Why Hire an Owner's Representative

Whether you are building a custom home, doing a significant renovation, or if you are an investor building a spec home hiring an Owner’s Representative is guaranteed to bring value to your project. An Owner’s Rep has the multi-disciplinary experience needed to monitor your project efficiently, saving you time and money. 

What is an Owner’s Representative?

 An Owner’s Representative is the guide of your construction project, monitoring and directing on your behalf to reach the desired outcome. The project team is typically made up of general contractors, project managers, architects, designers, attorneys, and a host of other consultants. All of whom have a particular role to play at a specific time along the way. The OR ensures each team member is collaborating, manages the project schedule, and monitors the budget closely to find savings and minimize any unexpected overruns.  They are the central point of contact for the project team and ensure that all decisions made are in the project owner’s best interests.  

It is also important to remember they are the only vendor on your project responsible only to you and your interests. Please refer to our article ‘What is an Owner’s Representative’ to get a more in-depth understanding. 

Why Should I Hire an Owner’s Rep Instead of Managing it Myself?

As the project owner, it’s likely that you do not have the time or knowledge to manage all aspects of a complex construction project. When you hire an Owner’s Representative, they take on the burden of monitoring your project's day-to-day activities so that you can focus on your life and your business. 

When Should I Hire an Owner’s Representative?

The best time to hire an Owner’s Rep is at the beginning stages of your project. In the article ‘Stages of a Construction Project,’ we walk through pre-construction and the importance of setting the stage for success even before design begins.  An OR with multi-disciplinary knowledge can help you appropriately establish all project needs during pre-construction, such as scope, timeline, budget, assembly of the project team, planning & design, bidding & negotiation, and permitting. 

All this being said,  an Owner’s Rep can be brought in at any stage along the way to help get a project back on track. See our ‘Case Study 02’ to learn more about how we can turn a project around midway through the process and get a project back on schedule. 

Why Shouldn’t Another Member of the Team Manage the Project?

The Owner’s Rep is the only person whose sole responsibility is to ensure that the team meets the project’s requirements and quality expectations. You may feel like the general contractor (GC), or construction manager (CM) could also act as the owner’s rep from outward appearances. Due to the hierarchy of the project team and potential conflicts of interest, this is not recommended. The majority of the project team reports to and takes direction from you as the owner, not the GC or CM. The GC and CM are responsible only for the construction portion of your project. As part of their work, they are responsible for purchasing all the materials needed and hold the contracts for the various required sub-contractors to build your project. The potential conflict of interest becomes apparent at this point. Along the way, there may be issues or decisions to be made that may cost the GC or CM money if solved to the benefit of the owner. The GC/CM may be inclined to make the decisions that are more advantageous to themselves rather than your project. Ideally, you want a single person who is acting only on your behalf.

Hiring an Owner’s Representative?

When you hire a qualified Owner’s Rep, you should expect them to be self-financing at a minimum. In most cases, they will reduce your overall costs. You profit from their involvement in a variety of ways, including:

• Negotiation skills and experience during bidding processes
• Ability to quickly identify potential issues and develop a plan to eliminate or mitigate the issue
• Ability to spot opportunities for cost savings while maintaining quality and timelines
• Create an environment of collaboration to avoid costly miscommunications
• Mediating conflicts avoiding the high cost of delays
• Assembling the right project team early in the project to avoid costly redesign during construction

Why Hire the Dubrow Group?

The Dubrow Group is a second-generation family-owned business with over 40 years of construction experience. We leverage technology to bring all team members together, enhancing communication, workflows, transparency, and collaboration.

Our goal is to simplify the process and take over the legwork for owners and investors who are building high-end residential or commercial properties.