Overview
The cheapest place to solve a construction problem is in a conference room. We estimate, review drawings for constructability, test the schedule, and price alternates while everything is still a decision instead of a change order. Preconstruction is a fixed-fee service, credited against the construction contract if you build with us.
What's included
- Conceptual, schematic, and detailed estimating
- Constructability and drawing coordination review
- Value engineering with priced alternates
- Site due diligence and feasibility studies
- Master schedule and long-lead procurement planning
- Permit and entitlement strategy
How we run it
The way this work actually gets delivered.
01 Estimate
Real numbers from recent buyout data, not square-foot averages from a book.
02 Review
Drawings cross-checked discipline by discipline for conflicts before they become RFIs.
03 Test
Schedule and logistics modeled against the actual site, access, and utility constraints.
04 Decide
Alternates priced side by side so you can choose on cost, schedule, and life-cycle impact.
Related work
Preconstruction in the field.
Ridgeline Distribution Center
Preconstruction — Industrial — Reno, NV
Value engineering cut $1.9M before construction documents were sealed.
Foundry Works Adaptive Reuse
Preconstruction — Commercial — Cleveland, OH
Structural defects found during probing, priced before contract signing.
FAQs
Questions we get on every preconstruction job.
What does preconstruction cost?
A fixed fee scaled to project size, credited in full against the construction contract if you build with us. You know the number before we start.
How accurate are your early estimates?
Conceptual estimates land within about 10% and detailed estimates within about 3%, because they are built from our own recent trade buyout data.
Is value engineering just cheaper materials?
No. It is priced alternates — systems, structure, sequencing, and finishes — presented with cost, schedule, and life-cycle impact so you make the call, not us.
Can you help before we own the site?
Yes. Feasibility studies, site due diligence, and order-of-magnitude budgets are common work for us during a purchase evaluation.
Do we have to build with you afterward?
No. The deliverables are yours and you can bid the job out. Most clients keep going with us because the estimate and the schedule were already tested.
What clients say
Owners who hired us for this scope.
They gave us a hard number in week two and never came back for more. The building was weather-tight before the first freeze, which nobody else was willing to commit to.
Dana Whitfield
VP of Real Estate, Ridgeline Logistics
184,000 SF delivered 3 weeks early
Design-build saved us four months of drawing ping-pong. One contract, one team, one person answering the phone when something needed a decision.
Tom Salvatore
Director of Facilities, Cannery Row Foods
Permit to occupancy in 11 months