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Independent owner’s representative provides unbiased help for the
owner.
The
traditional method of the design and construction process is changing
dramatically. It needs to!
The days of
hiring only an architect to design and a general contractor to build
are disappearing fast for a good reason. The many horror stories about
the experience of the design and construction process have called for
an independent, neutral, third party to strictly look out for the
owner’s interest and help manage those two services. The presumed
trust that is extended to the architect and the builder has too many
examples of abuse that makes the independent owner’s rep service
extremely important and valuable.
“I’ve
been on both the design and construction sides of the process. I know
how each side thinks and behaves and more importantly, how they should
think and behave. It’s not what the public thinks .”
says Bob Brunning of TEAM Construction Consulting LLC, a unique owners
representation service.
“By far the
worst behavior comes from the construction process. This side of the
equation makes up at least 90% of the total cost to design and build
something and contributes the majority of the abuse.”
With Mr.
Brunning’s 20 plus years of experience in the construction industry,
ranging from tradesman to director of construction for a general
contracting company in Chicago, he is well versed on the IN's and
OUT’s of the construction process. His experience also includes the
residential process as well.
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“Plans go wrong
with too few counselors; many counselors bring success. “ Proverb |
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The
benefits are many and great.
The list of benefits and case history
examples are many.
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A neutral third
party. This is the foundational reason that connects all the others.
“It’s a myth that the architect or the builder look out for the
customer’s interest. One customer decided they would handle
reviewing change orders during construction. They were given a
$5,000 change order that was not legitimate. There were others, but
I was shown this after the work was complete and they had already
paid for it. It was a clear case of the builder taking advantage of
the lack of knowledge and understanding by the customer. I once had
an architect tell me he would give me a project as the general
contractor if I put in $5,000 for him in the cost.”
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“An architect will
rarely explain to a customer the four elements of design that
determine the construction cost. I don’t think many of them are
aware of this themselves. The owner does not realize how much
control they really do have in the design phase of the project.”
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“I’ve also seen
architects and builders who do not see eye to eye. There is an age
old feud between designer and builder that the public doesn’t know
about. Who is the neutral party to help the customer? I’ve seen
architects biased towards their design desires without keeping in
mind the customer needs. In the end the customer ends up paying for
it because they don’t understand the process or protocol of each
party’s responsibilities.”
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“Some people assume
by adding this service costs are going to be even higher. It’s easy
to show a customer how I can save them money just by teaching them
the four elements of design that determine construction cost. The
design side of the process has the most impact on the construction.
With my expertise, I save them money on both sides.”
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“If the project comes in over budget, a third party
will help manage the process of value engineering. This process is
standard procedure to the commercial industry but is unfamiliar to
the residential customer. Customers have a neutral third party to
help them determine alternate ways of doing things to bring down the
cost yet still maintain design and schedule. This neutrality is
important because the architect and builder will have different
views on what those alternate ways should be. These savings would
have never been seen if my service wasn’t there.”
What
makes his service unique from others in the field?
“First, I am
the only owners rep that I know of that provides a service to the
residential community. They are very common in the commercial arena
where budgets are larger and fees are greater. There is a great need
to look out for the residential community. I have a variety of
inexpensive levels of service to meet a home owner’s needs and
budgets.”
“Second, I
have both design and construction background, with an emphasis on
construction where most of the costs are. I can’t think of another
owner’s rep that I have met that has experience in both industries.”
“Third, I
provide unique levels and styles of service for both the commercial
and residential customer. The typical service is a lump sum fee for
the entire project. I offer three types of services that don’t
necessarily require a fee for the entire project. No other rep does
this.”
“The best
person to help with something is the one who has been there and done
that. People pay a real estate agent to look out for their interest.
When they invest bigger money to design and build something, they
don’t even think to get help. Every project I’ve done shows that the
amount of money I save a customer is much more than my fee.”
(Bob Brunning can be reached at TEAM Construction
Consulting LLC 602-481-0365) |
