http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKVcQnyEIT8&feature=player_embedded

For us it goes well beyond just living and working here. It extends out to the raw materials we use to make our projects. We are committed to continually searching for and using materials manufactured closer to home. In the world of concrete and steel it’s no easy task, with manufacturers constantly finding new ways to contort the meaning of “Made in the USA.”

Shop smart and shop local!
Happy New Year.
-SC Fabrication Crew

• We can help predict and control cost, schedule, coordinate with consultants to help finalize plans and specifications.
• Provide detailed budgets, cost analysis, and alternative options.
• We help facilitate permitting issues by working with the various County or City agencies as needed.
• Coordinate design build and pricing with subcontractors directly if that is a more cost effective route to use rather than independent engineers and consultants in some cases.
o This is mostly related to mechanical, plumbing, and electrical work.
• This is a great way to get to know your Contractor (if you don’t already have a relationship) before entering into a contract and construction only to find out you really don’t click.
o If the Owner elects not to proceed with Contractor or the project, the Owner has no further obligation to the Contractor other than payment for Pre-Construction services agreed upon.
• The key is avoiding major change after a project is designed, engineered and bid out. This is not only costly but creates delays in construction, often missing the window to start until the following season. The sooner you can determine a preliminary budget, the more room you have to change and tweak as the design progresses.
o More often than not when pricing is provided after design without using Pre-Construction services the owners are shocked that budgets are substantially more than ever discussed with their architect.
o Starting this process earlier avoids going backwards with not only the architects design but all the consultants that have to adjust and re-do their work as well. Once you get beyond the conceptual & schematic stage it becomes more costly to make any major program changes.
Some things to consider and ways around them:
• Let’s assume you are already talking to well qualified architects and builders.
o Beyond your initial attraction to their work, or references we believe one of the keys when choosing team members starting from the architect and builder on down is not just experience or size of the firm but respect for this process and willingness to collaborate and share ideas with others.
• Larger firms whether it be civil engineers, consultants, or subcontractors are often (not always) less flexible and open to change and a team approach. The other issues here are normally there are more levels of management, and likely not working w/ principles directly. Both of these things cause inefficiencies in design, construction, scheduling, and overall cost.
• Budget issues and escalation from initial pricing and through construction are caused by rushed or incomplete design, poor or no collaboration with a good builder during design phases who could have provided important feedback on budgeting and design issues.
• Looking for and taking low bids is another issue. If competitive bidding a project, the pricing is only as good as the level of detail and specifications in the plans or bid documents. Bidders will only price what they see on the plans (to be competitive) even if it’s obvious that many details are missing or not clearly defined. This just leaves the client wide open to cost increases through change orders after construction begins.
o It’s very difficult for the clients to know if they have a good, and biddable, completely detailed sets of plans & specs. For custom designed projects, especially residential this is often not the case. It’s more expensive to have the architect prepare the plans to this level and normally they are not hired to do so.
• Change and Project evolution – We’ve been involved in all types of projects, some are more defined and spelled out from the beginning. Many of the most innovative ones involve change as they evolve. Change is OK and a good thing, but only if properly communicated and understood by all. This doesn’t always mean cost increase and often leads to much more creative/elegant solutions to design details that can’t be envisioned during design even by the best of architects or in the client’s visions.

The true secret is great collaboration with a well chosen team, great communication, and utilizing this overall approach to avoid surprise which can really sour a project or relationship with all involved.

Please feel free to get in touch to discuss this in more detail. We’re always open to suggestions on how to further improve the process for all involved.
 

Schmitt + Company

Available on Netflix “Play It Now”

Photos by Robb McDonough                             

THE GOAL:
To assemble a team of like minded individuals early in the design process while remaining primarily focused on the bigger picture. The goal is to deliver a sustainable, high-performance project that fully meets the client’s cost and quality expectations. The owners and project teams need to understand the importance of integrated design and the factors that often make it so difficult to achieve. We are continuously improving our preconstruction system for integration and alignment with clients, architects, & designers.

Defining Integrated Design:
• A simple definition of integrated design is a design that takes into account and carefully coordinates all aspects of the project. This requires a talented team of professionals and true teamwork.
• An integrated design process requires each discipline to discuss the issues with the entire team, design with consideration to all other disciplines in the project and act in a manner that ultimately supports the final product.

Reasons this coordination and teamwork is often not achieved is most often due to time constraints, individuals mired in tradition, and physical space limitations:
Design timelines are often rushed and team members are asked to produce their portions of the design in shorter and shorter times. Space is valuable –  Proper allowances for efficient placement and routing of utilities, equipment and systems is often not well planned and creates bigger challenges later on.

• This most often leads to well-qualified designers working independently to get their portion of the project complete. They are aware of the other team members needs but when dealing with time restraints they are forced to respond the best way they can rather than coordinate efforts with others.
• We as builders often constructively challenge consultants reasoning on design and specifications. Our job is to question and come up w/ more practical cost effective solutions, materials, or options to get to the same place. There are some things that just cannot be worked out on paper and understood by those not working directly in the field.

True Teamwork & Benefits:
Integrated design forces people to check their egos at the door and truly work as a team. Some think this takes more effort when working collectively together instead of as individuals, but it fosters innovation through team synergy.
• Form a team with a great architect, builder, and designer (early in the design phase) making sure everyone believes in integrated design and is a good team player.
• Work collaboratively as a team to form a more cost effective plan, as the design is being completed. It is not the architect’s expertise to create budgets and know true costs. Using just sq. ft. costs during design is very misleading and does not capture total project costs that need to be considered.
• This teamwork should not end with the design completion and beginning of construction. Project success using an integrated design approach is not the mere completion of design activities, and construction – success is marked by the creation of a building or project that deeply satisfies the owner, exceeds their expectations, and performs as intended.
• Anyone willing to pay for good design to create a project deserves this level of deliberation and attention.
1. Think about it this way – If you were paying for a project wouldn’t you want a team that is carefully thinking through every aspect of the building, understanding how all those individual elements come together to create a higher value than just the cost to build it?
2. How satisfied would you be if the project was completed and you realized it met some of your needs but not all of them?

Stay tuned for Part 2 - The benefits of a "Pre-Construction Agreement" with a good builder

We have realized that over the years we have created our own distinctive Schmitt Family style, which has been evolving for the last 30 years. So why not expand on something that we love, which friends and colleagues have coined as the “Schmitt look”?

Our Fabrication shop, run by our nephew Joe Bates, has become an integral part of what we do. Through collaboration of design, construction and fabrication we have been able to produce custom components for our jobs from architectural pieces to furnishings and light fixtures.  These items have made our work very visible to other architects and designers who are now bringing us their ideas and sketches to create.

Melissa has found her niche in design. Her love is transformation of space, both architecturally and through color, texture and custom furnishings. With our Fabrication shop able to produce custom furnishings and pieces for her projects, as well as the immediacy of our construction expertise, she can create very personalized spaces for her clients.

Check out the new logos that work to bring the three distinctive entities together.

Want to see for yourself what’s new? Give us a call and come visit us, either at our studio or the new shop space in Napa. www.schmittcompany.com

Looking forward to seeing you,

Eric Schmitt

The premise of the event was simple: get a group of our peers together, get dirty, cast some concrete together and talk shop. Ultimately, the day reflected more than that.

From a technical perspective, the concrete itself has come so far in the last 4-5 years that, in the hands of a competent craftsman, the focus has shifted from “how am I going to make this medium work to realize my vision” to “what can I do with this medium.” That fundamental shift is very exciting and means that good things are in store for the architects, designers and homeowners that are just beginning to see the versatility of high-performance concrete in their projects. 

The day itself was a smashing success, with over 30 of the best craftsmen and women in the industry getting together to sling mud and talk shop. Four projects were cast that day—each showcasing different facet of this wonderful medium. A new all-in-one sink and counter was cast for our shop, a new multicolored counter was cast for a Gypsy wagon, a new desk top was conjured up for the Tommy cooks RV, and a last minute project showed up stuffed in the back of an Audi station wagon: a blood-red shower pan. “The only way I could come to the play day was if we cast this piece today! It’s due in a week, but I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Do you have room?” A pretty tired-looking Dominic got a little extra help with his project from some of the best hands in the business. There was not one person that walked away without sharing and learning at least one thing that made them and someone else a little better at what they do, and that is what it’s all about.

Big thanks to all those who showed up, and those that made it happen—Tommy “The Gnome” Cook for pulling it all together; Buddy and Susan Rhodes for bringing the pallet of supplies, good food and their smiling, tireless selves; Jon Schuler and Blue Concrete for another pallet of goodies, the extra mixers and endless energy; Dominic and company for the last-minute casting challenge; Prasad, Andy, Dana, Katrina, Patrick, John and everyone else that made the trek! We’ll surely be doing this again!

For more information on SC Fabrication visit our new website at www.schmittcompany.com or give a call and come visit us at the new shop in Napa.