Construction division
Design-build · Ontario
One contract. Design and construction.
Design-build puts design and construction under one contract with MARLICON. You get budget pricing before the drawings are finished, one party accountable for the result, and far fewer change orders once work starts.
The short version
What design-build is, and why owners choose it.
One contract
Design and construction sit with one firm. When something in the drawings doesn't work on site, there is no designer and builder pointing at each other — it's ours to fix.
Real numbers early
We price as the design develops, so you see a budget while you can still change the scope — not after a tender comes back over.
Faster to site
Design, permits and procurement overlap instead of running one after another. Long-lead items can be ordered before the last drawing is stamped.
How it works
Five stages, one team.
Scope and budget target
We walk the site, take your brand standards or operational needs, and agree a target budget and schedule.
Layout and budget pricing
Concept drawings with a budget price against them. This is where the big decisions — and the big savings — happen.
Drawings, permits, pricing locked
Design develops with the people who will build it at the table. Permit drawings go in; the price firms up.
Construction
Self-performed finishes, managed specialty trades, and phased or overnight work where the site stays open.
Closeout and after
Deficiencies, warranty documentation and as-builts. Maintenance clients keep us on call afterwards.
Fit
When design-build makes sense — and when it doesn't.
Good fit
- You want one party accountable for design and construction.
- You need budget certainty before the design is finished.
- Your schedule can't absorb a full design-then-tender sequence.
- You're rolling out a format across several sites and want one template refined as you go.
- The site has to keep trading, so buildability matters as much as the drawings.
Probably not
- You already have complete, stamped drawings — general contracting gets you a fixed price against them.
- Your organization must publicly tender construction separately from design.
- You want to see and choose every trade price yourself — that's construction management.
Compared
Design-build against the other two routes.
| Design-build | Construction management | General contracting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contracts you hold | One | Designer + CM (trades often through CM) | Designer + contractor |
| Price known | Budget at concept, firm at design | Trade by trade, open book | Fixed at tender, against complete drawings |
| Design risk | Contractor | Owner | Owner |
| Speed to site | Fastest — phases overlap | Fast — early packages possible | Slowest — design, then tender, then build |
| Owner control over trades | Lower | Highest | Lower |
The full comparison, with when each one goes wrong: Design-build vs construction management vs general contracting.
Why MARLICON
We design for the building we'll be maintaining.
Because we maintain the buildings and spaces we construct, the details that fail in year three — access panels, transitions, finish specs — get resolved in year zero.
Projects under $1 million to $20 million
Retail, grocery, restaurant, pharmacy, bank, office and industrial fit-outs and renovations.
Occupied sites
Phased and overnight work with full containment, hoarding and customer-safe barricades. The floor goes back trading-ready.
Insured and cleared
$5M commercial general liability, WSIB clearance and a documented health and safety program. See capabilities.
FAQ
Design-build questions.
What is design-build?
Design-build is a delivery model where one firm holds a single contract for both the design and the construction of a project. The owner deals with one accountable party from concept to handover.
Do you provide budget pricing before drawings are complete?
Yes. On design-build we price as the design develops, starting with a budget against the concept, so you can adjust scope while it's still cheap to do so.
Does design-build cost more than general contracting?
Not usually. You lose the competitive tender on a finished design, but you avoid redesign after an over-budget tender and most change orders get eliminated at the drawing stage instead of on site.
Who owns the drawings on a design-build project?
That is set in the contract. Tell us what you need — for example, the right to reuse a store template across future sites — and we'll write it in from the start.
Can design-build work for a multi-site rollout?
Yes. It suits rollouts well: we refine the template on a pilot site, then carry the same drawings, pricing and sequence across the program.
Can you design-build while the store stays open?
Yes. Phased renovation in occupied buildings is a core capability — full containment, hoarding and overnight scheduling where needed.
What size of design-build project do you take on?
Construction projects from under $1 million to $20 million, across Ontario.
Do you work on design-build projects in the United States?
Yes, as a design-build consultant — budget, design management and procurement advice for the owner. In the US we offer construction management and design-build consulting only; general contracting and maintenance are Canada only.
Get a budget before you finish the drawings.
Send the site, the size and what you need it to do. We'll come back with a budget range and an honest view on whether design-build is the right route.