Client Selections in Construction: Systemize It!
By Scotti Ian Ogden
Owner of Ogden Built.
Systemize your selection process because done right, it not only sets the foundation for a smooth build but also builds confidence and trust between you and your client, ultimately driving project success.
Before any construction project can break ground, there’s a critical phase: the Design & Selections process. This is where the vision of the project begins to take shape, ensuring that every detail, from room layouts to finishing touches, is mapped out in a way that balances function, style, and budget.
What is Encompassed in the Design and Selections Process?
The Design & Selections phase is a critical step where client visions are transformed into actionable, detailed plans, including the comprehensive selection of materials and finishes. In other words, we’re taking the owner’s ideas, and we’re designing something accepted by the local by-laws and cities. This step is also crucial before starting any build because it allows us to have a clear vision and understanding of what we’re building and what the overall cost will be.
This stage serves as the bridge between conceptual ideas and their physical realization, ensuring the project aligns with the client’s aesthetic preferences, functional requirements and budget.
Pro Tip:
You need to show up to meetings with clients (owners) with confidence and these lists in order, they’ve hired you to do this, ask specific questions, because you need those specific answers to do your job correctly.
Benefits of Systemizing Design and Selections
Aligned Expectations: A thorough Design & Selections process ensures that the final product aligns closely with the client’s expectations, enhancing satisfaction for all parties.
Budget Optimization: Careful selection of materials and finishes can optimize the project budget without compromising on quality or design intent while staying within budget.
Client Satisfaction: Clients feel more involved and satisfied with the project outcome when their input is actively sought and incorporated. Your confidence gives your owner confidence. HUGE part here. You know why you’re visiting the owners’ houses and you already know what questions to ask.
Building Trust with the Owner: Maintaining the relationship with the client allows for a smooth project start to finish and maintains company reputation through testimonials and referrals.
Streamlined Process: Makes the construction process smoother by having all design decisions made upfront.
Reduced Delays: Minimizes the risk of project delays due to last-minute design changes or material selections.
How to Systemize the Design and Selections Process
Conceptual Drawings
Take the owner’s vision and put it onto paper to help them understand the magnitude of the project, what the house/project will actually look like. This includes things like room sizes, building sizes, amount of rooms, what the exterior will look like.
Because the conceptual drawing is included in permit acquisition, to create conceptual drawings that accurately depict the build, you need to ensure the plans/owners vision is legal through checking the zoning regulations and by-laws of the city you’re in.
Every city has different and ever-changing regulations. Most cities provide a checklist for each type of zoning. This checklist can be found on city websites and provides guidelines for the conceptual drawing.
Functional Selections
Functional selections are the mechanical details of the layout, how the house is going to function. This includes things such as insulation, windows, placements of doors, cabinets, tubs, stairs, gutters, exit corridors, HVAC, sprinklers, fire suppression, lighting, drains, appliances like washer, dryer etc. Not the style of any of said above but selecting the functionality of these items. For example, does the client want a built-in draw that perfectly fits their kitchen aid? Functional selections need be done before permit application.
Depending on where the project is located, there can be some requirements for functional selections. In Vancouver, your heating system has to be electric. However, if the city gives you an option then you can ask the owner how they’d like to heat their house.
Fine Selections
Fine selections include style, colour that flows through fixtures and surfaces.
Surfaces: walls, ceiling, floor, counter tops, cabinets, siding, roofing, tiles, surroundings and enclosure, fireplaces, built-in like shelves/closets, doors, trim & moldings.
Fixtures: faucets, sinks, appliances, accessories, toilets, shower heads, lighting, door handles and knobs, cabinet handles, railing and stair treads.
Pro Tip:
Don’t just let the client go out and choose what they want to select; not only is this overwhelming and time consuming for everyone, they also don’t know how to find quality products, and you’re the one warranting this project. You need to find balance between you and the owner. My suggestion is to provide three options for every selection. As the contractor you get to determine quality and price, and the owner still gets to choose the selection they want. At Ogden Contracting, we create a client catalogue.
Client Satisfaction and Feedback Loops
If people aren’t organized from the start, everyone ends up paying more money. Additionally, if you leave all the selections up to the customers, everyone ends up paying more money. Like mentioned above, give the customer a few options for each selection and emphasize decisions made not only on price but more importantly quality and style.
Feedback Loops: Establishing regular feedback sessions with clients during the design phase to ensure alignment and make necessary adjustments. Give customers a task list, schedule in a specific meeting to go over their ‘homework’ on a regular basis. This should already be in your contracts that you meet every week with your client. Send them a written agenda before the meeting, this is what we’re going to talk about and this is how much time we have to talk about it.
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