At Ben Quie & Son’s, one of our primary goals is to alleviate as much stress as possible from what can be a difficult process. We do this by keeping the customer involved and informed every step of the way.
When you first contact us by phone or e-mail, we will ask you some general questions about the type of project you have in mind. We will also set-up an in-home meeting so we can study the project in more detail.
At the initial meeting, we will take some time to get to know you and your visualization for your home. We will assess the space and gather more information, listening carefully and taking notes to make sure we fully understand your vision. We will also take time to tell you about our company and further explain our process.
After the initial meeting, we will outline the scope of work and create a preliminary budget for the project. We use our well-developed pricing system and information from similar projects that we have completed in the past. Our priority is to ensure that you are comfortable with the preliminary budget before moving forward in the design/build process.
If you decide that you would like to proceed and we arrive at a budget that you are comfortable with, we will draw-up a Design and Project Development Contract. From there we start the design process. This begins with schematic drawings in which we explore the possibilities for your space, while keeping your budget at the forefront. Once we establish a design that is pleasing to you, we will develop detailed drawings and specifications for the project.
If you have already selected your own architect or designer, we will work closely with him or her to ensure that their designs are also inline with your budget.
Once we have the design in place, we are ready to calculate the final costs of your project. We will produce a detailed estimate of all of the costs, including labor, materials and subcontractors. At this step we also bring in our trade partners for an on-site walk through in order to get accurate quotes for their work.
After the final estimate is produced and you agree to proceed, we will draw up the contract for you to sign. The contract is a very detailed road map for the project, typically thirty to sixty pages.
Now the fun begins! Once the contract is signed, we will schedule a pre-job meeting. At this meeting you will meet our Production Manager, Katie Post, who will go over our production process with you. She will also assign a lead carpenter to your project and develop a daily process schedule. Once construction is underway we will set-up weekly or bi-weekly meetings with you to help you finalize any decisions and answer any questions you may have. Once construction is completed, Ben and Katie will join you in a final walkthrough to ensure the finished product meets or exceeds your expectations.
