Design-Build vs Hiring a Designer and Contractor Separately for a Bathroom

Every bathroom remodel needs two kinds of work: someone to decide what the room will be, and someone to build it. You can buy both from one company (design-build) or hire a designer first and then put the drawings out to contractors. Neither is right for everyone. The difference that matters most in a bathroom is who answers when the plan and the wall do not agree, because in a shower that disagreement usually ends up behind the tile.

How each model works

Design-build

One company handles the whole project under one contract. Its designer measures the room, draws the layout, helps you choose tile, fixtures and glass, and prices the work as the design develops. The same company then pulls the permits, schedules the trades and builds it. If a niche will not fit between studs or a drain cannot sit where the drawing shows it, the people who drew it and the people building it are on the same team.

Designer first, then a contractor

You hire an independent bathroom designer, interior designer or architect to produce drawings and a selections list. You then give that package to two or three contractors and ask for bids. The designer may stay on to answer questions during construction, or the job may be handed over entirely. You choose the builder by price, fit or both.

A third route, coordinating the trades yourself, is the subject of a separate page; Washington's rules on an owner hiring several trades directly are not straightforward, so read doing part of your own bathroom remodel and check with L&I before you plan on it.

Side by side

Who carries responsibility for waterproofing and selections

This is where bathrooms differ from most rooms. A kitchen drawing that is off by an inch usually means a filler strip. A shower drawing that is off can mean a curbless entry with no room to recess the floor, a linear drain on the wrong wall for the slope, or a glass panel that will not clear the door swing. Those problems surface after demolition, when someone has to decide how to fix them.

In design-build, that decision sits with the company that drew the plan and will warranty the result. In the separate model, the designer owns the intent and the contractor owns the method. A designer might specify a large-format tile on the shower floor; the contractor knows the floor has to slope to the drain and that small tile follows a slope more easily. A good designer and contractor sort that out quickly. A poor fit between them means you are the one carrying messages.

The waterproofing system deserves its own line in either case. Make sure the drawings or the contract name it (sheet membrane, liquid membrane, foam board system or a mortar bed over a pan liner) and say who chose it. Our page on shower waterproofing explains the options.

Scheduling

Design-build can overlap steps. The designer can confirm a valve, tile and glass that are actually available while the drawings are still being finished, and permit drawings can be prepared by the same team that will build. The separate model runs in sequence: design until the drawings are complete, then bidding, then contracting, then the contractor's own schedule. Each handoff is a point where time can be lost, and a contractor bidding someone else's drawings may want to re-measure or ask for changes before committing.

Neither model changes the parts no one controls, such as permit review. The City of Vancouver publishes no target time for plan review and says the main factor is the quality of the submittal. For the whole sequence, see how long a bathroom remodel takes.

Pricing transparency

The separate model's strength is price competition: several contractors bidding the same drawings and selections. That only works when the package is complete. If the drawings leave out the waterproofing method, the valve type or the tile pattern, each bidder fills the gap differently and the bids stop being comparable.

Design-build gives up that final bid round in exchange for pricing during design, so you know the cost of a choice before you commit to it. The safeguard is an itemized proposal with written allowances, which you can test against another company's figures. Either way, you should be able to see what demolition, waterproofing, tile labor, fixtures, glass, ventilation and permits each cost. Our guide to comparing bathroom remodel estimates shows what a complete one lists.

Who should choose which

• Choose design-build if you want one contract and one point of contact, if the job involves moving plumbing or building a curbless or custom shower where design and construction decisions are tangled together, or if you do not want to manage handoffs.
• Choose a separate designer if you already have a designer you trust, want independent design advice not tied to a builder, or want competitive bids on a fixed, complete set of drawings and have the time to run that process.
• Either works for a straightforward same-layout replacement, where the design decisions are mostly selections. The deciding factor there is usually the company, not the model.

How JDI works

JDI Construction is a design-build remodeler, family-owned and operating in Vancouver since 2007. Denise Lacquement, our bathroom designer, plans the layout, guides material selections and coordinates the design with our project managers through construction, so one accountable team answers for both. You get a free in-home consultation, an itemized plan and a 3D design layout, and we handle the permits. See how that works on our Vancouver bathroom remodeling page, or request a consultation.