One Vision. One Design-Build Team.
From first sketches to the finishing touches, design and construction move forward together.
WHY DESIGN-BUILD
What Does ‘Design-Build’ Actually Mean?
Design-build is a project delivery method where one company handles both the design phase and the construction phase of your remodel, under a single contract. Instead of hiring an architect or designer first, then separately hiring a contractor to build what they drew up, you work with one team from the very first conversation through project completion. This is different from the traditional ‘design-bid-build’ model, where a homeowner typically hires a designer to create plans, then takes those plans out to bid with multiple separate contractors, hoping the design translates cleanly into something buildable at a price that matches what was promised.
THE OLD WAY
The Traditional Way — And Why It Often Falls Short
In the traditional model, a homeowner typically works with an architect or designer first, paying for a full set of plans before a single contractor is ever involved. Once the design is finished, those plans go out to multiple contractors for bids, and the homeowner picks one based on price and availability. The problem is that the designer and the contractor usually have never worked together. The contractor didn’t create the plans, so when a design detail turns out to be difficult or expensive to actually build, it’s the homeowner caught in the middle, often facing a choice between a costly change order or a compromised design. If something goes wrong on-site, the designer can blame the contractor for poor execution, and the contractor can blame the designer for an unrealistic plan, leaving the homeowner with no single point of accountability. This back-and-forth also tends to slow everything down. Design has to be 100% finished and approved before bidding even starts, and bidding itself can take weeks. Only after all of that is complete does construction begin, meaning the whole process happens in long, sequential stages instead of moving forward together.
THE DESIGN-BUILD DIFFERENCE
One Team. One Contract. One Point of Accountability.
With design-build, there’s no handoff between a designer and a separate contractor, because they’re the same team. Design and construction planning can overlap instead of happening in strict sequence, since the people drawing up the plan are the same people who know what it costs to build it and how long it will take. If a question comes up mid-project, there’s no finger-pointing between two separate companies. One team, one point of contact, and one party responsible for the outcome from start to finish.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR YOUR PROJECT
What This Means for You
One Team, Start to Finish
You’re not managing two separate relationships or playing messenger between a designer and a contractor. One team handles the plan and the build.
Faster Timelines
Because design and construction planning overlap instead of happening in two full sequential phases, projects typically move faster than the traditional model allows.
Clearer Costs From Day One
Since the same team that designs your project is the one pricing and building it, your estimate is grounded in what it actually costs to build, not a design drawn up without that knowledge.
No Handoffs, No Confusion
There’s no gap between the people who planned your project and the people building it. That means fewer miscommunications and a smoother experience throughout.
Direct Access to Your Designer
You talk directly with the person designing your space, from the first conversation through final selections. Your ideas, your questions, and your feedback go straight to them, not through a middleman.
OUR PROCESS
How Our Design-Build Process Works
At Chicago Kitchen Facelifts, every project moves through the same hands-on process: tell us about your project, work directly with your designer to choose your collection and style, finalize the design and scope together, and then construction begins with our team coordinating every detail, so you can enjoy your new space. Your designer stays involved from the first conversation through the finished result.
Start Here
Ready to Experience Design-Build for Yourself?
Schedule a free consultation and let’s talk through your kitchen or bathroom remodel.
