity with each other that sometimes I can tell that it's being built by XYZ. Not that it's inherently bad thing, but you will need to check if your style matches with the designer's style.

For example, one prominent high end company in my area seems to only build Craftsman. If they're asked if they can build a Mediterranean, I'm sure they will say yes; but the point is, I do not see any mediterranean builds even on their website gallery; so I'm not sure what their experience is!

IMO, the challenge with a Design-Build firm is you miss out on the competitive bid process. After you work with the architect/designer you have working plans to shop your project. You'll interview and get bids from, say 6, different contractors. You now can compare the cost value.

With the design build firm you get an estimate. How does it compare? When they say it is XX to do this and YY for that, is it competitive? Is that really the going rate in the area?

There is a convenience in working with the Design-Build firms. But I think you pay for that convenience. We took our architect plans and shopped them out for bids. The difference between our lowest and highest bids was $70,000. I would not have wanted to leave that money on the table had a DB firm told me that top figure was the cost of my project.

Hi Deepaandy,

We faced the same question, on a smaller scale - we're just remodeling the kitchen (no additions). It's hard to say which is best. I agree with previous posters that it probably depends on the individuals and the job. Unless you do the same thing a few times, it's hard to know which result is better.

We decided to hire a certified kitchen designer on the theory that you can spend the same amount of money and get vastly different results by making better choices of layout, materials, colors, etc... Our designer came up with some very creative ideas that I'm sure I never could have thought of (even with the help of this forum). It's comforting to have someone with a lot of experience to help coordinate material choices, colors, etc..

Most of the money you'll spend is for the construction itself. With a design/build firm you don't have the opportunity to get competing bids on the construction - so what you save on design fees you could lose in construction costs. I don't think you can really get an apples-to-apples comparison up front, because the contractors need detailed plans in order to give a reliable quote - which you, of course, don't have until you go through the design process...

Some of our local design/build firms only work with certain vendors for cabinets, granite, etc... so there were limited options for price comparison as well as somewhat limited choices there as well.

But, I know several people who have used design/build firms, and are very happy with the results. If you don't want to spend a lot of time looking at all the alternatives, and want to get a project done quickly, they can be a great choice. And some of them produce great-looking results.

So, my answer may not be very helpful. I guess it really depends on you, your project, and the quality of the designer, or design/build firm... Let us know what you decide.

I have recently embarked on a remodel of multiple parts of my house with the kitchen taking up a lot of the efforts.

I struggled with the decision between a design-build contractor and utilizing an architect or kitchen designer and separate contractor. In the end, I decided to utilize an architecture firm for design and schematics and permits and then use a contractor for the build. My project is still in design phases, so who knows how it will turn out in the end, but so far, I've been very happy working with the architecture firm on design and can talk a little to what went into my decision.

One of the big things that affected my decision to go this way was when I interviewed a few design-build contractors and they all seem more into the build than into the design. They also seemed less open to creative an innovative solutions and more into what they are used to doing and is common. They didn't listen very well to what I wanted and seemed more interested in doing things that "everyone else" was doing. I know this probably doesn't apply to all contractors, but it seemed pretty prevalent in all the ones I talked to. After those interviews, it seemed clear to me that if I wanted to fully explore all different types of solutions for my space, I had to go with a designer/architecture firm. I am also often very skeptical about going with just one firm for such a large project without checks and balances between multiple vendors to keep them honest. I feel much better giving contractors a detailed schematic plan of exactly what I want offering them fewer opportunities to make their own decisions.

Regarding the charges I think alot of it may depend on the area you are in. I used a friend who did charge but gave me a discounted rate. In considering which choice of individual to use I feel it depends on whether you are doing footprint changes or similar in your renovation. Then if so you may want the input of someone very qualified and innovative to help with your needs. If your space is staying the same you may not need the extra costs.

We also struggled with this but ultimately chose an architect whose work I love -- and who I personally felt comfortable working with -- and bid out the job to 4 different contractors after the architect prepared the initial drawings (the "pricing set"). We are paying the architect by the hour and he had originally said his fees would total something like 8-10% of the total project, but I think we're way over that. So worth it to me because I believe the end result will be more unique and in keeping with the character of our old home than something the design-build firm would have come up with. Not to mention better for our lifestyle -- one guy we interviewed proposed a design that would have had me walking down an EXTERIOR staircase to get to my laundry room -- umm, no!

We are in the middle to tail-end of a big project that has been a nightmare. We used an architect and then selected a contractor through competitive bidding. The architect did a couple of very nice jobs for friends. they were great in the competitive bid process and really beat down the prices... which was not a good thing in our case...

Now for the rest of the story...

This approach was a disaster for us. The contractor who got the job was one of the lower bidders but the architect said they've worked with them for 20 years, everything would be fine, etc. But it wasn't fine. It ended up that the designs were not very detailed and we kept paying for change orders that benefited both the architect and contractor. The contractor quit part way through the project (and quit on a half-dozen other houses as well and no longer works with the architect).

During the design phase the architect consistently misjudged costs, and a design-build firm would have nailed this correctly. I kept asking the architect how the mechanicals would be run and he said "don't worry." Well, this ended up being a big problem and expensive to fix and a waste of floor space and additional soffits. A design-build firm would have nailed this cold.

The fact is most architects know very little about the practical realities of building, even though they think they do. But builders may not know the nuances of design.

We had a terrible experience with a supposedly very experienced architect but the same thing could have happened with a design-build firm. Still, my bias right now is in favor of a quality design-build firm. You care about both design and budget as well as build quality, and a design-build can give you all of this without mis-communication between two different companies with different interests.

I used to be a carpenter so I understand construction, but I was too naive about the overall process on a big job. Pay for quality up front or you will pay for lack of it later. If you have the time and skills, it's hard to beat DIY. The work I've done on the house is superior to the work the contractor has done, in part because my heart was in it, and because a homeowner can devote their own time to taking care of nice details that would be unaffordable to pay others to do. The pros can definitely do it faster and maybe or maybe not better depending on your skills and theirs.

Good luck and get ready!

Billy

Our job had a contract with a payment schedule. There were a few add ons but we were advised and agreed to them. I think your job(size wise) warrants this type of plan. I strongly advise you to go this route as it also benefits you with the time frame.

How "creative" is this project?

Many design-build people are very competent and some are the equals of architects in the creative department. Look at their other work--this is your best guide.

With the architect, you definitely need to set your parameters down firmly before you begin. Some years ago we hired an architect to help us with a very difficult older home. The guy created a vision which we could never carry out--too much space, wrong spaces, too large. We ended up paying him twice, once for the wrong design and again for a much-abridged one. Then we Did It Ourselves. If we'd gone with a design-build would we have bought the vision to create the splendid spaces we ended up with? Not sure. Maybe.

I think the design-build guys have a better idea of what the limits are when you say "We can spend no more than X for the design and the construction." If you know how to go from the results of that...to spectacular spaces...on your own, why spend more?

How good are you?

There's been a lot of speculation over whether a design-builder or a general contractor/architect would be preferential when constructing a building. Here's what you need to know (taken from Design Build: The Complete Guide): "Design-Build is a construction delivery method that providers owners with a single point of contact for both the design and construction phases of a project. One entity holds single-source responsibility and contractual risk for engineering, subcontracting, construction and post-construction."

Basically, design build means single source responsibility. Note: single source responsibility is a double edged sword: When a design build contractor is excellent, the job moves smoothly. If they aren't so great, the project can go horribly wrong. You divide risk when hiring a designer + general contractor/construction management company, but that also can mean a lack of coordination between the two parties. Bottomline, go with a company you trust!

My bro-and-sis-in-law used a design-build firm for a bathroom and a few other things and weren't very happy--much frustration at the end and disagreements concerning up-charges. They came recommended by neighbors but I don't think it worked out too well for my relatives.