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FAQ
Answers before you even have to ask.
Everything Ann Arbor homeowners ask us before a remodel or a custom home: what it costs, how long it takes, who will be in the house, and what happens after.
GETTING STARTED
A conversation. Tell us how your home is not working, or what you are hoping to build. We will listen, walk you through how we work, and help you decide whether design-build is right for you. It costs nothing and it commits you to nothing.
No. That is the work. We are architect-led, so the design, the drawings and the construction are all ours. You bring how you want to live. We bring the path to get there.
Earlier than most people expect. Design takes real time, and starting early is the single best way to protect both the budget and the schedule. In the first conversation we will tell you what a realistic start looks like for a project your size.
INVESTMENT & BUDGET
It depends on scope, and you will not be left guessing. We give you a range early, design and price together rather than one after the other, and set a fixed price once the design is complete.
A free estimate is a guess, usually made before anyone has drawn anything. Our agreements are built from complete drawings and a detailed scope of work. That is the whole reason we can hold a number instead of hoping for one.
Often, yes. We will help you sequence the work so each phase stands on its own and nothing gets built twice.
DESIGN-BUILD PROCESS
Most design-build firms are builder-led with a designer on staff. We are the other way around. Architects, interior designers, project managers and carpenters all work here, and a project starts from how the house has to work rather than from what is easiest to build. What gets drawn is buildable, priced honestly, and built as drawn.
As involved as you want to be, with structure. Decisions come in the right order rather than all at once, with drawings and selections that make each choice clear. You will not be asked to decide something before you have what you need to decide it.
It happens on most projects and we plan for it. A change is written down and priced before any work on it starts, so nothing reaches the final invoice that you have not already seen and approved.
TIMELINE & CONSTRUCTION
It depends on scope, and the honest answer is that a finish refresh and a whole-home project are not in the same range. What we can promise is that you will have a phase-by-phase schedule before demolition starts, and you will know where you are in it every week.
A project manager and our own carpenters lead every job, supported by trade partners we have worked with for years and chosen on standard rather than on price. You will always know who is on site and who to call. Meet the people who will be in your home on our Team page.
Selections are finalized and materials ordered before demolition begins. Most mid-project stalls are a crew standing around waiting on something nobody ordered, and the way to avoid that is to have decided earlier.
LIVING THROUGH A REMODEL
Often, yes. We contain the work area, manage the dust, and keep the spaces you use every day working. For larger projects, Forward clients have access to our furnished rental homes.
Weekly summaries, scheduled check-ins, and one person to call. Decisions and progress live in one place, so you are never guessing what is happening inside your own house.
Tell us about them at the first meeting. Site protection, work hours and access get planned around your household rather than the other way around.
WARRANTY & LONG-TERM SUPPORT
Our warranty terms are written down, and we walk you through them before you sign anything. There is a warranty manager here whose job is exactly this.
Call us. Punch-list items and warranty work go to the same team, and someone here already knows your project.
Yes. Forward clients have access to maintenance services and seasonal guidance.
