Our Collaborative Process

We believe in a team approach that connects your dreams and vision with our professional planners and craftsmen. At Stephen L. Mabe Building, Inc. we begin with listening to you. We want to throughly understanding what you would like to accomplish. Our commitment to listening to you from the very beginning of the planning process allows us to help you to avoid false starts, frustration and disappointment, as you turn you building project into a reality.

There are seven components to The Collaborative Process that has made our reputation.

1. Beginning the Relationship

When you first call us, we immediately try to understand the scope of your project. We will then set an appointment so that we can discuss your ideas and plans in person. We’ll ask about the scope of your project, and if you have a starting date, a time schedule, and a completion data in mind for your project. If our schedule and skills cannot help you accomplish your plans, we will let you know as soon as we know.

2. We Help You Determine What You Need & What You Don’t

We provide you with a team of skilled design and engineering professionals to help you translate your dreams into a firm plan. In most cases, we handle the engineering and design process from the beginning. However, if you already have the design completed, we will gladly work with your design information. We believe in customizing our services to fit your building needs.

3. The Home Consultation

When we visit with you in your home, you can give us more details about your project. This is a good time for you to have a “priority list” of the work you would like done. This will allow for an open dialog about your expectations and costs. If your “dream list” and budget are out of line, there are two options. You may, of course, simply revise your project to reflect the budget you have set. Alternately, we will be happy to suggest ways that you can complete your project in stages. Many of the most gracious homes in America were constructed in stages. It is an excellent way to proceed.

4. Determining the True Cost of Your Project

The next step is to firm up the engineering and costs in your plan. We may visit your home with our craftsmen, suppliers, or other consultants to take specific measurements and photos of what you have now. This allows us to set true budgets and cost per your specifications and helps you to avoid costly surprises. Unlike some builders, when we give you a cost, we will not exceed it. Of course, this assumes that there are no change orders as we go. Change orders are always more costly that good prior planning.

5. Fixing the Price of Your Dreams

We will set up a mutually agreed upon time to meet and discuss our final proposal with you. At that meeting, we will review cost and details of your project making sure we have covered all of the items we’ve discussed. If, at this juncture, there are any changes that need to be made in the scope of the work, we can still revise our proposal accordingly, saving you the cost of change orders.

6. The Relationship Contract

After you review our proposal, we will give you a written contract describing in detail the scope of the work and specifications as you requested. Upon return of your signed contract, we then immediately order materials for your project and schedule our craftsmen to do your work on the agreed upon schedule.

7. We Do the Work to Your Total Satisfaction

We know that when we do our part, and that you will enjoy the fruition of your dreams for years to come.