Two ways to get an addition or remodel designed, permitted and built in Greater Orlando, and when each one fits. Updated October 2026.
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For most additions, kitchens and bathrooms, design-build is simpler: one contract with a licensed general contractor who coordinates the design, the structural engineering, the permit and the build, so the price is set against the drawings it produces. Hire an architect separately when the house is complex or custom, when you want an independent designer to bid the job out, or when design control matters more than speed. Either way, check the contractor's Florida licence before you sign.
| Design-build (one contract) | Architect, then contractor (two contracts) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who draws the plans | The contractor's designer and engineer, coordinated by the contractor | Your architect, with an engineer they hire |
| Who you hold responsible | One company for design coordination, permit and construction | The architect for the design; the contractor for building it |
| Pricing | Priced against the drawings as they develop; budget checked at each stage | Drawings finished first, then bid or negotiated with contractors |
| Time to start | Usually shorter: design, pricing and permit run together | Usually longer: design, then bidding, then permit |
| Change orders | Fewer gaps between drawings and price | Gaps between the drawings and the bid become change orders |
| Suits | Additions, ADUs, kitchens and bathrooms with a clear goal | Complex, custom or architecturally significant work |
In design-build, the contractor runs the whole project: measuring the house, producing the plans with a designer and a structural engineer, pricing the work, pulling the permit and building it. Because the same team draws and prices the job, the budget is checked as the design develops instead of after it is finished, and there are fewer surprises between what is drawn and what is priced.
It fits most residential work: a room addition, an in-law suite, a garage conversion, a kitchen or bathroom remodel, a screen enclosure. These projects have a clear goal and a familiar structure, and the main risks are budget and schedule, which one team can manage.
The trade-off is independence. The designer works within the contractor's team, so you are not comparing several builders' bids on the same set of drawings. You can still ask for an itemised written estimate and compare it with other contractors' estimates for the same scope.
Hire an architect first when the design itself is the main event: a complex or custom house, a historic district, a large second story that changes how the house reads from the street, or a project where you want several contractors to bid the same finished drawings.
Expect a longer path. The architect designs and documents the project, you bid or negotiate it with contractors, and the permit follows. Gaps between the drawings and what a contractor priced turn into change orders, so ask the architect how complete the drawings and specifications will be before bidding.
Some households split the difference: an architect for the concept and exterior design, then a design-build contractor to develop the construction drawings, engineering and permit.
We work design-build for additions, ADUs and remodels: a site visit to measure and check zoning, HOA and permit requirements, drawings and structural engineering where the work needs them, a written, itemised estimate, and then the permit and construction under Florida certified general contractor licence CGC1539321. We also build from an architect's drawings when you already have them. See room additions and ADUs or contact us.
Sources (primary sources, checked 2026-10-16): DBPR · F.S. 489.119 · F.S. 489.1425 · F.S. 713.015. This page explains rules in general terms; it is not legal advice, and the building department for your address has the final word.
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