FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Curious about design-build? Here are answers to the most common questions clients have about working with Red House, our process, services, and project expectations.

Whether you’re planning a renovation or a custom build, this page can help demystify the remodeling process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Red House Answers Your Questions!

What Sort Of Projects Do You DO?

Our core focus is on designing and building large-scale remodeling projects and additions. From historic whole-home remodels to kitchen and bath renovations, Red House Design Build is your one-stop shop for transforming your house into your dream home. Project budgets tend to range from $200,000-$2M+

However, no project is too small for our team. Smaller projects can include:

Pull and replace bathrooms
Custom millwork and built-ins
Cosmetic renovations with no structural changes
Exterior repair or replacement contracting (roofing, siding, windows, doors)

Budgets for these projects typically fall between $65,000-$150,000, but can fall above or below this range, depending on scope.

Large projects account for 90% of our work. The remaining 10% includes smaller, “pull and replace” bathrooms, specialty built-ins, and cosmetic renovations with no structural changes. Budgets for these projects typically fall between $65,000-$150,000.

We only provide replacement contracting services (roofs, siding, gutters, etc.) or insurance restoration if it is part of a larger project scope or if you are an existing client.

What's Your Service Area?

We service all of Rhode Island and parts of southern Massachusetts, with most of our projects in Providence, East Greenwich, Tiverton, and Barrington.

Do You Offer Warranties Or Guarantees For Your Work?

We offer a 3 year workmanship warranty on every project. Our warranty process is simple, login to your owner’s portal and submit a claim. A member of our team will follow up within one business day to schedule a visit.

Industry standard warranties are 1-2 years. We stand behind our extended warranty and promise to choose materials and building techniques that will stand the test of time, far after our warranty period ends.

This Is My First Time Working With A Design Build Firm/Contractor. What are the first steps?

First, fill out our contact form to schedule a discovery call. On this 30-minute call, we can discuss your vision for your home renovation project. You’ll also learn a little about Red House’s process and get a feel for what it’s like to work with us.

If we are aligned on scope, timeline, and budget, we’ll book an in-home walk-through with a Project Developer. During this visit, they’ll get a first-hand look at your project spaces and customize a scope outline, preliminary budget, and design proposal based on your needs. There are no costs to you up to this point.

I Just Need Architectural Drawings For My Project. Is This Something You Offer?

Unfortunately, we do not offer architectural drawings as a standalone service at this time.

I Already Have A Design. Do You Provide Just Construction?

Yes. We offer construction services to projects that do not require any design or that already have complete construction documents in place. If you have a only have a design concept or some finishes pre-selected, we may still require a design fee to generate completed construction documents.

What is your design fee?

If we seem like a good fit at your initial site visit, you’ll sign a design proposal to begin our design process. Our total design fee is 6-8% of the project’s preliminary budget, but we will start with a smaller upfront down payment, due at signing.

Our upfront payments are:

$7,000 – for projects with a budget up to $500,000

$12,000 – for projects with a budget between $500,000-$800,000

$18,000 – for projects with a budget over $800,000

Once you sign a design proposal, you’ll then get paired with a Lead Designer, hand-picked for each unique project, and we’ll begin Phase 1 of our design process–where the real fun starts!

Once the schematic design, scope, and estimate are finalized, You will enter Phase 2 of our design process. This includes creating a permit set, applying for a permit, completing construction documents, and choosing, purchasing, and finalizing selections (all of the fun details). After we have finished your project package, construction can begin!

What does design-build mean?

Design-build is a method of project delivery in which one unified team works with the client to provide both design and construction services.

Design-build can mean different things to different companies. Many companies that use the designation are more heavily weighted toward construction. They may have a small in-house design team or outsource design entirely to a trade partner. This can impact your experience, so it’s essential to understand the degree of design these companies offer when making your choice.

At Red House, we define design-build as having a balanced design and production team, offering in-house architects, technical designers, interior designers, cabinetry specialists, skilled carpenters, and project managers–everything you need to take your dream home from conception to construction under one roof.

What are the advantages of design-build?

Cost transparency: Design-build allows you to know the price of construction while the design is being developed. Alternative methods, such as design-bid-build, create the design first and determine the construction cost later. This frequently creates misalignment with client expectations of pricing and can lead to frustration and disappointment.
Communication: We’ve all heard stories about a designer and contractor not being on the same page. In design-build, communication between these key stakeholders happens from day one, so there is no confusion in the field. This allows a design-build company to set better expectations with the client, discover opportunities for cost savings, and pivot if challenges arise before they become costly or compromise the scope.
Single Point of Accountability: No more pointing fingers. In design-build, one company is responsible for the outcome of your project. This reduces owner risk and streamlines invoicing and warranty options.
Improved quality control: Design and build standards are easier to meet when there is one unified team working together towards a common goal.
Complex project management: A whole home remodel or large-scale project requires many moving parts and decisions. That’s a lot for clients to manage on their own when dealing with separate vendors. The design-build approach is essential for large-scale projects that require a high level of oversight and coordination.

Is design-build more expensive?

Not necessarily. Design-build can appear more expensive because its costs are often compared to construction costs alone. If you were to hire an architect, an interior designer, a cabinet specialist (kitchen & bath), and a general contractor, the price of design-build wouldn’t seem too far off.

That said, because design-build offers all those services under one roof, it is considered a luxury service. Not all projects, clients, or budgets require or desire that level of detail. When determining who to hire for your project, consider what is most important to you and where you need the most support.

How do you estimate costs?

We use different tools to understand a project’s cost depending on where we are in the process. At the start, before we have a design in place, we use a tool called the Preliminary Budget Sheet. This worksheet uses price ranges for high level scope. For example, a kitchen may fall between $150k-$250k, depending on the size and level of finish.

Later in the process, we create an accurate construction estimate from a design plan set using a library of costs for self-performed work, such as design and carpentry. For trade partner pricing (electric, plumbing, HVAC, tile), we conduct a trade walk to obtain quotes. Combined, these determine the total cost of construction under a fixed-price contract.

How are your payments broken up?

We offer milestone payments throughout the course of your project, including:

Upfront design fee – due at signing your design proposal
Balance of total design fee – due at the end of the Feasibility Phase of your project. This total amount ranges from 6-8% of your project budget less the amount of your upfront design fee.
Commitment Payment – once a design layout is finalized, you will sign a Commitment Contract, committing yourself to the construction phase of our process. A payment of approximately 10% is due upon signing.
Allowance Payment – once fixture and finish allowances are reconciled, the total value of those selections will be invoiced.
Construction Milestone Payments:
- Start of Work
- Start of Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing
- Start of Millwork
- Start of Paint
- Final Completion

Do you have a square footage cost?

Each of our projects are unique, and each budget is tailored to our client’s specific needs and the project scope. As is typical with many custom homebuilders, Red House cannot restrict our project costs to a square footage calculation, as it would be misleading and inaccurate.

Do you offer a line-by-line budget breakdown?

A project estimate is a complex calculation of interconnected costs that depend on each other to be a complete package. A line-by-line breakdown can be confusing, misleading clients into thinking integral scope elements are separate and optional when the reality is that together, they are necessary for a functional design. That said, we make every effort to work with our clients to develop a scope and budget that will align with their needs. Clients are given options, alternatives, and sufficient information to decide what will work best for their budget and scope.

Are prices negotiable?

We offer a fixed-price construction contract that is non-negotiable. This contract takes months to create, with many team members collaborating to determine the most accurate costs for the desired scope of work. Occasionally, it may be possible to save on selections by choosing lower-tier products, and our designers are always happy to navigate this with you. Usually, if a client requires a budget to be lower than an estimate, the only way to achieve this is to re-evaluate and value engineer the project’s scope of work.

Can I save money by placing orders for products myself?

Yes, but doing so should be done with caution. Ordering selections requires a significant time commitment, coordination, communication, and troubleshooting. Delays in delivery, incorrect products, and damaged goods are just a few of the issues that can result in production setbacks, which extend your timeline and add costs to your final price tag. Additionally, self-acquired selections are not covered by Red House’s 3-year warranty.

If you decide to order your own products, you may be asked to sign a waiver that ensures you understand the responsibility of managing the ordering process and your responsibility for quality control and timely delivery.

Can I save money by finishing the project myself (i.e., “If you frame it, can we paint it?”)

As we provide a 3-year warranty on all of our projects, leaving a project to be finished by someone else effectively nullifies that warranty as we are no longer the last people to have worked on it. We stand behind the quality of work our team produces, and by seeing each project through to the finished product, we ensure that those high standards are met for you.

What items affect the cost of a project the most?

Big ticket items include windows, exterior doors, countertops (especially natural stone), cabinetry, custom millwork, and other products requiring specialized installations. Red House offers a three-tiered catalog for these higher-cost selections, allowing budget flexibility without sacrificing quality.

How long does the design process take?

Depending on the scope of work, our full design process can take 4-6 months to complete. That may sound like a long time, but trust us, it won’t feel that way once you are in it. Large-scale projects involve thousands of decisions, and we want to ensure that we’ve been thoughtful and careful with your investment, leaving you enough time to make sound decisions that you will stand behind for years to come.

We do offer expedited design timelines through our Design Essentials Package. This 8-week development timeline is best suited for smaller projects without substantial layout changes. A pull and replace bathroom or custom built-ins would work well for this project type.

How long does construction take?

Construction timelines vary by project size. A kitchen remodel will take about 3 months to complete. A whole home remodel with multiple additions could take 6-8 months to complete, depending on the size. There’s no one-size-fits all answer. However, as we progress through the design phase and have a complete understanding of your scope, we’ll share precise timelines with you as they develop.

Can I live in the space while you do your work?

Yes, and barring a whole-home renovation, most people do. Occasionally, clients will opt to rent temporary accommodations or relocate to a second home, but most of our clients can live in the space during construction. We provide floor protection, plastic walls, negative air machines, regular cleaning, and more to reduce dust and protect all affected areas. We’d even be happy to help you set up a temporary kitchen or laundry room if your project requires it (though many people choose to order take-out or use laundry services).

What if we need to get in touch with you during a project?

At Red House, we excel at communication with our clients. Each project will have an on-site, working construction leader dedicated to your project from beginning to end. You’ll also have access to daily logs, photos, after-hours messaging, and scheduling updates as they occur, using an easy-to-use, cloud-based project management software accessible on desktop and mobile devices. During the construction phase, Red House plans weekly site meetings with you and all stakeholders to discuss the build progress, upcoming benchmarks, and any issues that may arise.

Do you work with subcontractors?

We do. While our carpenters and project managers are highly skilled in their own right, we recognize that specialization is often required in custom home construction. That’s why we pride ourselves on the community of expert subcontractors, artisans, and craftspeople we’ve cultivated over the nearly two decades Red House has been in business.

Who will be responsible for the required permits?

With Red House, you don’t have to stress about pulling the required permits for your home renovation. Homeowners can rest easy knowing our experienced production managers will remove all the guesswork by obtaining all the necessary permits and documentation to ensure a smooth build.

What if the scope of my project changes midway through the process?

Surprises crop up, circumstances change, and Red House will always be happy to work with our client’s evolving needs. The beauty of our design-build process is that it allows flexibility for our clients, and our teams can adapt and maneuver when the project requires it. Our clients are paired with a Project Developer who will be your advocate and primary point of contact throughout the process. If something pops up or changes, your Project Developer will be the person to talk to.

Learn More About Red House

Testimonials

Red House Design Build consistently earns enthusiastic testimonials from homeowners who value thoughtful design, quality craftsmanship, and clear communication.