A Deep Dive into Pre-Construction Services (8 Key Processes)

Thinking of building or renovating a luxury home? Choosing a luxury construction firm is key. When you account for payments, project timelines, and other key milestones with a luxury contractor skilled in pre-construction services, you’re more likely to feel more satisfied and excited about your new luxury build.

But forgo using a construction firm that specializes in pre-construction services, and you’ll find yourself spending more time troubleshooting than planning your new luxury home.

Scordio Construction, Inc. here: we understand the importance of having a quality general contractor with a well-established process for successful construction. For your new luxury home, leaving the pre-planning process to chance isn’t an option, which is why we’re here to share what to look for when embarking on the construction process.

In this article, we’ll cover eight key aspects of the pre-construction process that — when approached with a methodical, professional, and innovative construction firm — will make the finished product of your home a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. We’ll discuss the following pre-construction services and processes:

• What to expect with the initial consultation
• Site evaluations
• Architectural drawing reviews
• Developing a budget
• Scheduling the building process
• Logistics and planning (permits, material deliveries, and site access)
• Coordinating with subcontractors and vendors
• Presenting the final plan for construction to you and aligning with your vision

Diving deeper into pre-construction services

When you think about a multi-million dollar luxury construction project, a vast amount of planning must take place before construction begins.

As such, luxury construction firms deliver pre-construction planning services aimed at making the entire construction project more seamless and smooth. The project owner will detail everything from estimates to designs to timelines and much more.

A quality luxury construction manager will let the prospective homeowner know what to expect, when, where, why, and how at every step of the way.

Project schedules, cost estimates, subcontractor coordination, and more: these are just some of the many preconstruction services you should expect from your next luxury construction contractors.

Let’s look at eight of the most important aspects of pre-construction.

8 Key aspects of the pre-construction process

1. The initial consultation 2. An evaluation of the proposed building site 3. Reviewing and assessing architectural drawings 4. Developing a budget 5. Scheduling timelines for all phases of the job 6. Planning the logistics to complete said timelines 7. Working with subcontractors and vendors 8. Presenting the final plan to you, the homeowner

1. Meet and greet: the initial consultation

What is the initial consultation?

Before embarking on a construction project, a luxury construction contractor will first meet with you, your preferred architect, and a designer. We call this meeting the initial consultation.

The goal of the initial consultation is to better understand and align with your vision and expectations. At the same time, the construction firm will sync up with the architect and designer to understand the scope of their work and how they all plan to work together.

If the client brings in any preliminary plans or concepts — or if they’ve already chosen their design team — we review design plans to better understand your goals and vision.

• Meet with the client, architect, and/or designer to understand the vision, scope, and expectations.
• Review any preliminary plans or concepts (This is what the general contractor would do from the home client’s design team.)
  

2. Conducting a site evaluation

Say, for example, you’re not building from the ground up but are merely renovating or adding on to an existing structure. Whether you’re building a new home on a new space or renovating an existing home on an existing space, you’ll need to take a look at any pre-existing conditions that can impact the design and structural integrity of the build.

Part of the assessment of pre-existing conditions includes what we call a site evaluation.

During the site evaluation, a luxury construction firm will determine to what extent the renovation or build will be feasible. Your luxury general contractor will assess items, such as:

• Potential structural, zoning, or landmark preservation-related issues
• Existing conditions on the space and any potential building constraints
• Load calculations
• Materials needed
• Roof junctures
• Piping

During the site evaluation, a thorough analysis will be conducted to give homeowners a comprehensive bid package and avoid costly surprises once demolition and construction start.

• Conduct a site visit to assess existing conditions, access, logistics, and any constraints.
• Identify potential structural, zoning, or landmark issues.
  

3. Reviewing the feasibility of architectural and design drawings

Whether you’re building or renovating a home, the design phase is one of the most exciting parts of the building process. A key element of pre-construction services includes reviewing architectural and design drawings at length.

Your luxury general contractor will note and share any potential constructability issues or details early so that no undetected issues arise before, during, or after the construction process.

If issues do arise, your luxury construction contractor will provide feedback or suggestions on methods or alternatives for your design that both maintain design integrity and ensure a beautiful finished product.

By being proactive in identifying potential constructability issues early in the design phase, you’ll mitigate cost overruns and ensure a timely building completion when actual construction begins.

• Review architectural and design drawings in detail.
• Flag any potential constructability issues or unrealistic details early.
• Provide feedback on methods or alternatives that maintain design integrity.
  

4. Building out a budget

Throughout the construction process, staying within the project budget will be top of mind. As part of the preconstruction process, your general contractor will work with experienced cost estimators to create a detailed project budget.

The cost estimator’s job is to assess all aspects of the construction project. Materials, labor, equipment, cost of hiring subcontractors, procuring permits, and more: the cost estimator has their hands in all these pre-construction processes.

After determining the cost of these projects, the cost estimator will provide a cost estimate of what the project will be according to general housing specifications.

In other words, your construction team will do the following:

• Prepare a comprehensive preliminary budget for the build.
• Break down the costs of the project by trade work, phase of the project, or area of the home as needed.
• Offer value engineering options for your home. Your team will offer options for optimizing the various phases of the build, reducing costs elsewhere, and maintaining luxury & quality.

5. Scheduling building and determining building phases

Building a home is no small feat. The building process requires a dedicated and coordinated effort of many people involved in more than a hundred moving parts.

Another part of the preconstruction phase includes creating an ironclad construction schedule with room for flexibility. Some of the many aspects of a luxury build that require scheduling include (but aren’t limited to):

• Cost estimates
• Bid releases
• Meetings with stakeholders
• Navigating housing and homeowner association rules and regulations
• Procuring permits and other construction documents
• Material deliveries and storage
• Hiring subcontractors
• Conducting inspections

An experienced luxury home construction manager will use their skills and expertise to create milestones for coordinating all aspects of each construction phase. A high-end luxury construction project manager will also work to minimize as many disruptions as possible to keep your home built on time and on budget.

By developing a high-level project timeline based on the scope of the project, your project manager can identify long-lead items and dependencies that need to be budgeted for ahead of time. That way, construction activities can go off without a hitch.

• Develop a high-level project timeline based on scope and site conditions.
• Identify long-lead items or dependencies that need early procurement or decisions.
  

6. Ironing out the logistics

Building off the building phases, your construction manager will also draft a preliminary logistics plan for staging and site access, which is especially critical in New York City.

The reason is that many building sites are deemed as historic landmarks that must be preserved. A detailed construction project management team will coordinate and ensure the NYC Department of Buildings — as well as the Landmarks Preservation Commission among other organizations — have the necessary documents to ensure construction goes according to plan.

Once logistics are ironed out, in-house subcontractors and vendors begin the next part of the process.

• Draft a preliminary logistics plan for staging, deliveries, and site access (especially critical in NYC).
• Coordinate DOB, Landmarks, or other required filings.

7. Sourcing and coordinating with subcontractors and vendors

As part of the construction project’s lifecycle, multiple contractors and vendors will work on your project.

Your luxury general contractor will work closely with other vendors and subcontractors to create building systems that ensure the scope of work is completed on time and within budget. The luxury general contractor must provide detailed explanations to trade contractors to ensure they know what materials and work are needed for the scope of the project.

Finally, the luxury general contractor will work with subcontractors, the designer, and vendors to source the right products and establish lead times. The project’s success depends on the well-coordinated effort of all vendors and stakeholders involved in this process.

• Engage with trusted subcontractors for preliminary pricing or input.
• Work with designer-specified vendors on product availability and lead times.
  

8. Presenting the construction project to — and aligning with — the client’s vision

Once the team has finished sourcing materials, determining the cost of materials, identifying and mitigating early potential roadblocks, and finishing the construction bidding process, all that’s left to do is share the updated plan with you, the client.

Part of presenting the construction project plan to you involves listening to your goals and aligning with your vision. Updating the budget, schedule, and construction plan is all fair game at this point in the pre-construction process.

The point of presenting the construction project to you and your team is to be on the same page with you before moving into the construction phase.

In this final phase and process of pre-construction, all parties can voice their concerns or approval on any part of the construction and pre-construction process.

• Present updated budget, schedule, and construction plan to client and team.
• Confirm alignment on expectations, phasing, and next steps before moving into construction.

Scordio Construction, Inc.: Award-winning luxury interior design

Recognition is wonderful — especially when it directly relates to the hard work that your staff, colleagues, and customers put into bringing a project to life.

Thank you to Foley and Cox for submitting this project to the International Design and Architecture Awards Project. To learn more about our white-glove pre-construction services and projects that have been recognized for outstanding design and construction, we invite you to browse through our portfolio or visit us on social media.

Scordio Construction, Inc.: Innovative pre-construction services built with integrity and quality craftsmanship

The importance of pre-construction planning can’t be overstated. Without proper pre-construction planning on a construction site, you’re more likely to encounter setbacks, project delays, changing cost estimates, and inaccurate cost estimates.

Enlisting the expertise of a white-glove luxury construction firm will help you avoid common construction pitfalls and ensure a smooth and seamless building experience.

Our team believes that integrity and quality craftsmanship don’t happen by chance.

High-end luxury is a byproduct of meticulous, careful, and thoughtful planning, coupled with a relentless work ethic and steadfast commitment to a well-honed vision.

Our project managers, designers, architects, and custom millworkers, pride themselves on being one of the nation’s leading innovative pre-construction service providers. And, we’d love to know how we can help you with your next luxury construction project.

Architects, designers, and homeowners: if you’re looking for help with your next construction build, let’s chat. Let us show you how we, our design and architect partners, and our trusted vendors at Scordio Construction, Inc. continue to turn heads, one build at a time.

If you’d like pricing on a bid package, we invite you to get in contact with us. We look forward to bringing your vision to life.

Scordio Construction: Providing High-End Luxury, Pre-Construction Services for 40+ Years