Frequently Asked Questions
We typically sign a contract with our clients based on an initial project estimate. The initial deposit will fund hours that will be required for finalizing the design and the remaining balance will be retained in the project balance. Once the design has been finalized, we conduct a detailed take off of labor and materials that will be required for completing the project. Keep in mind that throughout the design process we will tailor all efforts to ensure that the final scope of the project will contain the scope and requirements that meet your budget. We submit a change order based on these finalized requirements and once it is approved we submit the plans to the county / city for permit.
Please reference the Services page for further process details.
Here are two example scenarios:
Addition to the rear of the home: There is no need for the homeowners to vacate the home. The new structure will be built first, and demolition of the existing wall that joins the new structure to the old will be done once the new structure has been concealed and the drywall has been finished. After this demolition, the remaining finishes will take place in addition to completing the project.
Second Level Addition: In most cases, we ask that homeowners vacate the home when the construction project requires construction on top of a habitable existing structure for safety reasons. We normally ask the homeowner to vacate the home while the structural potions of the project are underway. Once structural portions have been completed and the top structure has been concealed and insulated then the homeowners can return to the property.
- Capabilities – The contractor should ideally have in house architecture and structure resources for delivering your design. They should also possess in house project management experts whom are experienced in developing a detailed project plan and effectively orchestrating the build process. All these capabilities will be active during the build project to ensure that the project is delivered with the utmost quality and within time, scope, and budget.
- Experience – You must ensure that the contractor has the necessary architectural, structural, and delivery experience for delivering a quality structure within time, budget, and scope. Be mindful of contractors who quote very competitive prices but are not able to deliver within the three tenants of project management (cost, scope, time).
- Cost – Most clients consider this a significant variable in selecting the contractor. However, there are many contractors in the market where they provide very competitive pricing but they are not able to meet the expenditure requirements during the project. Ensure that the contractor uses the appropriate market research methodologies and costing models for providing you with the overall cost of the project.
Throughout the years, we have experienced a variety of projects, small and large, and have delivered intricate designs that required careful attention to detail. We have over the years developed the skillset of our crew and have developed close relationships with trusted subcontractors who deliver amazing workmanship. The attention to detail that our management team, our crew, and our subcontractors cater to has resulted in a strong brand that delivers.
We are happy to share pictures of past work and provide you with contact information of clients whom we have supported in the past.
Our architects and structural engineers and designers will work closely with you to come up with optimal design options that will turn your new acquisition into your dream home.
Our structural engineers assess the current state of the structure and ensures that the new build will not adversely impact any existing structures.
Our designs are focused not only in meeting your needs but we also take into consideration the existing architectural finishes and the overall spirit of the neighborhood. The designs that we developed are created such that the new structure melds with your home seamlessly and is compatible with other architectural designs of the neighborhood.
There is also the option of buying an older property and demolishing it for build of an entirely new structure. The benefit of this option is that there are no surprises during construction during the project which minimizes occurrence of change orders.
Either strategy is dependent on the owner’s budget and timeline. An entirely new structure will normally take more time to build than an addition.
After our initial site visit, we provide a free consultation where we meet with you and provide a high-level quote which includes high-level costs of the project and an estimate of its duration. Once the quote and contract have been approved, we develop a detailed architectural and structural plan in preparation for county permit submittals. All content must be approved by all project stakeholders before they are submitted to the county plan reviewers. After all, permits have been obtained, a schedule is developed for deployment which takes into consideration current ongoing projects and their projected end date. Our process involves a heavy front-end planning process in order to minimize surprises during the project build phase. Heaving front-end planning also enables us to shorten the construction phase which is especially beneficial during remodeling and addition projects where the homeowner is living on the property.
For further clarification, review the processes that are shown towards the bottom of our Services pages.
At K-One, we ensure that the design and build aspects of the project are in full alignment with scope, budget, and schedule. Our project management professionals engage from the very beginning during the proposal process to ensure that the client’s expectations are fully understood and accounted for by the designers. Budgets are recorded, materials are selected based on allowed budget, and the build is executed with quality and professionalism to ensure complete client satisfaction. Keep in mind that during almost all projects (just like a pre-planned wedding) there are always surprises and matters that could not have been accounted for during planning. Our client’s put their trust in our many years of experience and rely on us to account for these risks prior to project start; when the risks do come up during the project, our design team is readily available to assess the situation on site and develop strategies to resolve them.
In the end, it’s best to hire a professional design and build firm to management the entire design and build process from the beginning to final build delivery. This ensures that the designer fully understands the scope of work along with the project management. The project manager in turn can effectively delivery the project as he / she has a deep understanding of the design and the client’s expectations.
We have experts on our team with many years of experience both academically and from the field who can steer our clients in the correct direction. As such, we know best the types of materials that are required, where they should be sources and purchased from, and the best method for installing them. Even in cases where we may not have the in house expertise or special products we can still seek through our deep network and bring them into the project and deliver effectively.
We hire and retain crew members whom are dedicated to our mission, who strive every day to become better at what they do, and provide superb client support. No shortcuts or poor workmanship is allowed.
We also have a checks and balances system where work products are tracked in detail on our project backlog tracking system which is reviewed every day. Completed work products are checked by fellow team members at the end of the day for quality assurance before the task is marked as complete.
As for the process of construction, all matters from supply chain, to permitting and inspections, to vendor support has been impacted. We are experiencing increased prices construction materials such as windows, lumber, structural lumber, roofing, siding, and concrete. Below is a list of items and their associated lead time that we are experiencing:
- Truss Manufacturing: 4 to 12 weeks (normally 10 days) – in certain cases, we have been able to fast track leveraging our relationship
- Pressure Treated Lumber: May not be available on the market due to demand and reduced manufacturing
- Permitting: 8 to 12 weeks for remodeling / new homes (most county employees are working remotely so it’s difficult to verbally interact)
We have found that extensive planning and simply considering matters way ahead of ground breaking is the best approach to ensure that projects remain on track.
In addition to delayed related to the supply chain, we have noted significant increase in construction materials prices. Prices from January 2020 as of the date of this posting (9/2/2020) have increased anywhere from 80% to 150%. This of course has the most impact of build of new homes. Medium sized remodeling projects are impacted by increased lumber prices but now has much.
As for shopping and locking down selections, most vendors have restrictions in place to ensure that COVID-19 is not spread through their offices. This means that we cannot visit their show rooms or if we can, then we will have to schedule the visit ahead of time.
As for the work at hand, our crew ensures that masks are worn during construction to ensure the safety of the crew and our clients.
UPDATE (3/12/2021): Show rooms are now open, we can visit together and shop for materials. However, delivery and availability are an issue with certain materials.