The first deliverable
The planning binder, tab by tab
Before you sign a build agreement, you get a binder. It is the plan, the schedule and the budget for your house, in one place you can read at your own pace.
It is a paid planning phase with its own short agreement. The agreement says what the fee covers, whether it is credited toward the build, and that the binder is yours either way.
You receive
A printed binder and a digital copy
A review meeting with the people who wrote it
A proposed maximum price, with the terms beside it
Inside
Six tabs, in the order you read them
1. The house and the lot
What we measured, what we opened and what we found.
Measured drawings of the house as it stands
Notes on the foundation, framing, roof and systems
Lot limits: setbacks, height and impervious cover
Protected trees, where there are any
2. The scope
In plain sentences, room by room.
What changes and what stays
What is not included, named one by one
The pre-1978 check and what it means for the work
3. The drawings
The set the permit office and the builders will use.
Floor plans and elevations
Structural notes from the engineer
Electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning layout
4. The selections book
Every finish and fixture, with its allowance.
Cabinets, counters, tile, floors and paint
Plumbing fixtures, lighting and appliances
Lead times, so long orders can start early
5. The schedule
The project in weeks.
Permit review and the orders that wait on it
When rooms and utilities go out of use
The day the walk-through happens
6. The budget and the cap
Line by line, with the cap on top.
Cost of the work by trade, with allowances
Contingency, and what it's for
Our fee, and the proposed guaranteed maximum price
After the review
What you can do with it
Build with us
The build agreement carries the maximum price from tab 6, and the same drawings and selections.
Ask another builder to price it
The drawings and the scope are complete enough for another firm to bid on the same house.
Wait
Many people take the binder home for a season. We update it if the house or the plan changes.
Questions
About the binder
Why does it cost money?
Because it is real work: a survey, drawings, an estimate. Charging for it keeps the binder honest, since it isn't a sales pitch for a build.
How long does it take?
It depends on the size of the house and the scope. We give you a date when we sign the planning agreement.
Is the fee credited if I build with you?
That is set out in the planning agreement before you sign it. Ask at the first conversation.
What if we change the plan afterward?
The binder is updated, and the price follows. The agreement says how.
Want a binder for your house?
Start with a conversation. We'll tell you what the binder would cover for the house you have.