TESSERA BUILD CO. / WHAT WE BUILD / 06 — DESIGN-BUILD

One team, first sketch to final walkthrough.

Design, budgeting, and construction under one roof — so the plans never outrun the budget, and nobody points fingers across the table.

06Design-Build

When the designer and the builder are the same team, the plans and the price agree from day one.

The traditional path — hire an architect, finish the plans, then bid them out — too often ends with a design you love and three bids you cannot afford. Design-build runs the two tracks together: every design decision is priced as it is made, so the project that gets drawn is the project that gets built.

You get one contract, one accountable team, and one conversation. Our designers know what our crews can build and what it costs; our crews build what was actually drawn. The result is a faster path to permits, fewer change orders, and a budget that holds from first sketch to final walkthrough.

What’s included

Every job, every time.

No à la carte corner-cutting. These are part of the work, not upsells.

i

Concept & Feasibility

Your goals, the site, and the zoning reality reconciled before anyone falls in love with a drawing.

ii

Design with Live Pricing

Every major decision priced as it is drawn — no surprise when the plans are done.

iii

Selections Management

Finishes, fixtures, and materials chosen on schedule, with guidance instead of a maze.

iv

Engineering & Permits

Stamped drawings and town approvals handled inside the same team.

v

Construction

The same standard as every Tessera build — one crew, weekly updates, a schedule that holds.

vi

Single Accountability

One contract and one phone number. If something is wrong, it is ours to fix — full stop.

How it works

Three steps. No runaround.

01

Define the project

Goals, budget range, and feasibility — we put the guardrails up before design begins.

02

Design to the number

Plans developed with live pricing, so the design and the budget arrive at the finish line together.

03

Build what was drawn

The same team carries the drawings into the field — no translation loss, no finger-pointing.

Good questions

Asked and answered.

How is design-build different from hiring an architect?
An architect designs, then builders bid. Design-build does both inside one team — which means pricing happens during design, not after it. You trade three competing bids for one accountable number that is far less likely to move. For most residential projects, it is faster and ends closer to budget.
What does the design phase cost?
Design-build agreements start with a design fee scoped to the project, and we credit it toward construction when you build with us. You will know the fee before we start and what it includes — drawings, selections, engineering coordination, and a line-item construction budget.
Can we use our own architect and still hire you?
Of course. We build from outside architects’ plans regularly, and we are happy to join early as a preconstruction partner so pricing reality reaches the drawings before they are final — the best of both worlds.
Also from Tessera Build Co.
Start here

Let’s walk the project together.

Book a consultation. We’ll look at the site or the house, talk budget and timeline honestly, and tell you whether we’re the right builder for it.

LICENSED & INSURED MA CSL #108979 MA HIC #220127 SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS