Design-Build
One Team. One Contract.
One Number You Can Read.
Design-build kills the failure mode that ruins most luxury homes. One company owns the design and the construction. One contract. One point of responsibility. The budget gets calculated during design — not discovered after the drawings are done.
The Model
What Is Design-Build?
And Why It Beats Design-Bid-Build.
Design-build is an integrated project delivery method where a single firm is contractually responsible for both the design and the construction of your home. You sign one contract. You hold one team accountable. Design and pricing happen together, in real time.
Design-bid-build is the old way. You hire an architect first. They design in isolation. Then the finished plans go out to builders who bid against each other. The lowest bid usually wins — and the lowest bidder has every incentive to find the gaps in the drawings and bill you for them later as change orders.
The single most important concept in design-build is single-point responsibility. If something is wrong — a design error, a structural conflict, a missed detail — there is no one to point at but the team you hired. No finger-pointing between architect and contractor. No "that's not in our scope." One throat to choke, one team to thank.
| Design-Build (Roderick) | Design-Bid-Build (Traditional) | |
|---|---|---|
| Contracts | One contract, one team | Separate architect + separate builder |
| Responsibility | Single point — builder owns design + construction | Split — architect and GC blame each other |
| When is cost known? | During design, in real time | After plans are finished, at bid |
| Change orders | Minimized — conflicts caught in design | Common — gaps become billable extras |
| Budget control | Locked early, tracked live (WIP accounting) | Discovered late, often blown |
| Timeline | Overlapping phases, faster to keys | Sequential, slower |
For a deeper breakdown, read Design-Build vs. Design-Bid-Build.
The Advantage
Faster, Calmer, and Easier
To Keep on Budget.
This isn't a sales pitch — it's structural. In design-build, cost is calculated while the home is being designed, not after the plans are finished. The builder is in the room when the architect draws the cantilever, when the engineer sizes the steel, when the designer specifies the stone. Trade-offs get made with full information, on purpose — not as panicked cuts after a bid blows the budget.
Design-build also overlaps phases that design-bid-build runs end-to-end. Design, permitting, and procurement can move in parallel instead of waiting on each other. On a luxury mountain home, where a single design-construction conflict can cost six figures, that early coordination is the difference between a build that holds its number and one that doesn't.
Risk Elimination
How Design-Build De-Risks
A Luxury Mountain Build.
The number is built during design and tracked live, so there's no day-one surprise and no slow bleed.
The architect's vision, the engineer's structure, and the builder's means-and-methods are reconciled on paper, not discovered in the field.
Snow load, freeze-thaw, and altitude HVAC get designed in, not bolted on.
Design, permitting, and procurement overlap instead of running end-to-end, compressing months out of the timeline.
The most expensive failure of all: a home that gets built correctly but feels wrong because the intention got lost in the handoffs.
Our Methodology
The Alignment —
Our Pre-Construction Process.
Every competitor in Park City says some version of "we sit at the design table." Fine. We named the process, built discipline around it, and made it the foundation of every Roderick home. We call it The Alignment.
The Plain-Language Budget
A top-to-bottom number that walks you through every category of the home in language you understand. Not a contractor's spreadsheet of cost codes.
One Vision, One Budget, Four Parties
Architect, engineer, interior designer, and you — aligned around one number and one design intent from the first sketch.
Design With the Cost Engine Running
Every meaningful design decision is priced in real time. You see the consequence of the cantilever while you can still change your mind for free.
WIP Accounting Transparency
Every invoice shows five numbers: original budget, current budget, approved change orders, paid to date, and projected balance. No black boxes.
See the full methodology on our Process page.
Scope
Everything Under
One Contract.
When you hire Roderick, you don't assemble a team — you hire one. Under a single design-build contract we coordinate:
Design that fits the lot, the DRB, and how you actually live.
Snow loads, steep grades, and mountain soils, designed in from the start.
Material, light, and finish controlled as part of the whole, not bolted on at the end.
Scheduling, procurement, trades, and live WIP cost tracking.
Building Science
Built for the Mountains.
Engineering Coordinated, Not Improvised.
Park City sits at 7,000–9,000 feet. The town can take 300-plus inches of snowfall a year. Roofs here are engineered for 100-plus PSF snow loads. In design-bid-build, these realities get discovered in the field — expensively. In design-build, they get designed in.
We specify to that environment, by name. For the building envelope we use Rockwool mineral wool — batts and continuous rigid board — for thermal performance, fire resistance, and moisture tolerance. For water, we specify Pentair / Naie Everpure filtration so the home's water is as considered as its architecture.
For depth on the codes, read Understanding Building Codes in Summit County.
Approvals
Permitting & Design Review Boards.
We Run the Whole Approval.
A Park City build answers to two masters: the jurisdiction (Summit County, Park City Municipal, or Wasatch County) and the community Design Review Board. We handle all of it — across Promontory, Deer Valley, Glenwild, Tuhaye, Marcella Club, The Colony, Benloch Ranch, and SkyRidge — so the design we put in front of a review board is one we already know it will accept.
Explore the communities we build in: Deer Valley, Promontory, The Colony, Glenwild, Tuhaye, Marcella, SkyRidge, Benloch Ranch.
Timeline
18–24 Months
First Conversation to Keys.
Design-build overlaps phases that design-bid-build runs in sequence. For a full phase-by-phase breakdown, see Timeline: Building a Custom Home in Utah.
Investment
$500–$1,000+
Per Square Foot.
Standard $500–$650 · Premium $650–$850 · Ultra $850+. Our sweet spot is $2M–$20M+. The point of design-build isn't to make the home cheaper — it's to make the number true.
Remote Builds
Build in Park City
From Anywhere.
A large share of our clients build in Park City while living somewhere else — many of them in Los Angeles, Malibu, Bel Air, Brentwood, and Pacific Palisades. Roderick operates in both California and Utah, so a bi-coastal build is native to how we work. Our father, Travis Roderick, leads California operations.
You don't need to be on the mountain to build on it. You need one team you can trust, reporting one set of numbers, answering to one name.
Fifth Generation
Who You're
Hiring.
Roderick Builders is led by Trapper Roderick — president and a fifth-generation builder (Utah DOPL License #11753372-5501). Father Travis Roderick has built nearly $1B across fewer than 40 homes and has been licensed in California since 2003. The maternal side is Jacobsen Construction, founded in the 1920s and still one of the largest commercial builders on the West Coast. The Getty House — our $68M Brentwood build with architect Thomas Juul-Hansen, featured in The Wall Street Journal — is what that record looks like at full scale.
"Is it the fit and finish? ... or is it that there was emotion that was controlled in the space — by using certain materials in certain ways and the way it was finished?" — Trapper Roderick, BST Podcast
That control is what design-build buys you. And it's what we're built to deliver.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked
Questions.
What is design-build and how is it different from design-bid-build?
Design-build means one firm is responsible for both designing and building your home under a single contract. Design-bid-build splits those roles — you hire an architect, then bid the finished plans to separate builders. Design-build gives you one accountable team, real-time pricing during design, and far fewer change orders and conflicts.
Does design-build actually save money and time?
Yes — structurally. In design-build, cost is calculated during design instead of discovered at bid, and design, permitting, and procurement phases overlap rather than run end-to-end. That coordination means fewer surprise change orders and a faster path to keys.
Who is liable if there's a design error in a design-build home?
In design-build, one entity owns both the design and the construction, so the builder carries the design-related liability. There's no finger-pointing between architect and general contractor. Single-point responsibility is the core advantage of the model.
What's included in a design-build contract — and is it a guaranteed maximum price?
A Roderick design-build contract covers architecture, structural engineering, interior design, and construction management under one agreement. Pricing is structured around The Alignment — a plain-language budget locked early and tracked live with WIP accounting. The contract pricing structure, including GMP options, is tailored per project.
How does design-build reduce change orders and budget overruns?
Conflicts that become billable change orders in design-bid-build get caught on paper in design-build, because the builder and engineer are in the room as the home is designed. Roderick also runs WIP accounting: every invoice shows original budget, current budget, approved change orders, paid to date, and projected balance.
Can a design-build firm handle Park City permitting plus HOA Design Review Board approvals?
Yes. Roderick manages both jurisdiction permitting (Summit County, Park City Municipal, Wasatch County) and community Design Review Board submittals — Promontory, Deer Valley, Glenwild, Tuhaye, Marcella, The Colony, Benloch Ranch, and SkyRidge. We design to those guidelines from the start.
How long does it take to build a custom home in Park City?
Typically 18–24 months from first conversation to keys. That spans The Alignment and design, HOA/DRB review, permitting, and construction. Design-build overlaps these phases where possible.
How much does it cost to build a custom home in Park City per square foot in 2026?
Custom mountain homes run $500–$1,000+ per square foot: Standard $500–$650, Premium $650–$850, and Ultra $850+. Our sweet spot is $2M–$20M+. The value of design-build is that the number is built with full information and tracked live, so it holds.
Can an out-of-state client build remotely in Park City?
Absolutely. Many of our clients build in Park City from California — Malibu, Bel Air, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades. Roderick operates in both Utah and California, so a bi-coastal build is native to how we work. Live WIP accounting and single-point accountability make remote builds transparent.
Does design-build include interior design and structural engineering, or do I hire those separately?
They're included. Under one Roderick design-build contract you get architecture, structural engineering, interior design, and construction management — coordinated by one team. We align all four parties to the same budget and the same vision through The Alignment before design begins.
See all frequently asked questions.
Get Started
Start
The Alignment.
If you're planning a custom home in Park City, Heber City, Deer Valley, Promontory, or anywhere in the Wasatch Back — let's get aligned before anyone draws a line.
Utah: (435) 222-7198 · California: (310) 658-3288 · Email: [email protected]
The Guide
Protect the Vision —
Before Construction Begins.
Most homes are compromised before ground is ever broken. This short guide covers the decisions to lock, the questions to ask, and the risks to eliminate while the vision is still on paper.
- Where architect-led designs get diluted — and how to prevent it
- The pre-construction questions most owners never ask
- How to compare builders beyond the bid number
- What "architect & builder aligned" should actually look like
Begin
A Home That Outlasts You.
Not Just Something You Own.
One team, one budget, one standard. See what design-build feels like from the very first meeting.
Trapper or Travis will personally respond within 24 hours · or call directly — (435) 222-7198