Imagine Predictable Excellence in Your Development Projects
A True Team Approach
A true team approach requires alignment and accountability of all parties who have a direct impact on the scope, schedule, and budget of the project. The owners, designers, and construction teams need to be united and tied to the project results. This involves sharing project control, responsibility, and incentives.
Reliable Costs
The only way to get predictable project costs is to work through the design with direct feedback from the people who are directly connected to costs of purchase, installation, transport and availability of all the materials that are needed to complete the project. However, the typical contractor takes the stance that they will price what is specified by the design team, not a collaborative approach looking to get the best result. What we look for in a contractor is a team who can think through the total cost to procure, coordinate, install, and commission the materials, equipment, and construction strategies. To do this, the contractor needs to weigh in on surveys, geotechnical studies, and critical area analysis and know that their ideas and knowledge will be integrated into the design of the project.
Predictable Schedules
In real estate development time is far more valuable than money. Often a project is trying to time a market or align with a large capital improvement in order to maximize the potential. However, design and construction teams often lose direct control of their portion of work through jurisdictional entities like permit and inspection reviews. Our opinion is that these processes are still predictable and when the team is adequately prepared the resulting reviews are approved as expected. What predicatable schedules really boil down to is a little extra time during design to explore, define, and analyze how the project will be completed. When everyone on the team is accountable for 100% of the projects success the results are all but guaranteed.
Above Average Value
Development is defined by the value to the market. Whether the aim is a number of living units, beds, or square feet the value of the project is dependent on how well the design meets or exceeds the expectations of the people who will occupy the space. So then the goal of any project should be to consistently overdeliver on this value for less cost and time then the competition.
Testimonials
"The plans were ready to go, the permit department knew what was going on and the whole process was seamless"
Woody G.
"The plans reviewer told me 'I tried to find some issues with the plans, I really looked for them, but I couldn't find anything', which just confirmed I made the right decision. "
Brooks Tsegaye
Ashville Construction, LLC
"The space functions beautifully and meets all our requirements. The addition really balanced the building and looks like it was always supposed to be there."
Cristy Garrett
Our Process Features
Financial Peace of Mind
Our process focuses the whole project team on the potential risks and how we can reduce or eliminate each one before they become issues.
Outcome Reliability
The teams results are directly tied to the projects results in a clear and direct way. Either we all succeed or we all fail, and when given the right incentives there is no option for failure.
Personalized Service
Our team cares about you and your project. We always have a person who answers the phone and we return calls, emails, and are here to answer your questions and concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do your services cost?
Our proposals are specific to the scope of the project. Our preferred approach is to tie our fees to our performance. Typically, we can work with you to determine the required scope that your project will need in a Discovery Session appointment or, for larger projects, a work session with the proposed team.
What should I estimate for a total project Cost?
To determine the project costs the team needs to collaborate on what the scope and schedule will be. The total cost of a project will need to include more than just the design and construction costs. Permit fees, city impact fees, and utility connection fees as well as fees the lender will charge, and contingencies for unforseen circumstances all need to be taken into account. These fees can be difficult and time consuming to track down, but can be reasonably estimated until the project has been defined enough to get accurate costs.
How long does it take to get a permit
Most of our projects receive permit approval on the second round of permit reivews. Every jurisdiction is a little different, but generally permit reviews are 8 weeks for the initial review and 3-4 weeks for subsequent reviews. The City of Seattle tracks the average times to obtain a permit and commonly note permit approval in 18 months with around 4 review cycles.
What does the typical process look like?
We start with a work session involving all the anticipated influencers to determine the scope, schedule, budget that incorporates all the project goals and criteria for success. Then criteria for contracts and agreements are derived that ensure the team is aligned with the project results. From there a series of work sessions take place to keep the project within the constraints, the project moves into jurisdictional approval phases and construction planning phases. When done correctly, this process can shave significant time off the total project schedule from the traditional delivery method.
What do you need from me to get started?
Our process is much more owner involved then you get at other firms. Our work sessions typically require tasks and responsibilities for all team members to complete to make sure the project stays on track. This gives the owner more control of the project and
What happens if the project gets delayed?
The team should come together to reduce the impact and share in the penalty. One of the primary objectives of our process is to eliminate schedule delays to the greatest degree possible, however there is no way that the team can control every unforseen issue that can come along. If the team results are not tied to the project there is no sense of urgency and there is a tendancy to devolve into an adversarial position to reduce liability. We feel that this serves no one. We all win when the project succeeds.
What happens if the project comes in over budget?
This is another area where we think the team needs to come together to fix the problem or take a share in the diminishing returns. When each primary team members benefits are tied to the project results there is more creativity in finding cost effective solutions that add value to the project as a whole and keep the project costs within the expected budget.
Where do you provide your services?
We are licensed in Washington State and work mostly in the greater Seattle area and the northwestern Washington counties. You will find our work in places like Seattle, Bothell, Shoreline, Lynnwood, Edmonds, Kirkland, Kenmore, Everett, and Mount Vernon to name a few, but we are happy to look at your project wherever and provide our expertise.