HOW WE WORK · THREE PHASES
A clear path from first idea to a home you love.
Whether you're refreshing finishes, reworking a layout, or building from a bare lot, every Forward project follows the same three phases. After each one, you decide whether to keep going. When the build is done, you get to tell the story.
this way
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.
STEP 01
Say hello
Free. A short call to get to know you.
We learn about your home, your priorities, and what you want to solve. You learn how we work, and together we map out the best next step for your project.
WITH Our office manager or a Project Consultant.
YOU DECIDE Whether you’d like to meet.
YOU GET A clear sense of how we can help, and a time on the calendar to meet.
STEP 02
Sit down together
Sit down with us, in person or by video.
We talk through your project in more detail, show you how we work, and walk you through our Concept Agreement, the next stage.
WITH A Project Consultant.
YOU DECIDE Whether to sign the Concept Agreement. Decide that day, or take your time.
YOU GET A clear picture of how we work, and an agreement you can read and decide on.
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. Design and planning typically take 3 to 4 months. Larger projects can take longer.
STEP 03
See your concept
Your vision on paper.
We design the big picture with you: the floor plan, the finishes, and a 3D look at your home, with a budget range.
WITH A Project Designer leads, and our whole design team weighs in.
YOU DECIDE Whether the concept feels right, and whether to move on to the Design-Build Agreement.
YOU GET A concept presentation you can see and react to.
STEP 04
Settle your price
Details settled, then one number.
We turn the concept into complete drawings and a written scope of work. Our trade partners walk your home and price it. Then we set your fixed price.
WITH Your Project Designer, with our estimating team and a Project Manager.
YOU DECIDE Whether to approve the fixed price. Nothing gets built until you do.
YOU GET One fixed price for the whole scope, in writing.
The fee, and your deposit.
The Concept Agreement is a fixed fee, and you know the fee before you sign. It covers the design work and is separate from your build price. Signing it does not obligate you to a construction contract, to the next step, or to a deposit. You can stop there. When you move into the Design-Build Agreement, you make a deposit. It is credited in full toward your final 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.
STEP 05
Get ready
Everything confirmed before we build.
We confirm your selections, engineering, permits, materials, and schedule. Then your Project Designer hands your project to your Project Manager in a handoff meeting. This is what makes a fixed price possible: your decisions, drawings, and details are written down, so the crew starts with answers instead of questions.
WITH Your Project Designer and your Project Manager, with you in the room.
YOU DECIDE Any last selections, and your sign-off on the plan.
YOU GET A shared schedule and a team that is ready to build.
STEP 06
Build
We build what we drew.
One team builds your home at the price we set. You get a weekly note, and we meet with you at the key decision points.
WITH Your Project Manager runs the schedule and your questions. A site supervisor and lead carpenter run the work day to day.
YOU DECIDE The key decisions along the way. We tell you what’s coming and when.
YOU GET Your home, built the way it was drawn and priced.
STEP 07
Walk through it
We’re still here.
We go through your home with you, room by room. Then your three-year written warranty begins, and we walk you through its terms.
WITH A familiar face takes your first call, and our team already knows your project.
YOU DECIDE When to call. Anytime something needs attention.
YOU GET Long-term care from people who know your home.
Now, you tell the story.
This is what the three phases were for. The dinner you host. The holiday that finally fits in the room. The friend who asks who did the work. You have a home that works the way you live, and a team that kept its word. If something needs attention, you call the same company, and someone here already knows your project.
ONE ACCOUNTABLE TEAM
Why we bring design and construction together.
Hiring an architect and a builder separately can leave you in the middle when timelines lag or budgets slip. At Forward, architecture, interior design, and construction management work as one team.
We design something we know we can build within your investment range, and we check costs as we design, long before construction begins. One team answers for all of it, so there's no finger-pointing.
Hiring separately
✕
A designer and a builder who work apart
✕
Designs drawn without construction costs
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You're in the middle when problems come up
✕
Surprises show up during construction
Working as one team
✓
One team, one point of accountability
✓
Costs checked as we design
✓
One conversation, start to finish
✓
Planning done before we build
THE RESULTS
