ANN ARBOR DESIGN + BUILD · SINCE 1997
The home you picture. The experience you hope for.
One team of architectural designers, interior designers, and builders. We listen first, then design around how you live.
Remodels, additions, and custom homes, from the first sketch to the last walkthrough.
start here
ANN ARBOR DESIGN + BUILD · SINCE 1997
The home you picture. The experience you hope for.
One team of architectural designers, interior designers, and builders. We listen first, then design around how you live.
Remodels, additions, and custom homes, from the first sketch to the last walkthrough.
start here
WE'VE SAT AT THIS TABLE BEFORE
A lot of us have been waiting for a better way to do a home project.
Too many home projects go wrong in the same three ways. The final price isn't the price you signed. Nobody tells you what's happening, and the schedule slips. And you feel like the least important job on the list.
THE PRICE
“The price we signed was not the price we paid.”
Some contracts keep the meter running, like time and materials or cost plus. The starting number was an estimate, and the final price was wherever the meter stopped, with lots of explanations for the extra costs.
You should know the whole number before the work starts, and see it hold.
THE SILENCE
“Nobody would tell us what was happening next.”
Weeks went by with no one on site and no one on the phone or email. Before long, the schedule had grown by three weeks, then by two months.
You should always know what's happening this week, where the schedule stands, and who to call.
THE FEELING
“We felt like the least important job on their list.”
Questions went unanswered for days. A new face showed up every week, and nobody seemed to know the whole story.
You should feel like your project is the one that matters most, and see the same faces along the way.
Your home project should feel like something you're glad you did, and would gladly do again.
YOUR GUIDE, AND OUR PROMISE
We know what makes a project feel right, so we built around it.
“My first two clients taught me what a remodel should feel like. Everything here is built so yours feels that way.”
Jef Forward
OWNER · SINCE 1997
ONE TEAM
Designers and builders, under one roof.
Architectural designers, interior designers, project managers, and carpenters all work here. Nobody hands you off, and nobody points fingers.
ONE PERSON
A named contact at every stage.
You always know who to call, and there's a team behind them: a Project Consultant, then your Project Designer, then your Project Manager, and a familiar face after move-in.
ONE NUMBER
A fixed price, set before we build.
We draw the whole scope first, then set one price for all of it. If a wall or a lot hides a surprise, we tell you, and we carry it.
Our last 100 projects, all major remodels and custom homes: 0.3% in unforeseen conditions. 4% in work homeowners chose to add. See how we price a project →
1997
ESTABLISHED IN ANN ARBOR
100
MAJOR PROJECTS BEHIND OUR NUMBERS
0.3%
UNFORESEEN CONDITIONS, LAST 100 PROJECTS
4%
CLIENT-ADDED WORK, LAST 100 PROJECTS
THE PLAN
Three phases. Then you get to tell the story.
After each phase, you decide whether to keep going. Nothing is locked in until you sign.
02
PHASE TWO
Design and price
You see it. We explain it.
We design your concept with you for a fixed fee. Then we draw the details, and those details lead to one fixed price. Nothing gets built until you approve it.
See your concept · Settle your price
03
PHASE THREE
Build
You confirm. We build.
We confirm every detail, hand your project to your Project Manager, and build what we drew at the price we set.
Get ready · Build · Walk through it
01
PHASE ONE
Meet
You talk. We listen.
A short, free call, then a conversation in person or by video. We learn what you want. You learn how we work. Then we decide together how to move forward.
Say hello · Sit down together
Then you tell the story.
This is the part you've been waiting for. The first dinner. The first holiday. The friend who asks, “Who did this?” We stay close after move-in, and your three-year written warranty is there if something needs attention.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT · ANN ARBOR
Too small to cook in. Now it’s where everything happens.
After living in their new home for a few months, this young family knew what had to change. There was no room to cook together, and no room to gather as a family or entertain. The primary bath was cramped too. A 155-square-foot addition moved the kitchen to the back of the house, with a large island, more counter space, and windows to the backyard. Upstairs, the addition made room for a bigger primary bath with a large shower and a double vanity.
HOMEOWNERS LIKE YOU
Homeowners like you, in their own words.
"Skilled, thoughtful, service oriented"
“
Working with Forward Design to remodel our kitchen was joyful and 100% successful. The process of working together was clear and easy. All of the staff members we engaged with were skilled, thoughtful, service oriented, friendly, and very polite. The worksite was impeccable.
AMY
"A team-based company"
“
All working together to create the best remodel we have ever had done. Each team member brings expertise to the design process and to the implementation. We are very happy with the results and even happier with the amazing professionals we now count as friends!
DIANE
"100% on time"
“
Forward Design Build did a great job. They were 100% on time and executed all aspects of the project flawlessly. Without exception, the entire staff was professional and courteous and a pleasure to work with. We have received hundreds of compliments on their work.
COLEY
WHERE TO START
What brings you here?
Your home looks dated.
Refresh the cabinets, surfaces, and fixtures so it looks the way you picture it.
Your layout doesn't work.
Move walls, add on, and create flow so the home fits your life.
BEFORE YOU CALL
Straight answers first. No pressure.
It depends on scope, and you will not be left guessing. We give you a budget range with your concept, design and price together rather than one after the other, and set a fixed price once the design is complete. That's the number you build to.
On a remodel, things are discovered behind walls; on a custom home, underground. When we find one, we tell you before you find it, write down what it means, and carry it. A change you ask for is different: it's priced and approved before any work on it starts, so nothing reaches the final invoice you haven't already seen.
A fixture and finish and a transformational remodel are not in the same range, so we won't give you a number here. What we will give you is a phase-by-phase schedule before demolition starts, a weekly note, and one person to call. You'll know where you are every week.
That's one of the best questions to bring us. In the first conversation we look at your home, your lot, and what you want. We tell you what each path involves, and which one we'd choose if it were ours. There's no charge for that.
The walkthrough is the finish line, not the end of the relationship. We go over your home with you, explain your written warranty, and stay easy to reach. We'd rather hear about a problem early than late.
LET'S TALK
Take the first step. It's just a conversation.
Picture it finished: a home that fits how you live, a team that kept its word, and a house you're proud to open the door to.
No drawings, no pressure, no sales pitch. Tell us what's working, what isn't, and what you've been putting off. We'll tell you honestly what we see, and what the best next step would be.
(734) 761-8403 · info@planforward.net · 8110 Jackson Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103
ready when you are