Construction / Design-build
Design-Build Contractor
One team, concept to inspection.
One contract covers design coordination, permits, construction and the electrical work. YKCA holds both the General B and C-10 electrical licenses, so structure, power, low-voltage and EV charging are planned together from day one.
Project concepts
Spaces planned as a whole
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WHAT DESIGN-BUILD MEANS
One contract instead of three.
In traditional design-bid-build, the owner hires a designer, puts the plans out to bid, then hires a general contractor who hires an electrician. Each has a separate contract and schedule, and the gaps between them turn into change orders. In design-build, one team carries the project from concept to final inspection. Panel location, conduit routes, low-voltage pathways and EV rough-in are resolved before the permit is pulled.
One contract, one schedule
No gaps between the designer, the general contractor and the electrician, and no one to point fingers on inspection day.
Load calculations up front
Panel capacity is checked during design, so a service upgrade shows up in the budget, not as a change order.
Electrical by our own crew
Electrical, low-voltage, EV and smart-home wiring are done by our C-10 crew. Framing, plumbing, HVAC and finishes run through vetted trade partners on the same schedule.
Rough-in in the right order
Wiring, conduit and low-voltage pre-wire go in before the walls close, not retrofitted later.
Permits handled
We pull and manage the permits and walk every inspection. No permit coordination is left to the owner.
One number to call
The same team answers for the structure and the power, from the first meeting to the final sign-off.
Project concepts
The details bring it together
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Planning the work
Four steps, one team.
Plan and design
Structure, power, low-voltage, EV and automation scoped together, before a single wall is framed.
Permits
Permit set prepared, submitted and tracked through city plan check.
Build
Framing and finishes through our trade partners, electrical and low-voltage wired by our own crew.
Inspection and handoff
One punch list and one handoff when the space is ready to occupy.
What is design-build and how is it different from design-bid-build?
Design-build means one company holds a single contract for both the design and the construction. In design-bid-build, the owner hires a designer first, bids out the finished plans and then contracts a builder, with separate agreements and no built-in coordination between them. At YKCA the structure, power, low-voltage and automation are planned together from day one.
Does design-build cost more?
Usually not. A 2018 study by the Construction Industry Institute and the Design-Build Institute of America found design-build projects were delivered 102 percent faster than design-bid-build, with 3.8 percent less cost growth. The savings come from skipping a separate bidding round and from fewer change orders between trades.
Why does it matter that the same team owns the build and the electrical?
Electrical, low-voltage and EV are the trades most likely to cause change orders, because they run through walls, ceilings and panels and out to the utility. When the general contractor and the electrician are separate companies, rough-in gets sequenced late and load calculations arrive after walls close. One team owning both gets the rough-in right the first time.
What types of projects fit design-build?
Projects where the structure and the power must be coordinated tightly: tenant improvements, office, retail and restaurant build-outs, ADUs, additions, remodels and new construction across the Bay Area. The more trades involved, the more a single point of accountability saves.
How long does a design-build project take?
A tenant improvement typically takes 3 to 6 months from design to occupancy, and an ADU 9 to 14 months, most of it permitting. Larger commercial build-outs depend on city plan-check cycles. We put a realistic timeline in writing at the proposal stage.
