Design Build Central

In this episode, we break down five critical elements that are essential for building a robust business plan for the coming year.  First, we’ll discuss the importance of taking inventory—assessing your business performance, the state of the economy, competitor positioning, and even a personal reflection on your leadership. Next, we’ll dive into defining strategic initiatives for the year, understanding their budget impact, and getting your team to executive on these initiatives.   

From there, we move into the nuts and bolts of drafting a comprehensive budget—covering sales forecasts, lead generation targets, gross profit margins, and anticipated expenses. Then, we’ll explore how to secure buy-in from your leadership and the broader team, ensuring alignment and accountability. Finally, we’ll wrap up by talking about the importance of ongoing monitoring to ensure your plan stays on track, with regular check-ins and adjustments to respond to any shifts during the year.

At Case, we’re big believers in the design-build approach to residential remodeling. Our definition of design-build is design, development, project management, and much of the construction of the project is done in house by Case employees.

As outlined in previous episodes, we have a carefully developed process to move a client from an initial conversation through the completion of the project. It’s a relay race where the baton is passed back and forth between development, design, and production.

As well developed as our process is, we still have challenges. These challenges are typically related to the joints between steps in the process. The areas where we pass the baton from one role to another or pass through a transfer. Every once in a while, we drop the baton…

In this episode we discuss details of the various steps in our process and some of the gates we have implemented along the way to ensure successful transfers of responsibility and information.

We start by outlining how we conduct a trade walk through and introduce a Project Manager to a client. Next up is a contract review where a PM has 48 hours to review a project before a contract is presented. Can there be some conflicts in this step? You bet, but better now than after we’re in production.

We continue to move through the process- package pass, expectations letter, pre-construction walk through, electrical walk through, mid job huddle, and substantial completion. We touch on compensation issues and how this helps align members of our team. We also touch on the importance of regular communication with all parties involved. We wrap up with some thoughts on surveys and project celebrations.

1. presenting agreements in the home rather than following up,
2. A lack of urgency in many clients
3. How Vogt “reminds” clients of the timeline and the consequences of delays,
4. Client indecision / changing their mind / getting a final selection
5. And how he monitors and manages his pipeline of future projects

Join Bruce, Bill, and their guest Neil Martin (Case Design’s Director of Production) as they discuss the “build” side of design-build.

While there is much focus on top-line lead and sales metrics, the key to building a successful design-build remodeling business, both financially and otherwise, often lies in what happens in production.

They discuss Case Design’s production structure and production team, compensation, key metrics, processes, and other vital insights. 

Sales are more challenging than they were a year ago. This podcast goes behind the scenes to give an in-depth review of what Case Design/Remodeling is experiencing with its’ sales team and with homeowners….and what they are focused on right now.  Learn how sales are done and how they are managed at Case.  Who leads the sales effort.  What is the sales/design process.  What tools have they developed to increase close rate and to address objections.   Effective adjustments are required to compete and to win in the current environment. 

Pricing design/build projects poses unique challenges.

First, every project is custom – the existing conditions, the team members, the clients, the design solutions, the access. Second, we have to bring costing together from a myriad of sources including distributors, trade specialists, and direct providers often 6 months before we even start the project. Third, we should break down our estimates into cost codes and segments so that we can better compare actual to estimated costing to inform future adjustments.

Learn how Case estimates over 700 projects/schemes per year and manages to stay within one or two points of the estimating cost. 

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Music (CC BY 4.0): Melo Rock 4 by Sascha Ende

Clear, proven, and consistent processes bring comfort.  

Comfort to clients because they know what to expect and when.  Comfort to team members because they are clear about their responsibilities and empowerment every step of the way.  Comfort to the business because consistent processes lead to predictable results.   

This podcast will share Case’s design/build process that has been developed over several decades.   The roles involved.  Who does what at each phase.   How we mitigate challenges at “joints” in the process.

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Music (CC BY 4.0): Melo Rock 4 by Sascha Ende

The business of design-build remodeling is the focus of a new podcast series produced by Qualified Remodeler and Case Architects & Remodelers of Bethesda, Maryland.

Case is the legendary remodeling firm founded in 1961 by Fred Case that later pioneered the use of the design-build process in \ residential remodeling. Celebrating its 50th year, Qualified Remodeler is a business-to-business media brand that serves the professional information needs of remodeling and home improvement professionals.

Co-hosts for the podcast series are Bruce Case, CEO of Case Architects & Remodelers and Bill Millholland, Executive Vice President of Case.

Whether you are just getting started in remodeling or you are a grizzled veteran, this unique series offers business insights and ideas for managing and profiting in 2024. 

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Music (CC BY 4.0): Melo Rock 4 by Sascha Ende