Design-Build vs. General Contractor: What is the Difference?
Marcus Webb
Founder & Creative Director
When you renovate a home, you are essentially managing two distinct streams of work: the design (what the space will look like, how it will function, what materials will be used) and the construction (framing, electrical, plumbing, finishes).
In the traditional model, you hire an architect or interior designer first. They produce drawings. Then you take those drawings to several general contractors for pricing. The contractor builds what the architect designed.
In the design-build model, one studio handles both. We design the space and we build it. The architect, interior designer, project manager, carpenters, and trades all sit under the same roof.
Why does this matter? In the traditional model, if a detail in the drawings proves too expensive to build, the contractor brings you a change order. You pay more. In design-build, we resolve that cost issue internally during design, because we know what things cost to build.
The result is a project with fewer surprises, a shorter timeline, and a single point of accountability. You do not get caught between the architect saying "it should look like this" and the contractor saying "it will cost that."
We have worked both ways. We will never go back.
