We are sensitive to the fact that the economy is challenged at the moment and many companies may not be in a position to consider an expansion or new construction project. However, for those that have been thinking about embarking on a project, we highly recommend investing in pre-construction services. And, now is the perfect time to do so. The services are not expensive; they can be performed remotely and they provide tremendous value to owners. Here’s why:
Dow Smith Company Partner and Design-Builder Joey Rhyne guides clients through the complex process of turning their dreams into brick-and-mortar realities. But before he builds a structure, he builds a relationship.
As Joey says, “Most of the time, our clients’ facilities reflect who they are as companies and churches. They want to like how they feel when they pull in the parking lot at their office or facility.”
This is why he believes pre-construction services are important.
We recently sat down with Joey to ask him about pre-construction services and why they’re so essential to the building process.
What are pre-construction services?
My definition of pre-construction services is everything that has to take place prior to getting a building permit and starting construction. There is a lot of work that has to be done to get to that point. Dow started the company 27 years ago and we have found through the design-build method that having us as the design-builder involved in pre-construction services is really critical to a project getting started on time. You can't finish on time if you don't start on time.
Pre-construction services often include schematic designs, estimating and budgeting, and can even include help with site selection, engineering and help securing financing for the project. We've taken the approach as a design-builder that we need to be involved in design and pre-construction services as much as we are allowed and the client will let us. Our desire is to be involved as early as possible in the process—even when a client is starting to dream about their next steps.
What are the components of pre-construction services?
If we’re talking about the components involved in pre-construction services, it's probably best to talk about the product. So the product of pre-construction services is really a good set of contract documents, which includes construction documents (site plans, floor plans, structural drawings, etc.) that are complete enough to get a permit. This also helps us get a good vision of what the client needs, wants and desires for their building.
Why is it so important for your clients to share their vision with you as early as possible?
Think about it this way: Pre-construction services are about due-diligence. Most all big decisions or transactions involve a due-diligence period. It is a time to take a vision from the client’s thinking onto drawings to discern if this vision is feasible. Due-diligence (or pre-construction services), if done properly, will either confirm the client’s vision or inform them that moving forward can be a costly mistake.
On more than one occasion, we have performed a pre-construction service package and the client realized that what they were thinking was not going to work. They spent a few dollars up front, but avoided spending major dollars that would have resulted in a building that they could not afford or would not have met their needs in the long-term.
“You can serve someone better when you know them well. I think that’s why clients keep coming back to us. We want to get to know them so we can serve them better, now and in the future.”
What are some of the other benefits of pre-construction services?
One of the big benefits of pre-construction services is that we get to intimately know the project. The more we are involved at the beginning of the idea, the more we get to know the project inside and out from a logistical standpoint. We get to know the “why” behind the “what.” The “what” is the client needs this many exam rooms or the church needs this many seats in the sanctuary or the warehouse needs to be this big, but the “why” is really what's important. It’s how we understand how the business operates and how the client thinks. It’s where the relationship comes in, because when you get to know someone's business, you really get to know the person. We form a relationship because we care about our clients and we care about their business.
Pre-construction services allow us to build a relationship prior to starting the very difficult work of actually building the project. It's really a foundation for the construction project and its success. So if we worry hard early and we do things the right way, we will have designed it to meet their needs and designed it to meet codes and designed it to make the planning and engineering departments happy.
We’ll design something they can afford, which obviously is most important because if you can’t afford it, you can’t have the chance to build it. Pre-constructions services help build the foundation of a relationship for a successful project.
How much of the pre-construction process is about the dream and vision of your clients?
I think it all starts with that. Most of the time, our clients’ facilities reflect who they are as companies and churches. The way a facility looks and feels really reflects the DNA of that entity and its leader. They want it to be a personification of who they are. A lot of these people have sacrificed a lot. Their businesses become part of who they are as people and so it's a direct reflection on who they are and their product, as well as their brand and their company. Obviously, there's a functional part of the facility and it has to work efficiently, but also people want to feel good when they go to work every day. They want to like where their office is. They want to like how they feel when they pull in the parking lot at their office.
Are there red flags that can come up during pre-construction?
We see it many, many times. The sooner we are involved, the better because the mission has to have margin. No margin, no mission – and every company has a mission. We like to talk about budget very early. We design to a budget rather than budgeting to a design.
The traditional method of construction is to go hire a design team, draw the drawings and then go find out what it will cost. Well, that’s not working. I've seen it many, many times where businesses and churches and medical facilities have a nice, large, expensive set of drawings and they never get built … or they have to be redrawn, which costs even more money.
It must be heartbreaking for a client if they have a big idea and then they find out it isn't going to work. Wouldn’t it be better to start with a budget and figure out the best thing you could build for the amount of money you have?
We've had to solve $100,000 problems and $500,000 problems in design because we had to go back with their design team and redesign it or provide value engineering alternates. It is painful. It costs them time, and time is money. It's frustrating for them. Many times, clients will get designs that they can’t afford. So it’s best to have all parties at the table: the design team, the owner and the contractor who knows what it’s going to cost.
Is getting to know your client a part of the pre-construction process?
The best part is the organic conversation that naturally happens when you're talking to someone or meeting with someone two-to-three times a week during the pre-construction process. That lets us know the people behind the business, the family behind the business and the employees behind the business. If we don't know the client or have a rapport with the client by the time pre-construction services are complete, we haven't done our job and we haven't asked enough questions. It’s on us as the design-builder to ask the right questions to figure out what they need from a facilities standpoint, but also who they are as people and what the project means to them. It’s truly important to listen.
You can serve someone better when you know them well. I think that’s why clients keep coming back to us. We want to get to know them so we can serve them better, now and in the future.
