STUDIO 818 is an interior architecture and design firm, not a general contractor, and that’s by design. As an independent Owner’s Project Manager, we advise on scope and investment, help match the right builder to the project, and keep everyone aligned to the approved design, without a financial stake in the construction itself.
It’s a fair question: if STUDIO 818 is orchestrating a project, why aren’t we also the ones building it?
Two Different Crafts
The short answer is that building and designing are different crafts, and your project is better served when each has someone fully focused on it.
A general contractor’s work is the construction itself: the trades, the materials, the schedule. A good one does that very well, and keeps the build on target the same way we keep your project on target overall.
But when one firm both designs your home and builds it, two different disciplines end up under one roof, and they pull in different directions. Building rewards what can be done efficiently, predictably, and on schedule. Design answers to what the home should be, even when that’s harder to build. Each is a full-time craft, and the best builders we work with want to put everything they have into the construction. When one firm holds both, one of them tends to give way, and it’s often the one the owner can’t see. That isn’t a flaw in anyone involved, and it’s not a position we want to put you, or a builder, in.
What We Do Instead
On projects where we serve as your Owner’s Project Manager, we stay independent of the construction. Before a contract is signed, we pre-screen builders for alignment with your scope, review the plans with them, and help match the right one to the project. During construction, we meet with the builder regularly, answer their questions against the design intent, verify invoices and change orders against the progress of the work, and send you written updates at least every other week.
Think of it as conducting, not playing. The builder, the architect, the engineers, and the trades are each better at their instrument than we’d be. Our job is to keep everyone in time with the design you approved. Each of us does our best work doing our own job.
Why Our Background Matters Here
Before founding STUDIO 818, we developed and directly managed the construction on more than 50 high-end investment properties with our own capital at risk. We’ve been the owner on the other side of this relationship, and we’ve managed all the moving parts on the construction so we know what realistic investment projections look like and where they tend to slip.
We don’t control contractor pricing, and we won’t pretend to. What we can do is help you understand what different design decisions mean for your investment, and adjust scope early, before a decision quietly turns into a change order nobody saw coming. We’ve written about what happens when a builder’s number comes before the design.
Independence, Built Into the Process
Our goal is simple: protect your investment, reduce surprises, and keep the path from vision to reality as clear as it can be. Staying out of the general contractor’s seat is a big part of that, and it’s built into our Design Execution Framework™. The process starts with the Project Roadmap™ Phase, before any contractor is selected. And before that, a Feasibility Brief gives you a documented read on what your property will support.
Questions Homeowners Ask
Is STUDIO 818 a general contractor?
No, by design. STUDIO 818 is an Interior Architecture & Design firm with an investment and development pedigree. On projects where it serves as Owner’s Project Manager, it works independently alongside the owner’s architect and general contractor, and it does not perform or profit from the construction itself.
What does an Owner’s Project Manager do?
The role represents the owner’s interests through construction. At STUDIO 818 that includes aligning the right builder with the project scope, reviewing plans and proposals with them, holding regular on-site meetings, answering contractors’ questions against the design intent, reviewing invoices and change orders against the progress of the work, and providing project updates at least every other week.
Why does independence from the general contractor matter?
Designing a home and building it are different crafts, and each does its best work with a team focused on it. Staying independent keeps our advice aligned with the owner’s investment and the approved design, and lets the builder concentrate on the construction.
Does STUDIO 818 choose the general contractor?
On projects where it serves as Owner’s Project Manager, STUDIO 818 helps match the right general contractor to the project’s scope. It pre-screens contractors for alignment, reviews the plans with them for preliminary pricing, and compares their proposals before a final selection is made.
Does STUDIO 818 control the general contractor’s pricing?
No, and it doesn’t profit from it. It draws on its real estate development experience to help owners understand what design decisions mean for their investment, and it adjusts scope early, before a decision turns into a change order.