Old West Builders is capable of successfully completing your project. We have recently completed a 15,000 square foot residence for a client. Technical challenges aside, the project required very specific problem solving along the way and a great deal of creative thinking.
PROJECT PROTOCOLS
The following items are intended as a helpful guide to our present and prospective clients:
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
We are available for any or all of the following Pre-Construction services:
• To recommend and participate in the selection of design and engineering professionals.
• To work with you and/or your architect/designer to define the scope, schedule and budget for the project.
• To advise and participate in the various “approval processes” such as community architectural review, Inspectional Service Division permitting, homeowner association design/engineering review, etc.
Permitting: Generally, Old West Builders will apply for and secure the necessary permits needed for construction of your project. We maintain good lines of communication and have a strong working relationship with the building department, and we are familiar with the process.
Design Completeness: The more complete the design, the better we are able to schedule and budget. Changes and delays, though sometimes necessary, are best avoided! In order to minimize their effects we build due-dates for design details and material orders into our schedules. For example, we would schedule for an electrical plan showing the placement of recessed light fixtures one week prior to the framing of ceilings and tile selection ten weeks prior to installation.
CONTRACT FORMATS
Cost Plus: Line item pricing spells out the allowances or costs we are carrying for each category of work. Typically we will have written scopes of work and received firm prices from our sub-contractors and vendors before their work begins. Depending on design completeness and existing conditions this can include all the trades and suppliers of doors, windows, counters, shower doors, finish hardware and appliances before we order them. We will not have firm prices for work to be performed by Old West Builders personnel or for materials such as lumber, construction hardware etc. Where design completeness allows, we will treat the Old West Builders shop as a sub-contractor and get firm prices for cabinetwork and millwork before work at those line items begins. Our intent is to nail down as much as possible of the scope and cost of the project before any nailing begins.
• For materials from vendors we bill at our cost plus Old West Builders overhead and profit (O&P).
• For work by sub-contractors we bill at our cost plus O&P.
• For work performed on the site by Old West Builders personnel of various skill levels, we bill at their various hourly billing rates plus O&P.
We prefer to do our projects on a Cost Plus basis. Cost Plus, we believe is the most equitable for both parties involved and allows flexibility with changes over the course of the project. Paperwork and additional costs associated with traditional change orders are thus avoided.
Note: On occasion we will provide a Fixed Bid. Simple projects, (such as small homes, cabins, guest houses, garages, etc) lend themselves to this approach. We can often put an accurate price to these projects because of their simplicity.
Applications for Payment: We will issue Applications for Payment on a bi-weekly basis. The requisition amount will be based on the sub-contractor/vendor bills received and the hours worked by Old West Builders personnel. Applications for Payment will be accompanied by a breakdown of labor charges, material costs, and sub-contractor costs. In order to keep the project on track we require that payment be made within two weeks of receipt of our Application for Payment. Prompt payment to our subcontractors and vendors is critical to maintaining a schedule. If payment to Old West Builders is delayed, we risk delaying ordering and receiving critical path goods or services.
Deposits: We will ask for a deposit based on a percentage of our estimated budget at the beginning of the job, which we will credit back to you throughout the project. During the course of the project we will ask for deposits for specific line items to facilitate ordering such things as; millwork, cabinetwork, counters/slabs, stone/tile, plumbing fixtures, appliances etc.
Project Management: Large projects may have a two-person management team consisting of co-Managers. One of the managers will have main duties that are primarily administrative the other’s will be more hands-on. Their responsibilities will include: laying out framing, laying out for sub-contractors, helping with design detail resolution, interacting with neighbors and building management, coordination and scheduling of sub-contractors, materials and hardware ordering, supervising Old West Builders personnel, liasing with Old West Builders shop, reviewing shop drawings, and record keeping. These two will be your day-to-day contact with Old West Builders. The managers will be involved in the on-going design process and will be a critical part of detail resolution. We do not expect them to be making major design decisions or doing the design development for significant scope changes.
Project Administration: Other project administrators with whom you will have contact will be:
• Our Office Manager, whose project specific responsibilities include: documenting our insurance coverage, arranging the installation of project phone lines, purchasing, and paying sub-contractors.
• Partners, who will attend most or all job meetings and who would be involved with you and your designer in design development if you have chosen that option.
Project Direction: It is advisable to establish a chain of command, so that the Old West Builders management team understands from whom they should take direction. If your architect/designer is going to be involved in construction administration and/or with the project in any sort of ongoing capacity it is good idea to have that person be the one issuing instructions. As problems arise and their solutions arrived at, it is the person who designed the project who is in the best position to foresee any adverse ripple effect of design solutions. No matter whom you decide should be issuing instructions it must be clear to all parties who that person is and who it is not, so that we don’t end up working at cross purposes.
Requests for Information: No matter how carefully crafted the design, we will have questions. Some of these will be answered easily and quickly with a phone call or two. Most will not. Occasionally we will issue a Request for Information. This is a form that helps us sort out exactly what the questions are, and allows us to prioritize for you and your designer which answers we need first. Timely answers to design questions are critically important to staying on schedule.
Change Orders: We will write Change Orders to you for work by sub-contractors that is a Change Order to us by virtue of being outside of their original scope of work. Where possible we will get firm pricing on the new work before it begins. This is, however, not always feasible, because of the schedule impact of deferring some necessary correction or amendment. We will not necessarily write Change Orders for work that is to be carried out exclusively by Old West Builders personnel, although we will alert you to significant budget or schedule impact of work outside the original scope.
BILLING POLICY
TIME YOU WILL NOT BE BILLED FOR:
PARTNERS
• Pre-construction phase- Time spent with you and/or your architect, as you introduce us to the project.
• Pre-construction phase- Time spent with you and/or your architect looking at other projects we have done.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM
• Pre-construction phase- Time spent at introductory meetings.
• Pre-construction phase- Time spent with you and/or your architect looking at other projects we have done.
• Construction phase- Time spent correcting mistakes we have made.
OLD WEST BUILDERS SITE PERSONNEL
• Construction phase- Time spent correcting mistakes we have made.
OLD WEST BUILDERS SHOP
• Construction phase- Time spent producing shop drawings based on fully developed designs. The cost of these drawings is built into the Millwork and Cabinetwork pricing.
TIME YOU WILL BE BILLED FOR:
PARTNERS
• Pre-construction phase- Time spent in the architect selection process.
• Pre-construction phase- Time spent with you and/or your architect doing design development.
• Pre-construction phase- Time spent obtaining permits and/or zoning approvals.
• Pre-construction phase- Time spent value engineering your project.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM
• Pre-construction phase- Time spent obtaining permits and/or zoning approvals.
• Pre-construction phase- Time spent value engineering your project.
• Pre-construction phase- Time spent writing Scopes of Work for specific line items.
• Pre-construction phase- Time spent obtaining bid prices from sub-contractors and vendors.
OLD WEST BUILDERS SHOP
• Construction phase- Design: time spent meeting and producing drawings for design development.
OUR EXPECTATIONS OF YOU
PRE-CONSTRUCTION PHASE
Contact Information:
• Phone and fax numbers for you.
• Phone and fax numbers for your architect and other members of the design team.
• Phone numbers, addresses and/or other pertinent contact information for your neighbors, your building management, and other people who will be affected by your project.
Neighbor Assistance:
• We may very well ask you to join us in informing your neighbors about the project, and responding to any of their concerns.
CONSTRUCTION PHASE
Direction:
• We need a clear understanding of from whom we are to take direction. This should be one person and an alternate.
Participation:
• We are looking for a commitment from you to participate in project decision making. If you are unavailable for regular jobsite meetings, communication is still a necessary component of the building process. This can be accomplished by phone, fax, or email.
Timely Decision Making:
• In order to proceed efficiently we need our questions answered quickly.
• There is an enormous ripple effect of inefficiency when we are working around unresolved issues.
• Lead times on sub-contractor availability and products make early decision making critical.
Timely Payment:
• We will bill you every two weeks.
• We expect payment within two weeks of presenting you with a bill.
• Buying materials, placing deposits on ordered materials, and paying sub-contractors on time are all critical pieces of efficient operation.
Timely Feedback:
• If you are unhappy with the production or performance of any of our employees or sub-contractors please let the Project Management team know immediately.
• We have a much better chance to head off or correct problems if we hear about them as soon as they manifest.
• If you are unhappy with any part of your Project Management team please inform a Partner immediately.
Home Theater
Phone: 970-626-5448
Fax: 970-626-5481
Below you will find the answers to many questions you have about Old West Builders and the building process.
