Process
How our design-build process works
Our design-build process is built to keep momentum without giving up control.
We start with your goals, your site, and a real budget. As the design develops, we price and test it in real time, so you always know what a decision costs before it is locked in. Because we can begin site work and order long-lead materials while later details are still being drawn, the project moves faster than a design-then-bid path. And because the same team carries it through construction, nothing gets lost in translation between the drawing and the build.
See all five methods→Buildability
A design shaped by the people who build it
The real risk in design-build is a design that looks good on paper but is hard, slow, or impossibly expensive to build on your site. On a remote island, that risk is real, and we close it by putting our builders in the room from the start.
Because we self-perform the structure and run our own shipping and logistics, we know what can actually be built and delivered to a remote site, and at what cost. So the design we help shape is one we know we can build, on schedule and on budget, not a drawing we hope someone can execute later.
Sectors
What we build
Design-build fits best where speed, budget certainty, and a single point of accountability matter most.
Hospitality and resorts
Hotels and resorts where one team across design and construction protects the brand standard, the budget, and the opening date.
Commercial
Commercial projects where owners want commercial design-build to move faster and avoid the gaps between separate designers and builders.
Government and federal
Public and federally funded work, where design-build is a recognized delivery method for speed and single-source accountability.
Why Stabilis
Why owners choose Stabilis
Owners choose our design-build because the team drawing the plan is the team standing behind it.
One number, one schedule.
We own the whole build, design and construction alike, so there is one number, one schedule, and one company accountable for the result.
Priced in the open.
We say it straight, pricing the design in the open as it develops.
Senior attention throughout.
We are a specialized builder, not a volume one, so your project gets senior attention from start to finish.
We are a licensed general contractor in Florida and the US Virgin Islands.
Coverage
Where we build
We are headquartered in the US Virgin Islands and deliver design-build projects across the Caribbean and the mainland United States, including the US Virgin Islands, the wider Caribbean with the Bahamas and Puerto Rico, and Florida and Texas on the mainland. Wherever your site is, the design accounts for how it actually gets built there.
See all locations→FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is design-build?
Design-build is a delivery method where a single company is responsible for both the design and the construction of a project, under one contract. Instead of coordinating a separate designer and builder, the owner works with one accountable team from concept through completion.
Design-build vs design-bid-build: what is the difference?
In design-bid-build, the owner hires a designer first, then bids the finished drawings to a separate contractor, so design and construction are two contracts and two parties. In design-build, one company handles both, which usually means fewer disputes, faster delivery, and a single point of accountability.
What are the benefits of design-build?
Design-build gives the owner one point of accountability, earlier cost certainty, and usually a faster schedule, because construction can begin before every detail is drawn. It tends to mean fewer change orders and disputes, since designers and builders work as one team rather than across a contract line.
Design-build vs a general contractor: what is the difference?
A general contractor builds a design that someone else has already completed. A design-build contractor takes responsibility for the design and the construction together. With a general contract you hire the designer separately; with design-build, one company owns the whole thing.
How does design-build work?
The owner hires one design-build team that develops the design and the budget together, then builds the project. Because pricing and buildability are weighed as the design evolves, and construction can overlap with later design, the project moves faster and with fewer surprises than a traditional design-then-bid approach.
Talk to our team
The earlier you bring us in, the more design-build can do for your budget and your schedule. Email the team, tell us about your project and your site, and we will tell you honestly whether design-build is the right route and how we would run it. If you would rather look first, see what we have built or download our capability statement, and if you prefer to put it in writing, send us an RFQ.
Request a Quote (RFQ)We build where others can't.