If you have done a large renovation project, how did you find/pick your builder ?

[Anonymous]

We decided on design/build firm rather than hiring an architect separately. Interviewed 4 firms - 2 based on neighbor recommendations and 2 that did some unique type of work that we needed in our house. Went with the one that we felt most comfortable working with.

[Anonymous]

I am one of the PPs who suggested an architect first. Design build is a good alternative if you have a good level of comfort with your builder and can take a more hands-on approach with design (and things like materials, finishes, etc.) We originally talked with a couple design build firm but never got comfortable with the "black box" they used for pricing, and instead went the architect-GC route where we could see the prices for each trade, self-direct some of the trades, and self-perform some of the work (like closets.)

But we've seen some great design-build successes in our neighborhood and it is definitely a route worth pursuing.