Outdoor Living

Yes. CJR offers landscape and hardscape design and pre-construction planning to help our clients see how their entire outdoor space will come together before construction begins. Our in-house landscape designer works alongside our clients to thoughtfully plan the layout, materials, planting, hardscape, elevations, drainage, lighting, outdoor living features, and other important details that make up the finished space.

Our design process is collaborative. We want to understand how you envision using your property, the style you’re drawn to, the features that are most important to you, and your targeted comfort zone of investment. From there, we can develop a design that brings those ideas together while also considering the functionality and construction requirements of your property.

For most outdoor living projects, we require a landscape or hardscape design before moving into construction. We believe our clients should have a clear understanding of what they’re investing in and what they can expect their completed property to look like before that investment is made.

Our plans are created to scale using measurements from your actual property, making the design more than just a visualization tool. It becomes an important part of our pre-construction and estimating process, allowing our team to perform detailed takeoffs, determine quantities and square footages, work through material selections, and develop more accurate construction pricing based on the project you’ve actually designed.

The design is equally important once construction begins. It gives our team a detailed plan to build from and allows us to identify important construction considerations before crews and equipment arrive. Rather than making major design decisions in the field, we can work through as many details as possible beforehand, so everyone has a clearer understanding of the project from the beginning.

Ultimately, our design and pre-construction process is about more than creating a beautiful rendering. It’s about thoughtfully planning your investment, giving you confidence in the space you’re choosing to build, and giving our construction team a clear roadmap for bringing that vision to life.

Yes. CJR Concrete & Landscape Construction is a licensed, bonded, and insured California contractor. We hold multiple contractor classifications, including a C-27 Landscaping Contractor license, allowing our team to perform and coordinate many different aspects of outdoor construction. We also carry workers’ compensation coverage for our employees and take jobsite safety and our responsibility to our clients seriously.

We strongly encourage homeowners to verify licensing and insurance before allowing any contractor to work on their property. Ask for proof of insurance, verify the contractor’s license, and make sure employees are properly covered. Hiring an unlicensed or improperly insured contractor can expose homeowners to unnecessary financial and legal risks if someone is injured, property is damaged, or problems arise during construction.

Your home is one of your biggest investments. You deserve to know exactly who you’re trusting to work on it.

Comparing outdoor living proposals can often feel like comparing apples to oranges. Two proposals may appear to include a similar finished backyard, but what is actually included in the construction can be very different.

Licensing, insurance, employees with workers’ compensation coverage, quality of materials, site preparation, drainage, irrigation, grading, construction methods, project management, and the overall scope of work can all impact pricing. One proposal may account for important work beneath the surface while another may leave those items out entirely.

The level of detail within the proposal can also make a significant difference. One contractor may price the project using actual material selections, detailed quantities, and the construction requirements of the property, while another may rely on rough estimates or basic material allowances. A lower number upfront doesn’t necessarily mean the same project is being offered for less, it may simply mean certain costs haven’t been accounted for yet.

This is one of the reasons CJR places so much value on design and pre-construction planning. We prefer to work through material selections, site conditions, construction details, and measurable quantities before preparing the final construction proposal. Our goal is for the price we present to reflect the project our client actually wants us to build as accurately as reasonably possible, rather than starting with an attractive number and adding significant costs through upgrades and avoidable change orders later.

We encourage homeowners to look beyond the final number and ask questions. What materials are being used? Are there allowances, and what do they include? How will drainage and grading be addressed? What site preparation is included? Who is actually performing the work? Is the contractor properly licensed and insured? What items could result in additional costs later?

Understanding exactly what you’re receiving for your investment is far more important than simply comparing two bottom-line numbers. A detailed, transparent proposal gives you a better understanding of both the cost of your project and what is actually being built for that investment.

CJR takes on everything from individual outdoor improvements to complete property transformations. Our outdoor living projects can incorporate landscaping, hardscape, concrete, shade structures, outdoor kitchens and BBQ islands, fire and water features, turf, putting greens, retaining walls, lighting, irrigation, drainage, and many other elements depending on the property and our client’s vision.

We work with homeowners who may be starting with a blank-slate backyard, completely remodeling an existing outdoor space, building around a new pool, or simply looking to thoughtfully improve certain areas of their property.

Because CJR offers multiple outdoor construction services under one company, we’re able to look at the property as a whole rather than treating each feature as a separate project. Our team can consider how the different elements need to work together, from elevations and drainage beneath the surface to the hardscape, landscaping, structures, and finishing details you see when the project is complete.

Whether your vision involves one area of your property or a complete outdoor transformation, our goal is to create a space that feels intentional, cohesive, and designed around your home, property, and the way you want to enjoy it.

Absolutely. This is one of the biggest advantages of working with CJR. As an all-in-one outdoor construction company, we can take your backyard from the initial vision and design through construction and the finishing details.

Rather than planning each portion of the backyard independently, we look at how the entire property needs to function together. Elevations, drainage, hardscape, concrete, landscaping, irrigation, lighting, utilities, structures, pools, and other outdoor features can all be considered from the beginning so one phase of construction doesn’t create problems for another.

Our design and pre-construction process allows us to develop a cohesive plan before construction begins, giving you the opportunity to visualize the finished space, make selections, establish priorities, and understand how the project aligns with your targeted comfort zone of investment.

Even if you don’t plan to build everything at once, planning ahead can save time, money, and unnecessary work later. If we know you eventually want an outdoor kitchen, pavilion, fire feature, lighting, or another improvement, we can account for future utilities, underground connections, drainage, and other construction needs before finished areas have to be disturbed.

Our goal is to give our clients one experienced team responsible for bringing the entire vision together, creating an outdoor space where every element feels intentional, cohesive, and thoughtfully planned from the beginning.

A beautiful outdoor space starts long before construction begins. Proper planning allows us to think through how the property will function as a whole, not just how it will look when it’s finished.

Before construction, there are many details to consider, including elevations, grading, drainage, irrigation, utilities, site access, hardscape placement, structures, lighting, planting, and the proper sequence of construction. Decisions made in one area can directly affect another, which is why looking at the entire property upfront is so important.

This is also why CJR uses Pre-Construction Service Agreements for projects that require more detailed planning or design. This process gives our team the time to thoughtfully work through the project before jumping into construction, from the overall design and construction details to material selections, budgeting, site conditions, and how each phase of the project will come together.

We believe taking the time to do this upfront sets our clients’ projects up for success from the very beginning. It also respects and protects the investment our clients are making in their homes by allowing us to do our best to identify potential challenges, work through important decisions, and account for as many details as possible before construction begins.

While not every condition can be known until work is underway, thorough pre-construction planning can help reduce unnecessary changes, conflicts, delays, and added costs. For our clients, that means greater clarity about what they’re investing in and a more organized, thoughtfully planned path from design to construction and ultimately, their finished outdoor space.

For most projects, we require a landscape or hardscape design because we believe our clients should know exactly what they’re investing in before construction begins.

Our in-house landscape designer helps turn your ideas into a thoughtful plan that considers both the appearance and functionality of your property. The design gives you the opportunity to visualize the finished space, make material selections, work through important decisions, and make adjustments before crews and equipment ever arrive.

Our designs are also created to scale using measurements taken from your actual outdoor space. This is important because the design becomes much more than a visual representation of the finished project, it becomes a valuable planning, estimating, and construction tool. Using professional construction software, including Bluebeam, our team can perform detailed takeoffs from the plans to calculate quantities such as square footage and better determine the materials and construction required for your project.

This allows us to prepare your construction proposal using measurable quantities from the design rather than relying on rough estimates or generalized assumptions. When those quantities are combined with the materials and finishes you’ve selected during pre-construction, we can develop pricing that more accurately reflects the outdoor space you actually want us to build.

It’s equally valuable for our construction team. Rather than making major design decisions in the field, our crews have a detailed, scaled plan to build from. Important elements such as hardscape placement, elevations, drainage, landscaping, structures, and other features can be considered together before construction begins. This creates clearer expectations for everyone involved and helps the different phases of the project work together more efficiently.

We believe spending more time planning upfront is one of the best ways we can respect our clients’ investment. The goal is to work through as many details as reasonably possible before construction begins so you have a clearer understanding of what we’re building, what it will look like, and what you can realistically expect to invest in bringing that design to life.

Absolutely. Material selections have a major impact on how an outdoor space looks, feels, and ultimately fits within the overall project budget. Helping our clients make these decisions is an important part of CJR’s design phase and Pre-Construction Service Agreement.

Throughout this process, our team works alongside our in-house landscape designer and our clients to thoughtfully select materials, finishes, colors, textures, and other design elements that complement the home and work together throughout the finished outdoor space. We also discuss the costs associated with different material selections and the construction required to install them so our clients understand how their choices may impact their overall investment.

Making these selections before the final construction proposal is prepared also allows us to provide pricing that is as accurate and realistic as possible. Rather than pricing a project around basic or lower-cost materials and addressing upgrades later, we want our proposal to reflect the materials and construction elements our clients have actually selected whenever possible.

This is an area where homeowners can sometimes be caught off guard during construction. A proposal may initially be based on basic material allowances, only for the homeowner to discover that the materials or finishes they actually want come with additional costs and change orders, sometimes with a significant price difference they weren't expecting.

Our design and pre-construction process is intended to help limit those surprises. If certain selections begin pushing the project beyond a client’s targeted comfort zone of investment, we can have those conversations before construction begins. Together, we can explore alternative materials, adjust portions of the design, or determine where it makes the most sense to invest while still staying true to the overall vision and quality of the project.

Our goal is to give our clients a realistic understanding of what their desired outdoor space will cost before they commit to construction. While changes and unforeseen conditions can still occur, working through material selections and major construction details upfront allows us to prepare a more complete proposal, set clearer expectations, respect our clients’ budget, and help protect them from unnecessary surprises along the way.

Yes. Drainage and irrigation are important parts of creating an outdoor space that functions properly long after construction is complete.

Our team evaluates grading, elevations, existing conditions, and how water will move throughout the property. When needed, we can incorporate drainage plans and installation into the overall project rather than treating drainage as an afterthought.

We also install irrigation systems designed around the landscape plan and planting needs of the property. These systems may not be the first things you notice in a completed backyard, but they are an important part of protecting your investment and helping your landscape perform the way it should.

Yes. When an HOA submittal is required, CJR can help prepare and coordinate the necessary plans, material selections, and project information for your neighborhood’s review as part of our design and pre-construction process.

We’ve worked with countless HOAs throughout the communities we serve, and we know firsthand that every association and approval process can be different. Some are relatively straightforward to work with, while others have more detailed requirements, multiple rounds of review, or specific guidelines that must be followed before construction can begin.

Many HOAs require detailed plans as part of the architectural submittal process. Having our in-house landscape designer allows us to create the landscape and hardscape plans needed for your project while also helping you work through material selections, finishes, colors, planting, and other design details that may need to be included with the HOA submittal.

HOA requirements can apply to landscaping, hardscape, structures, pools, fencing, materials, colors, planting, and other exterior improvements. By developing these details during the design phase, we have a clear and cohesive plan to submit rather than trying to piece together the required information after the fact.

If the HOA requests revisions or additional information related to the project plans, our team can help work through those items as part of the process. While final approval and review timelines are ultimately controlled by the individual HOA, we’re happy to help our clients navigate the submittal process and provide the project information within our scope that the association requires.

It’s one more part of pre-construction that we can take off our clients’ plates and help coordinate before construction begins.

Yes. We offer flexible financing options through our trusted financing partners, Lyon Financial and HFS Financial, for outdoor home improvement projects.

We’ve chosen to work with these two lenders because many of our clients have financed their projects through them and have had positive experiences with their loan process and customer service. Having financing partners our clients have successfully worked with gives us confidence referring future homeowners to them as an option when exploring how to fund their outdoor project.

Outdoor living projects can represent a significant investment, particularly when transforming multiple areas of a property at once. Financing can provide additional flexibility when planning your project and allow you to explore options that work best for your budget and overall goals.

For some homeowners, financing can also provide the flexibility to thoughtfully complete more of the project together rather than breaking it into multiple phases over several years. When the pool, concrete, landscaping, hardscape, drainage, irrigation, lighting, and other outdoor elements can be planned and constructed together, it can create a more efficient construction process and a more cohesive finished space.

That doesn’t mean we encourage our clients to overextend themselves. Quite the opposite. Throughout our design and pre-construction process, we have open conversations about your targeted comfort zone of investment and what is realistically achievable within it. Financing is simply another option available to our clients when determining how they would like to structure their investment.

Our financing partners can walk you through the programs, terms, and options they currently offer so you can decide whether financing makes sense for your individual circumstances. There is never an obligation to finance your project, and CJR does not make that financial decision for you. Our goal is simply to provide our clients with options and the information they need to decide they feel comfortable with.

Absolutely. CJR is an owner-operated company, and your initial consultation is directly with our owner, Colton Ray, not a salesperson. From day one, Colton will be your primary point of contact and remain directly involved throughout your project. He’ll meet with you at your property, listen to what you have in mind, learn how you want to use the space, answer your questions, and discuss your goals and budget.

He’ll also look beyond the ideas you can immediately see and evaluate important construction considerations such as site access, existing conditions, elevations, drainage, and how the different areas and elements of your property need to work together. Having Colton involved from the initial consultation means he understands your property, your vision, and the conversations that shaped your project from the very beginning.

We don’t believe your first experience with our company should be meeting with a salesperson working toward a quota and then being handed off once a contract is signed. Being owner-operated means the relationship you establish with CJR starts directly with the owner and continues throughout your project.

Colton believes the standard for outdoor construction and the overall homeowner experience needs to be raised, and CJR is committed to being part of that difference. Homeowners deserve to work with honest, qualified contractors who communicate openly, respect their investment, stand behind the quality of their work, and genuinely care about the experience they provide.

That philosophy starts at your very first meeting. Our consultations are educational, informative, and pressure-free. Whether you ultimately choose CJR or not, we want you to leave with a better understanding of your project, what it may take to build it properly, and the information you need to make the best decision for your home.

Your consultation is our opportunity to learn about your property and, more importantly, what you want your outdoor space to become. Your initial consultation is directly with CJR owner, Colton Ray, giving you the opportunity to discuss your ideas, ask questions, and receive honest feedback about your project from the very beginning.

We’ll walk the property with you, discuss what you like and dislike about the existing space, take measurements, talk about how your family plans to use the yard, and learn which features are most important to you. We also want to understand both your current plans and anything you may want to add in the future so those possibilities can be considered early in the planning process.

Every property is different, so we take the time to evaluate the existing conditions as well. Site access, elevations, grading, drainage, existing structures and improvements, utilities, demolition needs, and other property-specific conditions can all influence how a project should be designed and constructed.

We’ll also have an open conversation about your targeted comfort zone of investment. We believe discussing budget early is an important part of properly planning an outdoor living project. It allows us to provide realistic guidance about what may be feasible within that investment and helps prevent designing a project that looks great on paper but is significantly outside of what you intended to spend.

If your project is a good fit for CJR and requires more detailed planning, the next step may be moving into our design and pre-construction process. This is where we can further develop the design, work through material selections, construction details, and costs, and begin turning the ideas discussed during your consultation into a thoughtfully planned project.

Our consultations are informative and pressure-free. We want you to ask questions, understand our process, and learn what goes into your project before making any decisions. Whether you ultimately choose to move forward with CJR or not, our goal is for you to leave the consultation with a better understanding of your property, your options, and what it may realistically take to bring your outdoor vision to life.

Building a complete backyard can quickly become complicated when a homeowner is responsible for coordinating a pool contractor, concrete contractor, landscape contractor, turf installer, lighting contractor, and other trades independently.

Schedules have to align. Elevations have to work together. Drainage has to be considered across the entire property. Underground utilities need to be installed at the right time, and one contractor’s work can directly impact what the next contractor needs to do. When those details aren’t properly planned and coordinated, miscommunication, scheduling conflicts, rework, delays, and unexpected costs can occur.

CJR simplifies that process by designing, coordinating, and building the entire outdoor project under one company. Instead of our clients having to communicate their vision to multiple contractors and make sure everyone is working from the same plan, our team understands the complete project from the beginning. This gives us the ability to thoughtfully sequence each phase of construction around the next and make decisions based on the finished property as a whole.

There is also greater accountability when one company is responsible for the overall project. If something needs to be coordinated between the pool, concrete, landscaping, drainage, irrigation, lighting, or another portion of the build, our clients aren’t left trying to determine which contractor they need to call or who is responsible for addressing it. Our team handles that coordination.

This approach can also help our clients avoid unnecessary costs. When we know the complete plan upfront, we can prepare for future phases while work is already underway. Underground utilities, drainage, irrigation, electrical needs, elevations, access, and other construction details can be accounted for at the appropriate time rather than disturbing completed work later.

Even if you aren’t ready to build every element of your outdoor space at once, we can plan with the future in mind. Knowing that you eventually want an outdoor kitchen, additional lighting, a fire feature, pavilion, or another improvement allows us to consider those future plans before concrete is poured and landscaping is installed.

Our goal is to make a complex outdoor construction project feel much more manageable for our clients. With one company overseeing the bigger picture, we can create a more efficient construction process, clearer communication, greater accountability, and a finished outdoor space where every element feels like it was designed and built to belong together from the very beginning.

Absolutely. One of the biggest advantages of working with CJR is that we can look beyond the pool and plan your entire outdoor space from the beginning. Your pool, concrete, landscaping, drainage, irrigation, lighting, hardscape, and outdoor living features can all be thoughtfully considered as part of one cohesive plan.

Even if you don’t plan to build every outdoor living feature right away, we encourage you to think about what you may want in the future before we ever break ground on your pool. For example, if a future outdoor kitchen, BBQ island, fire feature, lighting, or other improvement will require utilities or underground connections, we can account for those needs while the necessary underground work is already being completed.

Planning ahead can help prevent the headache and added expense of having to remove finished concrete, disturb landscaping, or redo completed work later just to add something that could have been prepared for during the original construction.

CJR can build your complete outdoor living space alongside your new pool, or we can create a plan that allows certain elements to be added later as your budget and timeline allow. Either way, we prefer to have those conversations during design and pre-construction so we can plan ahead, prepare the property properly, and help our clients avoid unnecessary work and costs down the road.

Our goal is to think several steps ahead before construction begins, not just about what you want in your backyard today, but what you may want it to become in the future.

Homeowners choose CJR because they want more than individual outdoor features, they want a company they can trust with their entire property and an experienced team capable of bringing all the pieces of their outdoor space together.

As a local, family-owned and owner-operated company, we take a personal approach to the projects we build. From your initial consultation, you’ll work directly with our owner, Colton Ray, who remains involved throughout your project. We believe that level of involvement creates greater accountability, better communication, and a more personal experience for our clients from the very beginning.

Our all-in-one approach is another reason homeowners choose CJR. Instead of our clients having to separately coordinate their pool, concrete, landscaping, hardscape, drainage, irrigation, lighting, and outdoor living construction, our team can design, build, coordinate, and manage the complete outdoor project under one company. This allows us to look at the property as a whole, thoughtfully plan how each element will work together, and create a more efficient construction process.

We also put a significant amount of value on what happens before construction begins. Through our design and pre-construction process, we work through the details of the project, material selections, construction considerations, and realistic investment expectations before jumping into construction. We want our clients to understand what they’re investing in and feel confident in the plan we’ve developed together.

Throughout construction, we believe in honest communication, quality materials, skilled craftsmanship, proper preparation, and treating our clients’ homes with the respect they deserve. We don’t believe in cutting corners to make a project cheaper or rushing through important details simply to move on to the next job. We would rather take the time to plan and build something properly.

Our owner believes the standard for outdoor construction and the homeowner experience can be raised, and that is something we are committed to being part of. Homeowners deserve honest, qualified contractors who communicate, respect their investment, take accountability for their work, and genuinely care about the quality of what they leave behind.

For us, a successful project is about more than creating a beautiful finished outdoor space. It’s also about how our clients feel throughout the process. At the end of the day, our family name is attached to every project we build, and we’re proud to stand behind the work and relationships we build within our local communities.

Start by looking beyond photos and price. Ask whether the contractor is properly licensed and insured, whether employees are covered by workers’ compensation, what experience the company has with projects similar to yours, and who will actually be responsible for managing the work on your property.

Then ask about the details. How will drainage be handled? Is there a design? What materials are being used? What site preparation is included? How will the different trades and phases be coordinated? What isn’t included in the proposal?

At CJR, we believe educated homeowners make better decisions. Ask the hard questions, even when you’re asking them of us. A qualified contractor should be comfortable explaining their process, standards, and exactly what you’re receiving for your investment.

One of the biggest differences is the value we place on planning before construction begins. We don’t believe in rushing homeowners into a construction contract or simply putting numbers on a proposal before the details of the project have been properly worked through. Outdoor construction is a significant investment, and we believe the planning and pricing behind that investment deserve the same level of attention as the construction itself.

Our design and pre-construction process allows us to thoughtfully develop the project before preparing the final construction proposal. We work through the design, material selections, site conditions, elevations, drainage, construction details, and overall scope so both our clients and our construction team have a much clearer understanding of what is actually being built.

We also take the preparation of our proposals seriously. Rather than relying on rough estimates or generalized quantities, we carefully review the plans and use professional construction technology, including Bluebeam, to perform detailed takeoffs and calculate quantities such as square footage as accurately as possible. This helps us price the actual scope of work and selected materials rather than simply placing an allowance or estimated number on paper.

That level of detail takes more time upfront, but we believe it is time well spent. A lower or quickly prepared proposal can become much more expensive when important items were not accounted for, quantities were underestimated, or the materials a homeowner actually wants were never included in the original price. Our goal is to identify and discuss as much as possible before construction begins so our clients have realistic expectations about their investment and can make informed decisions.

We also approach outdoor living from a complete construction perspective. Our experience across landscaping, concrete, hardscape, drainage, irrigation, pools, and outdoor construction allows us to understand how one part of the property can affect another. We aren’t simply looking at what the finished project will look like, we’re thinking about how it needs to be properly constructed and how all of the elements will work together.

At CJR, we believe transparency starts before a contract is ever signed. We want our clients to understand what we’re proposing, what is included, why it costs what it does, and what they are receiving for their investment. We would rather spend the time upfront thoughtfully planning and accurately pricing a project than rush into construction and leave our clients dealing with avoidable surprises later.

You can expect a team that respects your home, communicates with you, and genuinely cares about your experience throughout construction. We understand that while this is our jobsite, it is also your home, and we never lose sight of that.

Outdoor construction can involve equipment, demolition, multiple phases of work, material deliveries, crews, noise, dust, and temporary disruption to your property. Our team takes jobsite safety, organization, cleanliness, and protection of your home and surrounding property seriously. We do our best to maintain an organized jobsite, clean up throughout construction, and minimize unnecessary disruption whenever possible.

Communication is also a major part of the CJR experience. From the beginning of your project, you’ll have direct points of contact with our team, including our owner, Colton, who remains involved throughout construction. We want our clients to know what is happening on their property, what phase we are working through, and what they can expect next.

We’ll communicate upcoming phases, scheduling changes, important decisions, and unexpected conditions as they arise. Construction doesn’t always go exactly according to plan, particularly when working with existing properties or conditions that cannot be fully known until work begins. When something unexpected does come up, our goal is to communicate it openly, explain the situation and available options, and work with you on the best path forward rather than leaving you wondering what is happening.

Because many of our outdoor living projects involve several different construction elements, coordination is extremely important. Our team manages the sequencing between the different phases of your project so our clients aren’t responsible for coordinating multiple contractors, schedules, deliveries, or trades themselves. That is part of the responsibility you are trusting us to take on.

We also want our clients to feel comfortable asking questions throughout construction. You should never feel like you’re bothering us by wanting to understand what is happening at your own home. We believe good communication builds trust, and that trust is especially important when a homeowner has made a significant investment and invited a construction company onto their property for weeks or even months.

For CJR, a successful outdoor living project isn’t measured only by how beautiful the finished space looks in the final photos. It’s also measured by how our clients felt while we were building it. Our goal is to provide quality craftsmanship alongside an organized, transparent, and positive construction experience from the first day on site through the final details of your completed outdoor space.

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all price for an outdoor living project because no two properties, designs, or project scopes are exactly the same. Pricing can depend on the size of the property, existing conditions, site access, demolition, grading, drainage, irrigation, material selections, hardscape, landscaping, structures, utilities, and the different features being incorporated into the project.

This is also why comparing outdoor living projects based on a general price per square foot or an online estimate can be misleading. A thoughtfully designed and properly constructed outdoor space involves many components that may not be visible when looking at a finished photograph. What happens beneath the surface, the quality of the materials being used, the amount of preparation required, and the complexity of the construction all contribute to the overall investment.

During your initial consultation, we’ll have an open conversation about your goals and your targeted comfort zone of investment. We believe it’s important to have realistic conversations about budget early rather than designing an outdoor space without considering what our clients are comfortable investing. This allows us to provide guidance on what may be feasible and where adjustments may need to be made as the project develops.

For projects that require more detailed planning, this is also where our design and pre-construction process becomes extremely valuable. Before preparing the final construction proposal, we work through the design, material selections, construction details, quantities, site conditions, and other major components that will affect the cost of the project. This allows our proposal to be based as closely as possible on what you actually want built rather than broad assumptions or basic material allowances.

Material selections alone can create a significant difference in project cost. We would rather have those conversations before construction begins and adjust the design or selections as needed than provide an attractive number upfront only for our clients to later discover that the materials or features they actually want come with substantial additional costs.

Our goal is not simply to fit as many features as possible into a particular number. It is to help our clients understand what is realistically achievable within their targeted investment while maintaining the construction standards and quality we are comfortable putting the CJR name behind. Sometimes that means adjusting materials, modifying portions of the design, prioritizing certain features, or planning a project in phases.

After seeing your property and understanding what you’re hoping to accomplish, we can provide realistic guidance and begin developing a scope around your goals. As the design and pre-construction process progresses, we can continue refining those expectations based on the actual project being planned.

We also have an honest conversation with our clients about the possibility of unforeseen conditions before we ever break ground. Even with thorough planning, outdoor construction can uncover existing or concealed conditions that simply cannot be known until work begins. We encourage our clients to plan for that possibility, maintain a reasonable contingency within their overall project budget, and avoid financially overextending themselves based solely on the original construction amount.

We never want a client to invest every dollar they are comfortable spending into the planned scope and then feel financially unprepared if something unexpected is discovered. Part of respecting our clients’ investment is being upfront about that possibility before construction begins, not after an unforeseen condition has already occurred.

Our pre-construction process is designed to identify and account for as much as reasonably possible before we start, but transparency also means acknowledging what we cannot predict. Our goal is to limit the unexpected wherever we can, prepare our clients for the possibilities we cannot eliminate, and give them a realistic understanding of both the planned investment and the responsibilities that can come with construction before they make the decision to move forward.