A distinct advantage of the design-build model is that design is subject to a specific budget target.  The homeowner can thus have confidence that the scope and plans will be in line with the budget.  This avoids the nightmare surprise of a useless set of plans with construction costs being way more than the budget.  Because the firm doing the design  and estimating is the same one doing the construction (with the knowledge of construction costs and techniques) such discrepancies are avoided. Typically during the Free In-House Consultation and prior to the  First Design Meeting once Kingston gets an appreciation of existing 

We conditions and what the homeowner is trying to accomplish with the space a budget target is determined based on a general project scope and its associated costs.  The general projects scope and the target budget accordingly become the main elements of a subsequent proposed design agreement.