How much will the work cost ?
We develop a
price from discussions with you about your needs, your
budget and the plans. We prefer to negotiate prices with
clients,
rather than bid competitively. Working up a realistic bid
is time-consuming, so we’re fortunate that usually our
clients have already chosen
us as their contractor, rather than putting their work out
to bid. We then negotiate the price to one that meets your
budget and aesthetic concerns.
When clients do put their project out to bid, we rarely
submit the low bid, because we give you the best value for
your money, not the lowest price.
How do payments work ?
Payments are
linked to progress benchmarks and are spelled out in the
contract. Additional costs, for example, are handled by
change orders, which we work out with our clients.
How long does it take to build a house ?
There are
two parts to building a house. The first is the design and
city processing and the second is the actual construction of
the house.
The first part can vary widely depending on the city your
working in and the magnitude of the project.
The
design process consists of "programming" which is figuring
out all of the features you want in the house.
Then comes design development where the floor plan and
elevations of the house are developed.
At this point you generally go to the city for design review
to see if your plan is acceptable to the city. Upon
acceptance by the city,
the next step is construction drawings, which turns the
design into working plans that the contractor can use to
build the house.
These construction drawings are then submitted to the city
for a building permit.
Once a building permit is issued by the city, construction
can begin.
Construction time is a function of how large the home is and
how complex it is.
What does it cost per sq. ft. to build a house ?
Comparing
cost per square foot from one builder or architect to
another is problematic because there is no set formula for
computing it.
The basic problem is that you don't know what is included in
the number.
Sometimes it's just the hard cost of the work, other times
it might include supervision and contractor fees and
interest costs and architectural costs
and more.
How many jobs do you take on at a time
?
In order to
provide the highest level of service and quality to our
customers, we limit the number of jobs we take on at any one
time to
5
simultaneous projects. We have found over the years that
when people get over extended, everyone loses.
Do you
do remodels and additions ?
In a
word, Yes.
As a "Full
Service General Contractor"
Banker
Construction
is able to
provide the same level of quality services
for many
types of projects.
Does a
builder have to honor a written estimate ?
Typically, No.
An estimate is
not a binding contract, but a rough calculation of the
cost of the project.
I've changed my
mind about what I want. Can I make a change to the
project?
Typically,
Yes.
The type of
change and when the request occurs can greatly impact
the ability to
physically make the change, as well as the associated
costs. Changes should be agreed to in writing
with a "change order" noting what is to be changed as
well as the costs.
