What is a Pre Construction Agreement, and Why Is It Important?

When I began Ascent Contracting over a decade ago, one of my main goals was to disrupt the stigma of the residential construction industry. I had the vision of creating a building company that operated with honesty and integrity and offered transparency and education to clients. Providing clear communication and ample information is how we begin the relationship with every new client. That’s why we require a pre construction agreement.

A pre construction agreement allows the team at Ascent to begin a project with detailed information, the ability to collaborate with industry professionals like architects, and it allows the homeowner to make advance decisions that save time and money. The agreement includes payment up front to gather intel that would typically be gathered during the course of a build. Instead, gathering this information before the project begins sets up the build team and homeowner for success before the shovel even hits the dirt.

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The benefits of a pre construction agreement:

1. A detailed and very clear project budget. This is more than copying and pasting numbers from a template spreadsheet- it entails a bottom-up approach that considers the project component by component down to materials and light fixtures.
2. The ability to value engineer. When a homeowner can see exactly where their budget is being spent, they are able to shift dollars from one area to another based on family priorities.
3. An accurate and speedier timeline. Ordering products ahead of time and preparing a detailed plan avoids waiting on materials or finishes and on-the-go in-field planning that may extend the estimated completion date.
4. Discovery of unknown existing issues. Exploratory demolitionpre-project provides the opportunity to discover the unknown, allowing contractors to avoid drastically changing a build approach.
5. The opportunity to collaborate and address nuances and details. A detailed plan put together in pre construction allows collaboration between architect, builder, structural engineer and designer and helps the professional team to work together and address every part of a project to ensure a beautiful, efficient and quality build.

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Thanks for taking the time to read about the benefits of a pre construction agreement so we can set your project up for success and build the home of your dreams.

Justin Bride
Principal

“It was important to us to be able to trust our contractor to have our best interest in mind as we were coming to collective decisions. We really enjoyed working with Ascent, it was a project of passion, on what we believe will be our ‘forever home’, so we were super appreciative of Justin and his thoroughness, his attention to detail.”

– Nils Erickson, Ascent client