Delta Design Build: Revealing the Benefits of an Architect and Builder Team
In the realm of construction and design, a beneficial partnership often goes unnoticed but can play a valuable role in bringing vision to reality—an architect and builder team.
While each possesses distinct skills and expertise, their collaboration can distinguish between a successful project or a money pit far from an owner's vision. Josh Palmer and Michael Cerretani, co-founders of Delta Design Build, an architect/builder firm based in Boulder County, Colorado, pride themselves on providing clients with a beneficial experience of working with a team that is in lockstep from idea to execution.
Whether the project is a custom home or a bespoke commercial project, the synergy between these professionals can yield several beneficial outcomes. Let's delve into the benefits of harnessing their combined strengths.
Kitchen renovation by Delta Design Build
Integration of Vision and Execution
Licensed architects are the creatives behind the blueprint, translating your ideas and requirements into tangible designs. Architects carry significant responsibility in any project and bring a design vision to life through aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability. As an architect, "we've been given a breadth of knowledge in understanding how parts and pieces fit together and how they affect each other," says Palmer, a licensed architect in Colorado and Iowa. "We understand how code works, how material science works—not just how a wall goes up but why the vapor barriers are in a certain spot, and how they function in the right way."
Meanwhile, builders are the hands-on experts who turn architectural designs into reality, navigating through the complexities of construction. "Being with a client from that first step leads to a deeper relationship and a deeper understanding of what the client needs over time because those needs can also evolve over time," says Cerretani, a licensed builder in Colorado. "There's something to be said for somebody who understands your vision at the outset, helps you create it, and then there is no transition away from that team. That team stays on and helps you execute that vision all the way to the end."
When these two entities work in tandem, there's a seamless integration of creative vision and practical execution, ensuring that the final project looks stunning and stands the test of time.
Ongoing Communication and Coordination
Miscommunication and misunderstandings can often plague construction projects, leading to delays and increased costs. With an architect and builder team, communication channels are streamlined from conceptualization to final touches.
Architects convey their design intentions directly to the builders, who provide valuable insights into the feasibility and logistics of implementation. This open dialogue fosters better coordination, minimizes errors, and keeps the project on track.
"If the builder's not on top of all the little details ahead of time, more questions will come up during the construction process than are necessary," says Cerretani. "Often trying to get answers and communicating back and forth, is what ultimately slows down a project."
Delta Design Build, however, anticipates the questions in the design phase and then keeps an open line of communication to minimize or address questions during building.
"We have a tight team, so we always know what's going on with each other, even if we're not in the day-to-day," says Palmer. "One example is Michael sent me a question 'Hey, what's a good way to solve this?' We looped in the outside interior designer along with our design team and collaborated on some details and quickly sketched out an efficient solution."
Cost-Effective Design
"As a team we're much more detail oriented up front and the drawings are more detailed, which allows us to get permits faster than the average builder," says Cerretani. "We've definitely seen faster turnaround in permits where other builders can take three times as long as it takes us."
Cost-Effective Design and Value Engineering
By involving both an architect and builder from the outset, clients can benefit from value engineering—a process that aims to optimize the project's value while minimizing costs. Builders offer practical perspectives on material selection, construction methods, and alternative solutions that align with the architect's vision from the beginning.
This joint approach helps the project remain within budget without compromising quality or aesthetics.
"Because of the amount of upfront work that is done before any construction starts, the likelihood of a client having surprise expenses is reduced significantly," says Cerretani. "If you hire a general contractor that doesn't use an architect and kind of knows what they're doing, it’s not uncommon that there can be anywhere a 20% or greater increase to the original budget because they didn't fully think through t the design intent or potential issues that could come up along the way."
Furthermore, a relationship between an architect and a builder from two companies can be costly and antagonistic. For example, the architect may want something done a certain way, and the builder then doesn't build it that way, which results in a lot of evaded responsibility and unnecessary, added costs.
Delta Design Build avoids that relationship by remaining in sync from the design phase.
"Between the two companies and pointing fingers and blame, both can end up extracting more fees in order to solve these issues, which Delta Design Build doesn't see as a motivating goal because at the end of the day, we’re responsible for all of it," says Palmer. "Plus, the antagonism doesn’t always even lead to better results. In many ways we think that adversarial relationships are easier for the owner and the team to simply avoid."
Fewer Permit Headaches
Despite meticulous planning, construction projects can encounter unforeseen challenges along the way, which often starts with permitting. Delta Design Build is more effective at getting projects moved through code and permitting because of their partnership.
"As a team we're much more detail oriented up front and the drawings are more detailed, which allows us to get permits faster than the average builder," says Cerretani. "We've definitely seen faster turnaround in permits where other builders can take three times as long as it takes us."
Permitting speed and relationships are significant benefits of having an architect on board during the general contracting process—especially with Delta Design Build.
"I've had experience both on small projects as well as multimillion dollar projects and worked with all sorts of inspectors and situations. It's kind of like a relationship and most of the time inspectors aren't really wanting to stand in your way," says Palmer. "Being there, understanding they need to do their job, and knowing what we have to do and the proper way to do it helps frame things in a way that allows the inspectors to give us a “yes”. WIthout understanding that, you can unwittingly position yourself badly;getting denied for the same work."
The partnership between an architect and builder team catalyzes success in any construction endeavor. Their collaboration fosters creativity, efficiency, cost savings, and innovation.
Whether you're embarking on a residential renovation or a commercial development, consider harnessing the power of an architect and builder team with Delta Design Build—because when your vision and their execution unite, exceptional results follow.
