The OakWood Consumer’s Handbook

SECTION 3
Experience and Service
SECTION 3
Experience and Service
Key questions we recommend
» Why this is important
OakWood’s experience & services
Key questions we recommend
» Why this is important
OakWood’s experience & services
SECTION 3
Part 2
Why this
Experience
is Critical
3D CONCEPT DESIGN
SERVICE
• Many Clients have a hard
time visualizing what their
project will look like before
it is built.
• A 3D Concept Design Service
enables you to brainstorm
and see life-like renderings
of your project and cost
effectively make changes
Be wary of free design:
you’ll likely get what
you pay for or the design
costs will be buried!
before construction begins.
• A comprehensive Concept
Design Service also establishes
an accurate scope of work
document and budget based
on your final decisions.
• Be wary of free design:
if a Renovator offers to do
free design, you’ll likely get
what you pay for. Also, if a
Renovator is offering “free
design” it’s likely that the
design fees are hidden
somewhere in the overall
cost of construction. No
one works for free.
QUALIFIED IN-HOUSE
EXPERTISE
• The success of your renovation
hinges on having experienced,
licensed professionals at each
phase of your project including:
architectural requirements,
design elements, construction
& scheduling, field and office
project management, City
permits & inspections.
• Only qualified professionals
can meet the requirements
of each step in your project:
Project Consultants, Architectural
Technologists, Interior
Designers, Materials Selection
Coordinators, Estimators,
Schedulers, Quantity Surveyors
and Production as well as
Project Managers.
• Make sure any proposal you
receive is based only on using
licensed Sub-Contractors and
a qualified certified team: certified
and experienced workers
cost more than “handymen”.
• In-house design expertise also
ensures tighter quality controls
because everything is under
“one roof” with a single point of
accountability – you only have
to deal with one firm.
DESIGN + BUILD
• Having the design done by
one person and the building
completed by someone else
is a recipe for problems and
cost overruns: this is why
over 50% of projects that
start with a Designer or
Architect never get built.
• The only way to avoid this
disconnect is by going through
a design process that links
the design to a plan that
drives a detailed scope
of work that you can have
confidence in. The design
phase has to drive the plan
and the detailed proposal
that follows.
• If you make changes to the
design or materials selection,
those changes must be
reflected in both the plan
and budget to avoid costly
surprises: it is a dynamic,
highly iterative process.
Only a true Design + Build
Renovator can ensure this
linkage between design (and
any changes) and the final
plan and budget:
• The cost of the project
is constantly updated
through changes made at
the design stage to give
you an updated total project
cost at all times.
• In our experience, an in-house
Design + Build firm will greatly
enhance the chances of
identifying the true scope
of work and ultimately giving
you a successful renovation.
Poor planning is the
#1 reason project
budgets and timelines
go off the rails.
PLANNING
• For a detailed proposal to be
worth its salt, it really needs
to be part of an overall plan.
You have to know what you
are building; what materials
you are using – right down
to the number of electrical
outlets per room and their
specific location.
• A plan forces a Renovator to
nail down the project details
before they start any work –
and shows you they know
what they are doing.
• A good plan also provides
you with a roadmap for
your entire project with all
milestones from start to finish.
The plan you get should
anticipate all costs and timelines.
For example, OakWood
uses a detailed GANTT chart
that gives you all milestones
for your project from start
to finish.
44 oakwood.ca 613 236.8001
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SECTION 3
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