Needs and Options Review Video

Hi. If you're building or renovating, then taking action on what you learn in this short training video will be the most valuable thing you do for years. Now, I know this is a big statement, but I can say that because it will help you avoid the number one most costly mistake people make when doing a building project.

Have you ever heard the term on time and on budget? If not, this concept is an important one. On time and on budget is the term used in all big projects, from construction to IT to building roads. All projects are trying to meet their targets. The term on time and on budget refers to completing the project within the planned timeframe and within the planned budget. Many times, however, this doesn't happen, and for your project, this is bad news. There are many reasons projects might not come in on time and on budget, but by far the number one reason is lack of planning in the early phases.

Here's the thing. At some point during your project, you're going to discover a way to make your project better. Now, this is a given. It always happens. It could be a design change. It could be a window or a door in a better place. It could be the layout of a room. It might be a design that saves you money or dramatically improves the livability of the spaces. But sooner or later, you're going to want to make a change. When shortcuts are taken early on and people rush into the design phase, then they do not discover all the options they had or what they really wanted until the concrete has already been poured. Without getting a full needs and options review conducted before the builder gets onsite, homeowners regularly shortchange their design. Late discovery of your real needs or options leaves you crying, "If only I had known."

Now, this is why we created the needs and options review. There are five points during the process of a project where you have the opportunity to make changes. The first one is the needs and options review. Second one is the concept design. Third, the building documentation. After that, bidding and negotiation and the construction phase. Now, if you discover better options early on, then you can make the changes effortlessly. Make your discoveries late, and you pay exponentially more or worse, live in a house where you settled for a lesser option.

This little chart here gives an indication of how cost increases over time. As you can see at the beginning, during the needs and options review phase, costs are very inexpensive, but as get further on in the project, all the way down to the construction phase, changes can cost up to 50 times more, and that's not even counting the time that it takes and project delays.

You know what they say. A picture is worth a thousand words. With the needs and options review, you will never have to utter those tragic words, "If only I had known." So take a look at this chart. Time is on the bottom on the x-axis. Now, as time progresses from left to right, the opportunity to make changes decreases. That's what this line is showing here. So this is common sense. It's a lot easier to change the location of a concrete footing before it has been placed in the ground.

Now, let's look for a second at the relative cost to make a change. As you can see, on the left-hand side, we have a low cost, and at the top of the graph, we're going to have a high cost. As time progresses, the cost gets more expensive. The best time to make a change is in the beginning of a project. This is why a thorough needs and options review should be your first step. Or as Abraham Lincoln said, "If I had nine hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first six sharpening my ax." Old Abe Lincoln understood that proper preparation early on can save a lot of time and effort in the long run. Or if we put that into common terms, measure twice and cut once.

Now, when we overlay these two charts, you'll see at the beginning of a project, the opportunity for change is at its greatest, and at the end of the project, the cost to make changes is at its greatest. It's at this point in the process that we want to avoid making changes. We want to make changes over at the left-hand side and thoroughly explore all of your options. This is why a proper needs and options review saves you time and money.

You may be asking, "Do I need a needs and options review?" Well, here's a quick test to find out. Grab a pen and paper, and give yourself a score for each of the following questions. I'll wait. First question. How clear are you on exactly what you need on a scale of zero, not at all, to 10, completely? Question two. Out of 10, how clear are you on all the options your site will accommodate? Out of 10, how confident are you that you are aware of the legal requirements? Okay. Out of 10, how aware are you of the process you will need to have in place to get the project completed on time and on budget? Our last question here. Out of 10, how confident are you that your budget will achieve your needs? Zero, not at all, to 10, completely. Okay. Go ahead and tally up your score, and don't worry about not being able to answer all of these questions 10 out of 10 yet.

The needs and options review will allow us to fill in the gaps and get you ready to move to the design phase. The first step you will need to complete is the needs and options review. Now, we designed this process a few years ago because we saw a huge issue in the construction industry of people starting design and construction before they had fully done their research and their homework. We would see many budgets going over time and over budget. The consequence of inadequate upfront research of needs and options is like building a house on bad foundations. The foundations are the most important part of the whole house, because everything is built on top. It's very expensive to change the foundations once you have started to build on top of them. But on the other hand, it's very easy to change them if they are simply lines on a plan.

This is what makes us different. We spend more time on the research than most other firms who rush their clients into the design phase. We take a different approach. In fact, we will only work with clients who are prepared to do the needs and options review properly. We will not rush this step. It only causes cost overruns later if we take shortcuts and don't establish solid foundations. The needs and options review is the most important step, because it lays the foundation for a successful project. Once complete, the valuable insights you gain from this first phase can be used by us or any other architect and will ultimately produce a better result for you.

Question. Can I save money by not paying for a needs and options review? Sure. You could skip this step or meet with someone who gives you a few free ideas before rushing you into the design phase. But not investing the time into a full needs and options review can be the most expensive decision you make during your project. The most cost-effective time to discover all your options is now.

I just want to thank you for watching this brief training video. We look forward to working with you. To book your needs and options session, complete the form below. You'll see it right below this video. Someone will contact you shortly to schedule a suitable time. Once again, complete the form below now to book your needs and options review. Thank you.