What is a design build contractor?

A design build contractor provides architecture, engineering, and construction services under one contract. Instead of hiring an architect to design plans and then bidding them to separate contractors, the homeowner works with one firm that handles everything from initial design through final construction. The architect and builder work for the same company, collaborating throughout the project rather than operating as separate entities the homeowner must coordinate between.

What are the advantages of design build over hiring an architect and contractor separately?

Design build offers several advantages: the budget is refined continuously as the design develops rather than being discovered after plans are complete and bids come back; the timeline is typically shorter because there is no gap between design completion and contractor selection; accountability is clearer because one firm is responsible for both design and construction; and coordination between design and construction is smoother because the architect and builder work together daily rather than communicating across separate firms.

Is design build more expensive than the traditional approach?

Design build is typically not more expensive than the traditional approach, and can be more cost effective. The efficiency of having design and construction under one roof reduces the redesign, coordination gaps, and change orders that add cost in the traditional model. The builder prices the design as it develops, which keeps the budget aligned with the homeowner's expectations throughout the process rather than revealing a gap after plans are complete.

Does a design build firm handle permits in Orlando?

Yes. A design build firm manages the entire permit process, from preparing the permit package with architectural drawings and engineering through submission, reviewer responses, and inspection scheduling. Because the architect and builder work together on the construction documents, the plans tend to be more complete and encounter fewer review comments than plans produced by separate firms.

What kind of projects benefit most from the design build approach?

Complex residential projects benefit most from design build: custom homes, major home additions, whole home remodels, ADUs, and projects involving structural changes. These projects require tight coordination between design and construction that the traditional architect-then-bid-then-build approach often struggles to deliver. Simpler projects like a bathroom renovation or interior painting may not benefit as significantly from the design build model.

by Claudia Eslava

Design Build Contractor Orlando: Architecture and Construction Under One Roof

June 29, 2026

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Home Addition

Design Build Contractor Orlando: Architecture and Construction Under One Roof

Most construction projects follow the same broken pattern. The homeowner hires an architect. The architect designs the project. The completed plans go to multiple contractors for bids. The bids come back higher than expected. Value engineering begins, cutting scope and swapping materials to bring the numbers down. The homeowner pays for redesign. The schedule stretches. When construction starts and something in the plans does not work in the field, the builder blames the architect, the architect blames the builder, and the homeowner is caught in the middle writing checks to solve a problem neither side will own.

There is a different way to do this. It is called design build, and it is how Magnet Construction Group has delivered projects in Orlando for years. One firm provides architecture, engineering, interior design, and construction under a single contract. One team. One budget. One point of accountability from the first sketch through the final walkthrough.

This article explains what a design build contractor does, how the process differs from traditional construction, and why this model matters for complex residential projects in Central Florida.

What a Design Build Contractor Actually Does

In the traditional model, the homeowner is the middleman. You hire an architect. You take the plans to contractors. You coordinate between firms that have no contractual relationship with each other and no incentive to solve problems collaboratively. When the architect’s design exceeds the builder’s budget, which happens more often than anyone in the industry likes to admit, you pay for the redesign. When the builder encounters a condition the architect did not account for, you pay for the change order. The firms are not adversaries. They just have no structural reason to work together, because they work for you, not for each other.

A design build contractor eliminates the middleman by bringing both disciplines under one roof. The architect and the builder work for the same company. They collaborate from the first conversation about your project through the final punch list. The architect designs with an understanding of construction costs because their colleague down the hall is pricing the design in real time. The builder identifies site conditions, structural constraints, and cost implications during schematic design, when changes are inexpensive, rather than during construction, when changes are expensive.

This is not just a different contract structure. It is a fundamentally different way of managing a construction project. The incentives are aligned. The people designing the project and the people building it answer to the same project budget and the same project timeline. When something comes up, and something always comes up in a project of any complexity, there is no finger pointing. There is problem solving.

How the Design Build Process Works

The design build process follows the same broad phases as any construction project. What is different is how those phases connect to each other.

Initial consultation. You meet with the design build team. Both the architectural and construction perspectives are in the room from the first conversation. The builder can assess what is feasible on your property while the architect discusses what is possible. You are not getting a design vision from one person and a budget reality check from another person weeks later. You are getting both at the same time, from people who work together every day.

Schematic design. The architect develops preliminary floor plans and elevations. The builder reviews each iteration for constructability and cost. If a design decision adds significant expense, you know about it while the design is still fluid enough to adjust. This is the phase where the design build model shows its value most clearly. In a traditional process, the architect designs in isolation and the cost implications surface after the plans are complete. In design build, the cost implications surface during design, when they can still be addressed without redesign fees.

Design development and selections. The layout locks in. The details get specified: flooring, cabinetry, countertops, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, tile, paint, hardware. The builder prices each decision as it is made so the construction budget stays current. There is no moment where the design is complete, the bids come back, and everyone discovers the budget does not match the design. The budget has been tracking the design the entire time.

Permitting. The design build firm prepares and submits the permit package. Because the architect and builder worked together on the construction documents, the plans are more complete and more buildable than plans produced in isolation and handed off for bidding. This tends to result in fewer reviewer comments and a faster permit timeline, though the building department always has the final say on timing.

Construction. The same team that designed the project now builds it. The project manager has been involved since the design phase and knows the project inside out. The subcontractors are managed by a firm that understands the design intent because they helped create it. When a question comes up in the field, the architect is down the hall, not at a different firm across town with a different schedule and different priorities.

Warranty. Because one firm is responsible for both design and construction, there is no ambiguity about who stands behind the work. If something goes wrong, there is one number to call and one company accountable for making it right.

Design Build vs. Traditional: A Comparison That Matters

The difference between design build and the traditional approach is not theoretical. It shows up in specific, practical ways at every stage of a project.

Budget accuracy. In a traditional process, the budget is an estimate until the plans are complete and the bids come back. That can be months after the homeowner has paid for architectural drawings and made emotional commitments to the design. If the bids exceed the budget, the homeowner pays to revise the plans or reduce the scope. In design build, the budget is refined continuously as the design develops. The builder prices decisions as they are made. There is no single moment of reckoning where the numbers either work or do not. The numbers are always current.

Timeline. Traditional projects have a gap between design completion and construction start while plans go out for bid, contractors walk the site, bids come back, and a contractor is selected. Design build eliminates that gap because the builder is selected from the beginning. Permitting can begin while design details are being finalized because the construction team has already reviewed the plans for buildability.

Accountability. In a traditional project, when something goes wrong, the architect and builder can point at each other. The architect says the builder did not follow the plans. The builder says the plans were not buildable. The homeowner is in the middle with no clear path to resolution. In design build, there is no one to point at. The firm is responsible for both design and construction, and the firm fixes the problem.

Coordination. Design build firms have internal systems for coordinating architecture, engineering, interior design, and construction because they do it on every project. Traditional projects rely on the homeowner to coordinate between separate firms that may have never worked together before. The difference in efficiency is significant, especially on complex projects like whole home remodels, major additions, and custom homes.

What to Look for in a Design Build Contractor

Not every firm that calls itself design build actually operates that way. Some are general contractors who have a relationship with an architect they refer work to, which is not the same as having both disciplines under one roof with a shared budget and shared accountability. Others are architects who offer to manage construction, which is not the same as having an experienced construction team with a track record of building what they design.

When you interview a design build firm, ask how the architect and builder work together on a daily basis. Do they sit in the same office? Do they walk sites together during schematic design? How is the budget tracked and communicated during the design phase? Can they show you examples of projects where a design decision was flagged for cost during schematic design and adjusted before plans were finalized? A real design build firm can answer these questions with specific examples from recent projects. A firm that is using the term as marketing will talk around them.

Also verify the license. In Florida, a design build firm performing residential construction must hold the appropriate contractor license. The architectural work must be performed by or under the supervision of a licensed architect. A legitimate design build firm will be transparent about both credentials.

Why Magnet Construction Group Operates as a Design Build Firm

We made a deliberate choice to structure our company this way because we saw the alternative too many times. Homeowners paying for redesign when bids came back high. Projects dragging on while separate firms pointed fingers. Beautiful plans that could not be built within the budget they were designed for. The traditional process works for some projects and some clients. For the kind of work we do, custom homes, major additions, whole home remodels, the coordination between design and construction is too important to leave to chance.

We provide architecture, structural engineering, interior design, permitting, and construction under one contract. One team accountable from the first conversation through warranty. If you are considering a home addition, custom home, or whole home remodel in Orlando, schedule a consultation. We will walk your property and show you how design build changes the experience.