If you are considering a remodeling project that requires design work, such as an addition, kitchen, or major bathroom remodel, one of the best ways to approach the work is to use a design/build company. By “design/build,” I mean a company that does both the design work and the construction.

There are many variations on these services. One company may do all the construction and have an architect or designer on staff as an employee. Another company may have salespeople who also do design work, usually of kitchens and baths. Still another company may have an architect or designer who works closely with their business but has his or her own separate business. And there is the occasional independent designer who takes the “lead” part but partners with an independent construction company in order to do the work he or she designs. Such partners may consider themselves a team. Finally, there is the person (like me) who is pretty much a “one-man show” who does the design and runs the job him or herself as a contractor or project manager.

1 What type of a design/build firm are you?

It may help you as a client of a design/build company if you clarify with the salesperson, designer, contractor, or architect the exact roles and type of relationships operating. Clarifying this relationship would be the first of the ten questions I would ask the person I was dealing with. That way, I would know what to expect from that point on. For example, a salesperson who is acting as only a salesperson (and there is nothing wrong with that). Eventually that would mean that there will be at least two other people in the mix: a designer and a project manager. You will be at least a “foursome.”

2 Who will be working with us throughout the job?

Another question to ask is: “Will you be working with me throughout the whole job?” If it is a designer who is the “lead,” he or she may eventually drop out of the picture when the work actually starts and you will be working with the project manager or contractor for the rest of the job.

3 How often will the designer be on the job site?

If they say they will indeed be working with you for the whole job, you might want to ask what exactly they mean by that. In other words, will they be on the job site every day, once a week, two or three times during the construction activity, or what? Sometimes clients feel “abandoned” when the lead person disappears from the picture entirely. It is best if you know up front what to expect.

Even though I am a “one-man show” and ultimately I run every job in the sense that “the buck stops here,” there are still points during some jobs where I rely on my lead carpenter to be the point man (or woman — if I had a woman carpenter). So it is not all bad, in my opinion, if the designer sort of “drops out of the picture” as long as you have a competent person in charge as a project manager or lead carpenter.

4Will the designer or architect need to be consulted for changes?

In cases where the designer is not the person running the job, the next question to ask is whether or not the designer or architect is going to have to be consulted on every change. In the case of a project being run by a contractor who is hiring an architect, there may be a substantial charge involved to bring in the designer to make a recommendation on a potential change, especially if any drawings need to be made.

5 Has the designer designed this kind of project before?

You may want to check with the designer if the project you are considering is something they have designed before. This would be especially important if you are considering doing an “aging-in-place” remodel. There are all kinds of gizmos out there for people who have arthritis, for example. One such accommodation is an upper kitchen cabinet that can be lowered to the countertop level by the push of a button so that a person in a wheelchair can reach a glass.

6 Is the designer familiar with the requirements of this kind of a project?

Also, some people say they are designers but have never have drawn anything more complicated than a bathroom. I was competing for a second-floor addition with someone who had never done a second-floor addition before. Of course, when the client found this out, she chose me.

7 Does the designer have the technical background to design this project?

It is perfectly legal for a “designer” to draw almost any kind of project that you may think it would be necessary to have an architect draw. The difference may be that a “designer” (like me) may need to get an engineer to stamp the drawings if it is a complicated structure. The question to ask then is: “Are you competent to design my project?” (You may want to phrase it more sensitively than that, though.) The truth is, that even architects sometimes need to have engineers stamp their drawings. The engineers have a nice little corner on that market.

8 Do we need to get an engineer’s stamp?

This is a good question because an engineer is not a cheap commodity. I have three engineers I use. My response to the quote of the first is: “Really? That expensive?” To the second it’s: “D—! I wish number one wasn’t so busy.” The third is: “OMG!”

9 Can you do perspective drawings?

With the computer programs available today, most of us can do perspective drawings that can show realistic views of a project from any angle. People find these helpful, and they can usually be done as a part of the preliminary design.

10 Will these drawings get us a permit, or are they Preliminary Designs?

Most of the design/build firms do what we call a “Preliminary Design Agreement” which is what I describe as the “fun” part of the design. It is meant to help you the client visualize exactly what you are going to build. The Preliminary Design is usually the “artistic” part of the design in reference to the structural details that we let the engineers obsess over. So the first “agreement” you may be asked to sign may be for a nominal or reduced amount because you are not committing to a full-on, structural-permit-ready kind of design. This is a good thing, because usually we contractors can give an accurate estimate based on the preliminary design, and if there are changes needed to get it back down to your budget range, it is less of a time-consuming process and therefore cheaper.

Paul Olson is a designer for Portland Home Remodeling. Contact Olson at 503-698-3444 or visit www.portlandhomeremodeling.com.