Carmel Building and Design : Our Process

BUILD AND DESIGN
Our Services | Our Process

Our Process
At Carmel Building & Design, we create a team to craft your project. This approach generates an open and accountable chain of communication, which reduces client stress and ensures a smooth home-building experience. We prefer to begin our client relationships as early in the project as possible, in order to make the best use of this approach. Also, because our company is committed to sustainable building, our early involvement in a project can ensure that these practices are considered at every step of the way.

The first step in any building project is the design process, where you convey your vision and desires. We work with a wide array of architects and designers, and are happy to recommend one that we think would be a good match for your project. This can save you the time and expense of generating drawings that don’t reflect your vision. If you have already selected an architect, we can work with them to answer construction questions as well as address budgetary concerns.

A set of conceptual drawings will be generated for your project from the initial design consultations. Once we have these drawings, we can generate a rough construction budget, including a range of costs based on our experience with a wide variety of styles and clients. This gives you an early understanding of anticipated project costs, and can help guide future drawings and the specification of project details.

After the conceptual drawings have been approved, the architect can generate a detailed set of plans for submittal to the planning and building department. We use our expertise and personal relationships in dealing with the local building departments to navigate and streamline the permitting process. For someone inexperienced in dealing with these governmental agencies, this process can be extremely time-consuming and frustrating.

From this detailed set of plans, Carmel Building & Design can provide a refined cost estimate that incorporates the project details. This gives the client a more accurate estimate of project costs and helps them budget for and select finishes such as countertops, faucets, flooring, etc. We can also guide you in these choices; there are many ways in which we can craft your project to be more sustainable. Many of our standard building practices are ‘green’, and result in a better-built house with no associated cost increase. We can work with you on the project details to help you personalize a more healthful, efficient, and durable home. We realize that no two projects are the same, and we advise our clients on the costs and benefits of various choices that will have the greatest impact on their budget, finished product, and long term maintenance costs.

Even before a building permit has been issued, we assign a site supervisor to your project who will take responsibility for every construction detail. They supervise not only Carmel Building & Design’s carpenters but also the many subcontractors and utility providers that will be working on your home. Having a single person responsible for the job site assures that quality and efficiency will be maintained through careful scheduling and communication. The site supervisor knows that they will be working on the project from start to finish, and is therefore motivated to think through the project and anticipate problems before they arise. Knowing that they personally are responsible for the outcome of the project creates a focus on quality.

Throughout the construction process, we encourage our clients to visit the job site and view our progress. We hold regularly scheduled site meetings to assess any issues or changes that may arise during the construction process, to offer solutions, and to gain input. We also use a secure, web-based information sharing tool to facilitate communication. This online tool allows us to create to-do lists, assign responsibility for tasks, schedule meetings, and organize and share files, photos, and other information with clients, designers, and architects. You can check the status of your project and decisions being made, or communicate your input or questions, from anywhere with web access. Having a single repository for all communications related to the project can eliminate miscommunication and costly mistakes. Although this is our preferred method of project management, we understand that some clients are not comfortable with this level of technology, and we can certainly accommodate those who do not wish to participate in this method of communication.

As the project proceeds, you will receive regular billings from our office. These billings will include original documentation for all work and materials (invoices and timesheets), as well as summaries of expenditures by budget item, so you can see where every penny is spent.

After the project is completed, Carmel Building & Design continues their commitment to providing our customers with the best possible building experience. We provide a Homeowner’s Manual that contains contact information for local utilities and service providers, care and maintenance for your house, signed inspection cards, lien releases, and lots of other information for your home. We also organize all of the product manuals and warranty cards for your new house.

Carmel Building & Design also provides a hassle-free warranty service. We believe in our product and want to ensure that the work we have performed meets or exceeds your expectations. This warranty service not only allows us to fine-tune the features of your house, but also provides us with feedback on our projects, making every project we do even better than the last.

We at Carmel Building & Design take great pride in our commitment to customer service, craftsmanship, and sustainable building, and look forward to the opportunity of creating your beautiful, well-built, healthy, and efficient home!

TEL 831-626-8606
FAX 831-626-8607 info@carmelbuilding.com
License #786482