Historically, Residential
Builders have required that their HVAC Trade Partners provide their own HVAC
design for each plan at no cost to the Builder. On the surface, this sounds
like a very favorable arrangement for the Builder ... but is it? ConsultAir can show you how
Residential Home Builders, HVAC Contractors and even the future Homeowner would
all benefit from a Builder Provided HVAC Design.
Reduced Bidding Cost and
Cycle Time for Prospective HVAC Trade Partner
Assuming that the HVAC Trade
Partner you have selected is utilizing an industry recognized and typically
mandatory design criteria to determine their final design, each proposal will
require approximately 3 ½ to 5 ½ hours to complete. By utilizing a Builder
Provided HVAC Design, the design process is completed prior to issuance of a
Request for Proposal (RFP). By eliminating the design element from the list of
tasks that the HVAC Trade Partner must complete, the time required to produce a
proposal is now reduced to one hour, a net reduction in cycle time of 350%.
Example: You issue a Request
for Pricing to five prospective HVAC Trade Partners for five separate plans.
Traditional Method - HVAC
Trade Partner Provided Design
Requires 112 ½ hours of design
and estimating labor - *(4 ½ hours x 5 plans) x 5
Trade Partners = 112 ½ design and estimating hours
Proposed Method - Builder
Provided HVAC Design
Requires 25 hours of estimating
labor & no hours of design labor - *(1 hour x 5 plans) x 5 Trade
Partners = 25 hours
The net reduction in required
time and resources to your prospective HVAC Trade Partners is approximately 75
hours.
Reduced Bidding Cost and
Cycle Time for the Builder
Let’s consider the amount of
time and the number of separate interactions that it typically takes for you
to:
Ø Accurately communicate your HVAC specifications to
your prospective HVAC Trade Partner.
Ø Gain a working understanding and adequate level of
comfort for the quality of their unique design.
Ø Get the prospective HVAC Trade Partner to merge and
adjust as much of their design into the design that is currently being used by
your existing or past HVAC Trade Partner.
Is this a familiar discussion?
Builder: “You are a half a ton too big”.
HVAC Trade Partner: “I’m not sure where you are getting your equipment
sizing from, but my calculations are correct.”
Builder: “But we’ve been building this plan for years without
any problem.”
HVAC Trade Partner: “If I change the equipment size, will you take
responsibility for any issues that may arise?”
Keep in mind that the amount of
time and the number of these interactions grow exponentially based on the
number of prospective HVAC Trade Partners that you issue a request for pricing
to.
When you use a Builder Provided HVAC Design, the majority of
these interactions are completely eliminated and the number of hours required
to determine which HVAC Trade Partner will be awarded your work is
substantially decreased.
Improved Installation Efficiencies
A quality HVAC contractor will
have to install an HVAC system in a specific plan at least 2 times before they
are able to solidify their duct design and material & labor take-offs. By
utilizing a Builder Provided Design, the majority of the HVAC Contractor’s
“learning curve” is eliminated. The Builder Provided Design has already taken
into account most of the field conditions that aren’t always apparent on the
architectural drawings, including the coordination of chase and “TJI” joist
duct openings as well as equipment locations.
Reduced Risk of Errors and
Omissions in the Original Estimate
If an HVAC Contractor has the
benefit of a quality and proven design, the likelihood of incurring additional
costs not captured in the original material, equipment and/or labor estimate
are substantially reduced.
Improved Customer
Satisfaction & Reduced Warranty Exposure to the Builder & HVAC
Contractor
Utilizing one proven design
will substantially reduce the number of HVAC related warranty inconveniences
for your customer as well as reduce warranty costs for the Builder and HVAC
Trade Partner.
Improved Marketability
As you know, the full potential
of many of the energy efficiency features that you build into your homes can
only be achieved when combined with a professionally and properly designed HVAC
system.
By utilizing a Builder Provided
HVAC Design, you will be giving your sales team an opportunity to not only educate
your prospective home buyers about how your unique approach to the design of
your HVAC systems will benefit them, but when presented properly, your
prospective homebuyers will then be armed with a great topic for discussion as
they continue their search for their new home by visiting with the sales teams
of other builders in your area.
A comprehensive Builder
Provided HVAC Design should consist of:
ü Room-By-Room Manual J Load Calculation
ü Manual D Duct Design
ü Manual S Equipment Size Selection
ü 11x17 Mechanical Drawings (to scale)
ü Detailed HVAC Scope of Work and Specifications
ü Option Details and Design
ü Standardized
RFP Response Form for the HVAC Contractor to enter the base house and itemized
option prices.
A
Builder Provided HVAC Design is a true “Win/Win/Win” for the Builder, HVAC
Trade Partner and the future Home Owner.
