QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

How much will my project cost?

Most everyone wants to know what their construction project will cost, accurately, as soon as possible. A breakdown of where your investment goes is a helpful first step, roughly: 80% construction; 10% design, engineering and specifications; 10% permits and tax. 

If you are considering square foot costs, start at $300 per square foot for remodeling and additions; $350-$500 per square foot for new, high- performance design and construction. Please keep in mind that this a gross estimating method, and only appropriate for feasibility analysis.

Although we wish we could give an accurate cost estimate, we can’t until the project is defined.  Nor can anyone else. 

But we do know this: the accuracy of a cost estimate is directly proportional to the level of design details that are known. 

Hence the need for you to spend some money in design development to discover how much you’ll need to spend on construction. But until design is completed and we methodically and accurately price out the work, our estimates will be just that. For that we apologize ahead of time, but there’s no way to prevent this inherent choppiness along the way. We promise to tell you our truth when projecting prices along the way towards a solid bid, but we must, together, accept the potential inaccuracies of these preliminary numbers. 

How long will my project take?

Construction is a notoriously fickle business, full of variables that push and pull on schedules. Materials are delayed. A sub has a family emergency. It snows a foot in the county. That said, we’ve been doing this a long time. A1’s thoroughgoing process yields accurate schedules — we don’t lose time that’s in our control.

When can we start construction?

Construction dates are completely dependent upon when design starts and how quickly and efficiently that process goes.  For the last three years, most projects take about 9-12 months from the time we get you on the waiting list to the time construction commences.

We can talk in very general terms when discussing potential construction start dates. Only when we arrive at a complete design with accurate cost information and a signed agreement can we accurately and effectively discuss the start date and completion date of your project.