…a house is not a home until you love where you live…

The Difference Between Construction Administration and Owner’s Representation in Your Luxury Residential Build

Starting the project of building the home of your dreams in Miami is exciting: it’s the culmination of a lot of time spent dreaming and planning. 

It can also be a little overwhelming. It’s a big investment and it’s important that the details come out the way you want them. The good news is that we have worked on a lot of ground up luxury home builds and know the secrets to a successful outcome…and we aren’t going to hold out on you. The secret to building your dream home to be exactly what you want it to be is detail-oriented management and oversight from when you sit down with your architect to draw up the plans to managing the construction. 

The better news: you don’t have to do that alone. 

Understanding Your Options

Construction Administration (CA) and Owner’s Representation (OR) may seem like they’re describing the same position they are fundamentally different. They play different roles on your build site and it’s important that you know which kind of advocate you’re looking for along with the respective responsibilities and benefits of each one.

An Owner’s Rep holds the authority to make decisions on behalf of the owner. They can do things like hire (or fire) subcontractors because those positions are accountable to your Owner’s Rep rather than to you directly. They are responsible to review contracts, design documents, and even change orders. The goal is to ensure they align with the owner’s objectives, but they can be done unilaterally. This role takes on all the responsibility of delivering precisely what the owner wants within their budget. 

Working With DDG as Your Construction Administrator

When you hire DDG to be your architect, we will be the Construction Administrator of your documents, but not the decision maker. Having a CA means a trained set of eyes and ears on site to make sure things are running smoothly. We will make observations – for both larger aspects such as making sure the plans are being followed to the letter and the smaller but-still-important things like confirming cabinets are in the right place, and that paint colors match the samples.

As your CA, we take responsibility for keeping track of compliance with building codes and regulations and being present to oversee inspections. We put our focus on organization and quality control, then communicate with you when we identify any issues that may require you to make decisions. We’re here to advise you, but not to make choices in your place. In short, we’re your eyes and ears, but not your brain…that is to say, unless you want us to step up to be your Owner’s Rep too. 

We’re also available to answer any questions you may have about building your dream home. How can we help?