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To help you navigate the maze of
designing and building your dreams, click on some
of the articles below:
Good Custom Design Doesn't Cost --
It Pays!
-by eliminating wasteful square footage, such as unnecessary
hallways, allowing lower initial cost, lower taxes, lower
maintenance and insurance.
-by maximizing use of square footage, allowing shared uses for
some areas, and providing spaces for specific furniture and
activities.
-by designing to meet your personal dreams, style, lifestyle and
activities.
-by using room locations, angled walls, and "side notches" to
take advantage of the best panoramic views from inside the home,
especially important for premium lots such waterfront or golf course
views.
-by conforming to the latest hurricane codes to provide
additional strength to your home, and see you safely through any
insurance claim in the event of a hurricane.
-by designing for practical construction, as an experienced
builder who understands the most cost-effective building systems
available.
-by using materials for longer durability and low maintenance,
both for you and a resale buyer.
-by setting your home apart, appealing to a resale buyer, keeping
your price higher and time on the market shorter. (Remember how
often we pay premium prices for designer items, whether or not they
are comfortable or appropriate.)
-by bringing into the home areas such as efficient home offices
or "granny flats," eliminating rental costs, and keeping in-laws or
teens safely close, but private.
-by designing for lifelong independence and accessibility,
concealed by beauty.
-by allowing you to place "extravagance" and "thrift" in the
areas which you choose, during the design stage.
-by increasing your quality of life the entire time you own the
home -- and that is priceless!
Corbin Dozier Design, Inc. -- designing and building since
1977 -- exciting, innovative, unique homes -- never the same
design twice.
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DESIGN-BUILD:
THE APPROACH OF THE
MASTER BUILDER
A Classical Notion of Single Source
Responsibility:
Design-Build is a process that has been embraced by
the world's great civilizations. In ancient Mesopotamia, the Code of
Hammurabi (1800 BC) fixed absolute accountability upon master
builders for both design and construction. In the succeeding
millennia, cathedrals and cable-stayed bridges, cloisters and
corporate headquarters have been conceived and constructed using the
paradigm of design-build. Design-Build
Institute of America
From Concept to Completion
From the time of the Greek Parthenon and the Theatre
of Dionysis, the concept of Design-Build was used to engage Master
Builders for both design and construction of these monumental
structures. These Master Builders accepted full responsibility for
conceptual design and construction performance, molding the roles of
chief architect, engineer and builder into one. There is currently a
resurgence of this concept, with the Master Builder accepting
full accountability from concept to completion.
So Walt Disney’s concept of "Imagineering" is not to
new or unique after all. This is just another word to describe
"Design-Build." In the Disney Editions book, The
Imagineering Way, by the Imagineers, the term is
discussed:
What, exactly, is Imagineering?
Well, mostly, it’s a state of mind. It’s a freedom
to dream, to create, and mostly, to do.
The word "Imagineering" is a marriage of the words
"imagination" and "engineering." We not only dream big but we build
those dreams as well.
We really do make dreams come
true.
So, like the Disney "Imagineers," the Design-Build
firm also faces the same challenges:
...over the years, we’ve found ourselves
face-to-face with some pretty gnarly challenges -- everything from
dealing with major governments to dealing with each other. We’ve
faced technical challenges, emotional challenges, budget and
schedule challenges, and, most of all, the overwhelming reality of
keeping a dream alive in a world of concrete and steel, exit signs,
politics, gravity, and physics.
Over the years, we have found that sometimes,
when another contractor is chosen, the art behind our designs
becomes lost in the final product. Many contractors lack
understanding of the art within and behind the drawings, and make
major sacrifices with the structure. Materials, quality, structural
integrity suffer, but the art of the final product suffers
immensely. Often, as a result of low-bid selection, the builder only
has experience with tract-quality, T-square homes, and items such as
niches, soaring ceilings, high window walls, round and free-form
walls, and large free-span spaces are lost in his lack of
experience. Only a portion of the intent of the art in a plan can be
placed on paper, and the remaining portion cannot be "downloaded"
into another contractor, especially one with ideas fixed by years of
T-square construction.
Benefits of Design-Build
Singular
Responsibility for quality, cost and
scheduling, allowing the owner to concentrate on his own needs and
decisions, rather than coordination between architect and builder.
Risk Reduction
to the owner by elimination of "Errors and
Omissions" statements found on most architectural and construction
documents. This virtually eliminates Change Orders due to "errors
and omissions," as well as any conflicts and costs regarding
responsibility for these in the design work.
Cost
Savings will be controlled and directed
during the design and specification phase of the project, placing
both savings and upgrades in the exact areas desired
by the owner.
Time
Savings will be realized due to the
elimination of the bidding process and any redesign work. Also,
subcontractors, materials and equipment may be procured or scheduled
before construction documents are fully completed, allowing earlier
occupancy of the structure.
Firm Costs are presented to the owner, allowing the owner and designer
to adjust specific areas of the project before the design is
finalized.
Aesthetics are an intangible benefit
which can only be optimized with a Design-Build arrangement. Because
the designer has spent a great deal of time with the owner, and has
interpreted the owner's ideas in the design work, it is important
that this same information continues on into the construction
process, and that the desires of the owner will not be lost in the
transfer from designer to builder. This is the one benefit that
keeps your dream alive.
Okay, So HOW MUCH?
You've done your homework,
and found that an architect will probably cost from 7 to 12
percent of the finished
cost of your project. Since most architects are not builders,
there will likely be some
items in their designs which could cost you an
additional premium. Many architects will only give you
one or two redraws, leaving you with many unresolved areas in your
dream. You know you
need a degreed designer, but one with construction experience and
knowledge of the most current International Building
Code.
That brings you to Corbin Dozier, with
3-1/2 years of education in architecture, a B.A. in Industrial
Design, as well as a Graduate Builder Certification from National
Home Builders Association. Add to that, design experience
since 1960, construction experience since 1977,and a
General Contractor's license, and you have a perfect combination of
education and experience.
But the real icing on the cake comes
when you realize that the design service will cost you from $0.50 to
$3.00 per square foot, depending on the complexity of your
design. You will find that this is only a fraction of the cost
of most architectural firms. And to make matters even better,
we will redraw your floorplans multiple times, in 3-D, before
beginning the elevations. |
