Design-Build

We manage design and construction under a single roof, which means fewer handoffs, tighter timelines, and no finger-pointing between architect and contractor. You work with one team who owns the outcome from the first sketch to the final inspection.

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Most construction problems happen at the handoff. The architect finishes drawings, the contractor inherits them, and the gaps between intent and execution become change orders, schedule slips, and finger-pointing. Design-build closes those gaps by putting both responsibilities under one contract. EDDA has delivered fifty-plus projects in Greater Victoria this way. The same team that shapes the scope is the team that builds it. There is no handoff because there is nothing to hand off. We start with a conversation about what the building needs to do. We then move into concept design, detailed design, and construction without changing partners or signing a new contract. Pricing is open and reconciled to the design as it develops, so the budget is real before the first cut is made. On a typical project you will work with the same principal, designer, and project lead from first meeting through closeout. Senior leadership is on site for every project, regardless of size. The discipline that runs through a 1,500 sq ft cafe fit-out is the same discipline that runs through a 30,000 sq ft core and shell.

Scopes

Project types we deliver design-build

Tenant improvements (retail, hospitality, office, clinical).
Building exteriors, envelope upgrades, and cladding replacement.
Major renovations of existing commercial and residential buildings.
Core and shell construction.
Ground-up commercial and mixed-use buildings.

Single-point accountability. Price certainty earlier in the process. Faster schedules because design and construction overlap. Better cost control because the people pricing the work are the people doing the work. And a finished building that matches what was promised at the start.

What is design-build construction?

Design-build is a project delivery method in which a single firm holds both the design and construction contracts. The client has one point of accountability from first sketch to final inspection, instead of separate contracts with an architect and a contractor.

What is the difference between design-build and design-bid-build?

In design-bid-build, the client hires an architect, finishes the drawings, then tenders the project to contractors. In design-build, one firm carries the project from concept through construction, which removes the handoff between design and construction.

Is design-build cheaper than traditional construction?

Design-build typically delivers better cost control because pricing is established alongside design, not after it. Change orders, the largest source of cost growth in traditional projects, are dramatically reduced.

Does EDDA work on residential as well as commercial design-build projects?

Yes. EDDA delivers design-build for commercial, hospitality, retail, mixed-use, and residential buildings throughout Greater Victoria.

What size projects does EDDA take on?

EDDA delivers design-build at any scale, from 1,500 sq ft tenant improvements to ground-up buildings over 30,000 sq ft.

Bring us your scope.

Let us build with intention. Every partnership starts with a conversation. Whether you are envisioning a new space or reimagining an existing one, we are here to translate vision into enduring value.

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