Owner guides

Straight answers when a project needs help.

No sales pitch in front of the answer. Each guide gives the short version first, then the process behind it — including the cases where the honest answer is that you don't need to hire anyone.

Getting help

Who to hire to manage a construction project

The honest version: it depends on how much of the risk you want to keep, and how much time you personally have.

Getting help

Contractor behind schedule

Frustration is not a remedy. The contract is. Work the sequence below before you make demands you can't support.

Getting help

Is my construction bid fair

A bid is not a price. It's a set of assumptions with a number attached. Fairness is judged on the assumptions.

Getting help

Do I need an owner's representative

Not every project needs one. Here is the honest test, including the cases where the answer is no.

Getting help

Construction consultant cost

Fee structures are simple. Choosing the right one for your stage is what saves money.

Getting help

What a construction consultant does

Less advice, more verification. The value is in checking what everyone else asserts.

Getting help

Help with a stalled project

Stalled projects get worse on their own. The first move is factual, not adversarial.

Getting help

Second opinion on a contractor bid

The cheapest hour on any project is the one spent before signature.

Getting help

First-time owner guide

You don't need to learn construction. You need to control the order of decisions.

Comparison

Owner's rep vs. general contractor

Four titles, frequently confused, with very different obligations.

Comparison

When a consultant pays for itself

No guarantees are honest here. What's honest is showing you where the money usually moves.

Getting help

Commercial construction consulting

You're running a business and building one at the same time. The build should not be the thing that consumes you.

Not sure which one fits?

Describe the project in a sentence or two. We'll tell you what it needs — including when the answer is that it doesn't need us.

Request a consultation