Cost Planning is an alternative to the typical competitive bidding process. Instead of a client starting with an idea and seeking the lowest bidder, Cost Planning starts with knowing both the project goals and desired budget before beginning design. It is a sad reality that many architects have collections of designs that never get built because they are impractical, too expensive or both.
Drawing on our experience, awareness of fluctuations in material costs and knowledge of the building trades we can provide more realistic cost data than most designers. We will meet with you to first understand your project goals, then assess the existing conditions that will affect the design, make design suggestions or provide architect recommendations, and provide an initial estimate that reflects the cost of the design.
This process is all done prior to contractor selection. The client pays a fee for us to plan the project and is under no obligation to hire us for the build. Once the plans reflect the project goals as well as the budget the client can be confident the project is feasible and can accept multiple proposals for apples to apples comparisons based on the complete scope of work. If the client chooses to build with Catalyst, we apply half of the Cost Planning fee toward the fixed contract cost. In the event a client wants to act as their own General Contractor using the completed Cost Plan (Scope of Work, Design and Estimate) they may hire Catalyst for an hourly rate to consult during the build. This is typically needed for the client who has remodeled or built before but still lacks the expertise to inspect completed work or navigate the scheduling of tradesmen.
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