Design-Build Delivery for Restoration and Renewal Projects
One contract, one accountable team, from investigation and design through construction. The delivery model that suits envelope work best.
Engineer-led scopingLicensed & insuredWorkSafeBC in good standingStrata & commercial specialists
Why design-build
Fewer handoffs, fewer change orders
In traditional delivery, a consultant designs, contractors bid, and the gaps between the two become change orders. Design-build closes those gaps, which matters most in repair work where the full scope only reveals itself once the building is opened up.
One accountable team
Design and construction under one contract: a single throat to choke, in the phrase our clients use.
Faster field decisions
Discoveries get resolved by people who understand the assembly, not escalated into weeks of correspondence.
Constructability from day one
Design decisions are made with buildability and cost in the room from the start.
A fair exit
Stop after phase one and you own the design. That option keeps the arrangement honest.
The process
Two phases, one team
- Phase one: investigate and design
Paid investigation and scope development: we open up, measure, and design the repair, ending in a fixed or target price. - Decision point
Accept the price, or take the design to market. You own it either way. - Phase two: build
Construction under the same team that designed it, with open-book pricing on conditional work.
Design-build only works when the builder actually understands design intent. i3 Contracting grew out of a building science and engineering consultancy: we speak both languages natively.
Scope of work
Where design-build fits best
- Envelope renewals run as one program from investigation to construction
- Balcony and deck reconstruction requiring engineered details
- Repair scopes developed directly from depreciation report findings
- Commercial improvements where speed to occupancy drives the calendar
- Sealed engineering by licensed professionals, always
- Written disclosure of our engineering affiliation in every proposal
Engineering: where sealed engineering is required, it is provided by licensed professionals through through our affiliated engineering firm, i3 Building Science & Consulting Inc. (i3BSC), and the affiliation is disclosed plainly in every proposal. If your council prefers fully independent engineering, we work to your own consultant’s design instead, without friction.
What to expect
Safeguards councils can point to
Councils sometimes worry design-build removes independent oversight. There are good answers, and we support all of them.
1 contract
Design and construction under a single agreement
Exit opt.
Stop after phase one and keep the design
Open-book
Conditional work priced transparently
Reviewed
Independent reviewer welcomed at milestones
For strata councils
Procuring design-build with eyes open
We put the affiliation between i3 Contracting and its related engineering firm in writing in every proposal, so the council can document that it procured transparently.
Independent review
Retain your own reviewer for design and payment milestones. We work alongside them without friction.
Phase-one exit
The design is yours if you stop after phase one, stated in the agreement.
Open-book conditionals
Concealed-condition work priced at documented rates.
Written disclosure
The i3 engineering affiliation stated plainly in the proposal.
Recent work
Design-build projects
Common questions
Design-build FAQs
Is design-build more expensive?
The fee structure is comparable to consultant-plus-contractor; the savings come from fewer change orders and a shorter overall program. On opened-up repair work, that difference is usually decisive.
Can our own consultant stay involved?
Yes, commonly as the council’s independent reviewer. It keeps everyone sharp.
Who owns the design if we stop after phase one?
You do. That is stated in the phase-one agreement.
Who seals the engineering?
A licensed professional engineer, always. Design-build changes who coordinates the design, never the professional standard it is done to.
Get an engineer-informed assessment of your building
Tell us what your building is doing: the stain, the leak, the report recommendation. We will tell you what we would investigate first and what a realistic scope looks like. No obligation, and your council gets something in writing either way.