Our Process
How a Red Level project actually gets built.
From the first walkthrough to the final punch list, here's how it works — and why we do it this way.
Most renovations fail in the gaps. The architect hands off to the contractor. The contractor hands off to the subs. The client gets caught in the middle, translating between three companies that don't share a calendar.
We built Red Level so there are no gaps. Design and build are the same firm, working from the same plan, on the same schedule, with the same people from start to finish. The process below is what twenty-two years of running it this way looks like.
Stage 01
We come to the house.
The first conversation happens at your home, not in our office. We walk through the spaces with you, talk about what you're trying to do, what you've been thinking about, what's not working. We ask a lot of questions. By the end, we have a real understanding of the project, and you have a real understanding of how we work.
There's no fee for this meeting, and no commitment on either side. If it's a fit, we move forward. If it isn't, we'll tell you who we'd recommend instead.
Complimentary · No Commitment · At Your Home
Stage 02
A clear-eyed first read.
After the initial meeting, we put together our first proposal. It includes a design concept, a target scope of work, and a target budget — all based on what we learned at the house and the assumptions we're making about materials, finishes, and the level of work involved.
This isn't a contract. It's a starting point. The numbers will refine as the design develops, but we want you to know early whether we're in the right neighborhood on cost before either of us spends more time.
Concept · Scope · Target Budget
Stage 03
Now we get to work.
Once the concept, scope, and target budget are aligned, we sign a design contract. That's our commitment to take the project all the way through design with the intent of building it together when it's ready.
We don't run design as a separate business. We design the things we build. That keeps everyone honest — the drawings have to work in the real world, and the budget has to work in the drawings.
Design-To-Build Agreement · One Team · One Contract
Stage 04
Drawings, decisions, and reality checks.
We pull together the right team for your project. We work with a small group of architects, designers, and engineers we trust, and we'll pair you with the people who fit your project and your style.
The design develops in iterations. Existing conditions get documented. Plans get drawn, reviewed with you, revised, drawn again. Engineers come in when their work is needed. Subcontractors visit the house and price their portions. Materials and finishes get selected.
Throughout, we're checking the design against the target budget. We won't let a project run away from its budget without telling you — and we'll give you options when something pushes the number.
By the end of this phase, you have a permit-ready set of drawings, a refined scope, and a clear picture of what your house is going to be.
Iterative · Budgeted Throughout · Owner-Involved
Stage 05
Every selection, in context.
Kitchens and baths get their own drawings. Materials get selected. Finishes get specified. There are hundreds of small decisions, and we walk you through them in an order that makes sense — so each decision builds on the one before it instead of getting made in isolation.
Our designers work to a budget and a sensibility. When a selection is going to push the project off-target, you'll know before you commit to it. And when something doesn't quite work in the room, we'll tell you that too.
Kitchens · Baths · Finishes · Lighting · Hardware
Stage 06
A fixed price, before we break ground.
Once the drawings are finalized and the major selections are made, we put the construction contract together. It's a fixed price. There are clear allowances for anything that wasn't selected at signing. The payment schedule is tied to construction milestones — front-loaded slightly for material orders, back-loaded slightly to keep us motivated to finish — with the final five percent held back until the work is one-hundred-percent complete.
Then we submit for permits.
Fixed Price · Milestone Payments · 5% Final Holdback
Stage 07
We build it.
Your project gets a dedicated project manager and a lead carpenter on site. We carry no more than four to six projects at a time as a firm — which means we're present, your jobsite stays clean, and your calls get answered.
Once a week, we walk the project with you. You get updates. You see the work in progress. Decisions that need to be made get made on time. Changes — when they come up — get priced, documented, and approved before anyone starts swinging a hammer.
When the work is done, we walk through it together. Anything that needs to be addressed gets addressed before the final payment. And then we'll check in with you a few months later, and again after that, because the project doesn't really end when we hand you the keys.
Dedicated PM · Weekly Walkthroughs · On-Time · On-Budget
Build-Only Projects
Already have an architect?
About a quarter of our work is build-only — projects where the client has hired their own architect or designer, and brings us in to build what's been drawn. We're set up to do that well. The construction process above stays the same. We fold into the existing team and execute.
Ready to Start
The first conversation is at your kitchen table.
And it's on us.