Working with Architects: Cost Estimation

When it comes to constructing a new home for your business, or renovating your existing one, one of the biggest logistical challenges on any project is building a budget and sticking to it. This challenge becomes even larger upon the introduction of an architect to the process. While bringing an architect into the mix on your project can help take the design above and beyond what a contractor alone can accomplish, it also means that you will need to redesign your budget, and that both parties will need to work together simultaneously to create a budget and stick to it. However, for architects in particular, the process of cost estimation is free-flowing, and in a constant state of change.

For contractors, creating a budget is part of the bidding process, where an estimation of material & labor costs is created, along with a mark-up for unforeseen overhead & profit, which is typically stuck to throughout the project.

Architects, on the other hand, have a tougher time creating accurate estimates at the beginning of the project that they can stick to through its duration. The challenge of creating an accurate cost estimation for architects is that the design of the project is likely to be adjusted during the building process, which can make the initial estimation largely conceptual until the project has been fleshed out a bit more.

While the estimation process isn’t a perfect science, our team has a few tips to help make the cost estimation calculations between architects & contractors run more smoothly! Take a look below to check out our tips!

Ask Architects to Provide as Much Detail as Possible The first key to building a budget and sticking to it is ensuring that architects provide a detailed blueprint of their design plans. When contractors have a clear idea of what the architects have in mind for the project, it provides the entire team with a reference point to follow, allowing everyone to understand what design goals need to be accounted for, and allowing the team to make more informed decisions about where to allocate funds or make adjustments over the course of the build. Having detailed blueprints will make the projects budget easier for all parties to understand and keep track of.

Decide on Materials Early in The Design Another tip for helping architects keep their portion of the budget on track is to make sure that everyone has agreed upon finishes at the beginning of the project. Changing finishes during the project can add (or reduce) costs significantly, which means that unless you plan on switching to a less expensive material, it is important for architects to understand what was agreed upon at the beginning of the project in order to keep everything on track!

Contact Us Today If you need help on your construction or renovation project this winter, our team at M&M Construction Services is ready to assist, with or without the assistance of an architect! You can contact our team today by calling us at (603) 606-1590 or by filling out our team’s online contact form! We look forward to hearing from you and assisting with your construction & remodeling needs!

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