We always advocate for getting a contractor involved early in your project to help with constructability input, provide conceptual budget estimates and other milestone pricing feedback, and control costs as the design develops. There are also three key areas that your development team needs to make decisions that significantly impact project costs.
One of the big three is structure type. Multiple factors will go into your decision to go with a wood structure, block, plank, block structure with wood floor trusses, steel framing, or a hybrid. Some of these factors are building code for your particular project, your project's location, which will affect wind load requirements, maintenance of the building in the future, long or short-term hold strategy, etc.
The second of the big three is the mechanical system you choose. There are many factors to consider, such as cost, future maintenance costs, what your target client may prefer, the system's life...
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