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Design-Build

Denver design-build with one team and one number.

Concept to certificate of occupancy under a single contract. No handoffs between architect and contractor, no finger-pointing, no budget surprises at bid time.

Traditional delivery makes you buy a full set of drawings before you know what the project costs. Design-build flips that: we define scope and budget together at the concept stage, then design and build against a number you approved before the heavy spending started. One team carries the project from first sketch to final inspection, and accountability never changes hands.

What Design-Build Covers

Any commercial project type we build can run as design-build.

  • Tenant improvement and tenant finish
  • Restaurant and hospitality build-outs
  • Medical and dental office construction
  • Retail and office renovations
  • Light industrial and flex space
  • Church and institutional renovation
  • Ground-up light commercial
  • Conceptual budgeting and feasibility studies

The Conceptual Phase: Budget Before Blueprints

Our conceptual phase defines your project with a floor plan and MEP narratives at roughly 10 to 15 percent of the full architectural process. That is enough definition to lock scope, set a real construction budget, and decide whether to move forward — without committing to a complete drawing set first. If the numbers work, the concept package rolls straight into full design and permitting. If they don’t, you found out early and cheaply.

Why One Contract Beats Two

When the architect and the contractor work for the same team, design decisions get priced as they are made, not discovered at bid opening. Constructability problems get caught on paper instead of in the field. Value engineering happens during design, where it saves money, rather than after permits, where it costs schedule. And when something needs to change mid-project, you make one phone call and get one answer.

Process and Timeline

A design-build project moves through concept, design development, permitting, and construction as one continuous sequence. Because design and preconstruction overlap, most projects reach groundbreaking faster than the traditional design-bid-build path, and the construction schedule is built alongside the drawings instead of after them. We manage architects, engineers, permits, subcontractors, and inspections under one agreement, and you get a single schedule with early warning if anything threatens it.

Why Snyder

What you get working with us.

Conceptual budgets at 10–15% of the architectural process — decide before you spend
Design priced as it develops, not at bid opening
One contract, one schedule, one point of accountability
Constructability review during design, not during construction
Full permitting managed in-house across Denver-metro jurisdictions
Class A licensed general contractor
FAQ

Design-build FAQs.

What is design-build construction?

Design-build is a project delivery method where one company holds a single contract for both design and construction. Instead of hiring an architect, taking finished drawings to bid, and then hiring a contractor, you work with one team that designs the project, prices it as the design develops, and builds it. The result is faster delivery, earlier cost certainty, and one point of accountability.

How much does design-build cost compared to design-bid-build?

The construction cost is driven by the same scope either way — what changes is when you learn the number and how much you spend to learn it. Our conceptual phase defines scope and budget at roughly 10 to 15 percent of the full architectural process, so you know whether the project pencils before paying for complete drawings. Catching budget problems at concept is far cheaper than redesigning after bids come in high.

Is design-build faster than traditional delivery?

Usually, yes. Design and preconstruction overlap instead of running in sequence, the bid period disappears, and long-lead items can be ordered while drawings are finished. Most commercial projects reach construction start weeks to months sooner than the design-bid-build equivalent.

Do I still get an architect with design-build?

Yes. Licensed architects and engineers produce the drawings and stamp the plans — the difference is they work as part of the design-build team, coordinated by us, rather than under a separate contract you manage yourself. Design quality does not drop; coordination improves.

When does design-build make the most sense?

When budget certainty matters early, when schedule is tight, or when you do not have drawings yet and want one team to carry the project from idea to occupancy. If you already have a complete permitted drawing set, a standard contract is often the better fit — we do both, and we will tell you which one your project actually needs.

Service Areas

Serving the Denver metro.

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