DESIGN & BUILD -
The Kraus Company Inc. has developed and been utilizing for its
clients a program we call our Design & Build Custom Home Program. It is a
process that calls for a collaborative effort between you, the client, The
Kraus Company Inc., the builder and a group of professional consultants and
quality contractors working together from the inception of the process to
produce a beautiful home within a budget. Everyone engaged by TKC works as a
team for the client.
BENEFIT OF DESIGN-BUILD
Singular Responsibility: With both design and construction in the hands of a
single entity, there is a single point of responsibility for quality, cost and
scheduling which avoids "buck passing" and finger pointing.
Quality: The greater responsibility implicit in Design-Build serves as a
motivation for high quality and the proper performance of building systems. Once the client's requirements and expectations are
documented in design terms, it is the Design-Builder's responsibility to
produce results accordingly. The Design-Builder warrants to the client that the
design documents are complete and free from error. By contrast, with
"traditional" design-bid-build, the client warrants to the contractor
that the drawings and specifications are complete and free from error. Because
it is the client's warranty for the design documents under
"traditional" design-bid-build, the approach relies on restrictive
contract language, extensive audit and inspection and, occasionally, the legal
system, to ensure final project quality.
Cost Savings: Design and construction personnel, working and communicating as a
team, evaluate alternative materials and methods efficiently and accurately.
Value engineering and constructability are utilized more effectively when the
designers and contractors work as one team during the design process.
Time Saving: Because design and construction are overlapped, total
design/construction time can be significantly reduced. Under this method,
construction work is allowed to begin while the final drawings are being
completed. The time savings translates into lower costs and earlier occupancy
of your home.
Early Knowledge of Firm Costs: Because The Kraus Company Inc. is
responsible for design we are simultaneously estimating construction costs and
can accurately conceptualize the completed project at an early stage. Therefore
construction costs are known far sooner than is otherwise possible. This
permits early establishment of financing, reduces exposure to cost escalation
and avoids the possibility of committing substantial time and money for design,
only to learn that the cost of the project is prohibitive.
Risk Management: Project performance aspects of cost, schedule and quality can
clearly be defined and appropriately balanced (individual risks are managed by
the party best able to manage that risk). Change Orders due to drawing and
specification errors are eliminated because the correction of such issues is
the responsibility of the Design-Builder, not the Owner.
For all these reasons we believe that our Design & Build
Custom Home Program is the best way for you to build your home.
The Kraus Company Inc. has the following qualifications to do this
work:
- Depth of resources
- Exceptional reputation
- Management plan and project organization
- Financial capability
- Previous experience of the Design-Build team for similar projects
- Previous experience of the Design-Build team members working
together
- Innovation and creative problem solving
- Special knowledge of custom home building for over 20 years
- Key personnel committed to the project
- Quality assurance
- Knowledge of the area in which we have worked for 20 years