Design-build,
for new homes.
Design-build replaces the traditional design-bid-build sequence with a single contract that covers architecture, structural engineering, Title 24, CALGreen, and construction. The team pricing the building is the team building it, which removes the bid-gap risk that drives change orders on design-bid-build jobs. Owners get one schedule, one number, and one accountable party from sketch to Certificate of Occupancy.
CA Lic. #1145233
“Design-build is a contract structure, not a marketing label. The savings come from removing the second procurement loop — not from cutting design rigor.”
What we mean by design-build new homes.
D-01 · Single-family design-build
- Size
- 1,800 – 5,000 sqft
- All-in
- $450 – $1,000 / sqft
- Schedule
- 20 – 32 months total
Full single-contract delivery. Architecture, structural, Title 24, and build all under one agreement with priced design milestones.
D-02 · Multifamily design-build (2–10 units)
- Size
- Site-dependent
- All-in
- $400 – $750 / sqft
- Schedule
- 24 – 36 months total
Duplex, triplex, fourplex, or small multifamily under SB 9 / SB 423 frameworks. Owner-developer or end-user.
D-03 · Hillside / coastal design-build
- Size
- Site-dependent
- All-in
- $700 – $1,400 / sqft
- Schedule
- 30 – 48 months total
Single-contract delivery on complex parcels — geotech, structural, Title 24, build coordination all happen in one team during design.
D-04 · Owner-architect carry (collaborative)
- Size
- Site-dependent
- All-in
- Quoted per program
- Schedule
- 24 – 36 months total
Owner's outside architect with our in-house engineering + build team under one CM-at-risk contract. Useful when owner already has an architect relationship.
Real California cost ranges.
Design-build new home costs run inside the same per-square-foot bands as design-bid-build but with materially lower variance — fewer change orders, fewer schedule overruns. In our experience design-build typically saves 8–16 weeks of total project duration and reduces change orders 30–50% on ground-up residential. Soft costs are typically 12–18% of hard-cost subtotal.
Architecture + engineering
Bundled inside the design-build fee — typically 10–18% of hard cost depending on depth. No separate architect contract to coordinate against the GC contract.
Foundation + structure
Per ground-up SFR ranges, designed during the design loop rather than after the bid. Structural sized to actual program, not bid worst-case.
Title 24 + CALGreen
Modeled during design development so envelope and HVAC are sized correctly before plan check, not chased after permit.
Finish program
Allowances itemized to named SKUs at construction-documents milestone. No floating finish budget. No surprise change orders at trim stage.
Owner contingency
10% on production design-build, 12% on semi-custom, 15% on custom. Lower than design-bid-build because the design team is the build team.
Soft costs
12–18% of hard cost — same as design-bid-build but bundled inside one contract rather than spread across architect, engineer, GC, and consultants.
The permit path.
Design-build delivers the same permit set as design-bid-build — building permit, MEP permits, Title 24, CALGreen, and overlay reviews. The structural integration happens during design, so plan-check correction cycles are typically faster because the engineer and contractor have already resolved constructibility before the package goes in.
- Building permit (architectural + structural)
- Mechanical, electrical, plumbing permits
- Title 24 energy compliance per CEC 2022 code
- CALGreen worksheet (residential mandatory)
- Grading permit when cut/fill > 50 cubic yards
- Hillside Compliance Review on LA hillside parcels
- Coastal Development Permit in the Coastal Zone
- WUI assembly review in VHFHSZ
How California code shapes the work.
Design-build does not change the code path — California Building Code, Title 24, CALGreen, and locally-adopted amendments all still apply. What it changes is the project delivery: structural, MEP, and constructibility are resolved during design rather than after the bid.
What the schedule actually looks like.
- Step 013 – 6 weeks
Feasibility + program
Site diligence, owner program, priced go/no-go.
- Step 0210 – 16 weeks
Schematic + DD
Architect + engineer + contractor coordinated under one team.
- Step 038 – 12 weeks
Construction documents
Permit-ready with constructibility already resolved.
- Step 048 – 28 weeks
Plan check + permit
Often faster than design-bid-build due to integrated CDs.
- Step 0510 – 20 months
Construction
Per ground-up SFR schedule.
- Step 063 – 6 weeks
Commissioning + CofO
HVAC start-up, solar interconnection, finals.
How we run this work.
Every design-build engagement starts with a feasibility memo, then proceeds through three priced design milestones — schematic, design development, and construction documents. Each milestone closes with an updated estimate and owner sign-off.
We do not lock a fixed-price contract sum on schematic drawings. The contract sum locks at construction documents, with named subcontractors, owner allowances itemized to SKUs, and a published change-order protocol.
Construction runs on the same priced contract. There is no second procurement loop — no bid period, no value-engineering panic, no awarding to the lowest bid that falls apart in the field.
Frequently asked.
- What is design-build versus design-bid-build?
- Design-bid-build: you hire an architect, they finish drawings, you bid the drawings to contractors, you sign a separate contract with the winning contractor. Two contracts, two coordination interfaces, change orders common when the bid is below cost. Design-build: one contract covers architect + structural + Title 24 + general contractor under one roof.
- Is design-build cheaper?
- Total project cost is usually slightly lower (1–6%) and schedule typically compresses 8–16 weeks. The bigger benefit is variance — design-build projects hit budget and schedule more reliably because the team pricing the project is the team building it.
- Do I still pick my own finishes?
- Yes. Finish selection happens during design development with the interior designer and the contractor in the same room. Owner allowances are itemized to named SKUs before contract lock so there are no late-stage surprises.
- Can I bring my own architect?
- Yes — that runs as CM-at-risk rather than pure design-build. Owner's architect plus our in-house engineering and build team under one collaborative contract. Less integration than pure design-build but still single-source accountability for the build.
- When does the contract sum lock?
- At construction documents (about 95% complete drawings) with named subcontractors and itemized owner allowances. We do not lock a fixed sum on schematic drawings; doing so forces us to bury contingency you cannot see.
- Who is responsible if there is a design error?
- We are. Single-source accountability is the point of design-build. There is no finger-pointing between architect and contractor — the same firm owns both.
- How does design-build affect change orders?
- Owner-initiated changes still happen and are priced as change orders. What disappears is the design-error change order — drawings missing dimensions, structural conflicts, missing details — because the engineer and contractor coordinated those during design.
Start with a feasibility memo.
Tell us about the parcel and the program. We'll come back with a written feasibility memo before any design work starts.
Want a real number for your Design Build New Homes job?
- We open the books on similar jobs from the last 24 months
- Hand-built estimate, not a software auto-quote
- Includes permits, finishes, and the boring stuff
3-day turnaround · Free