FAQs

Do you have questions about doing a home remodel with Thayer Design Build? Here are the answers to our most commonly-asked questions.

General FAQs

We are a residential design-build company that specializes in home remodels. Our specialties are kitchens, bathrooms, whole homes, and additions. We do not work on apartments or manufactured homes, perform commercial remodeling, or provide handyman work (unless it’s for a past client as part of their aftercare benefit).

Yes. We’ll gladly put you in touch with our past customers who can verify both our work and their experience with Thayer. You can also check out their testimonial videos!

It comes down to scope and values:

  • Scope: We specialize in home remodels and additions. We are not the right fit for commercial projects, new home builds, or handyman services.
  • Values: If you value exceptional service, high-quality craftsmanship, and a process that stays on time and on budget, we’re a great fit. If you’re looking for the lowest-cost option, such as a quick rental property update, we likely aren’t the right match. Our goal, first and foremost, is to help homeowners love their homes again, not to improve rental properties or to prepare a home for sale.

Yes! We start with an initial phone call to determine if it makes sense to move forward. If it does, we offer a free in-home consultation to discuss your remodeling needs. Based on this meeting, we may provide a written estimate.

Absolutely! We’re happy to build from existing plans. Even when homeowners come with a full set of drawings, we often find value in reviewing the details to ensure a smooth build process. This may involve finalizing specifications, value engineering, or addressing other key planning details.

Timelines vary based on the project type and scope, but here’s a general guideline:

While these are typical timelines, unique project factors may affect the duration.

Working with one dedicated point of contact (i.e. a general contractor over multiple trades) brings a level of clarity and ease that homeowners absolutely love. You only need to explain your vision once, and the person leading your project carries that vision through every step of design and construction. There’s no back-and-forth between separate parties, no game of telephone, and far fewer opportunities for details to get lost. Communication stays clear and consistent, feedback loops move quickly, and the entire process feels more organized and intentional.

A single point of contact also means there’s true accountability. If a question comes up or something needs attention, you always know exactly who to call. It saves you time, reduces emotional stress, and keeps your remodel running smoothly from start to finish. It’s one of the biggest reasons homeowners choose a design-build team they can trust.

Homeowners choose us because we offer the right blend of experience, structure, and personal care. Our proven design-build process creates clarity from the very beginning, guiding you through each step with thoughtful planning, transparent communication, and a team that is genuinely invested in your home. We specialize in remodeling, which means our entire company is built around the unique challenges and opportunities of updating older homes in the Corvallis area and beyond.

We’re also the right size for the type of projects we take on. We’re not a large, impersonal builder, and we’re not a small crew juggling too many roles. We’re in the Goldilocks zone: big enough to provide professional design, in-house project management, and a vetted network of skilled trade partners, yet small enough to offer personalized attention and strong relationships with every homeowner.

With a team that lives and works in the mid-Willamette Valley, an established culture of excellence, and a clear process that consistently delivers great results, we’re a trusted choice for whole-home remodels in Corvallis, Albany, Philomath, and beyond.

Process and Project Planning

Design-build is a streamlined project delivery method where one team handles both the design and construction phases under a single contract. This approach eliminates the disconnect between architects and builders, reducing delays, miscommunication, and cost overruns.

At Thayer Design Build, we guide you through every step—design, planning, budgeting, and construction—ensuring a seamless process. By working with one dedicated team from start to finish, your project stays on track, on budget, and aligned with your vision.

Our team manages all levels of planning and execution. Your main role is to attend meetings, make design decisions alongside our team, and approve selections in a timely manner so we can keep your project moving forward. The more decisive you are, the smoother the process runs. Paying invoices on schedule also helps keep everything moving forward.

Success in staying on budget and schedule starts with detailed planning. During the design phase, we thoroughly define the project scope, costs, and schedule. By addressing potential challenges upfront, we minimize surprises and ensure a smooth construction phase. Our approach is called fixed-price remodeling, and it gives greater clarity and peace-of-mind before anything is ever built.

It depends on the scope of work, but typically- yes! See a comprehensive breakdown of considerations for whether or not you should by reading our blog on the topic.

Major renovations (such as a whole-home remodel): You’ll likely need to vacate.

Smaller projects (like a single kitchen or bathroom remodel): You can typically remain in your home. We are very accommodating when working in homes that are owner-occupied. 

For clients who need temporary housing, we offer The Cloverland Guesthouse, a fully furnished rental available exclusively to our clients during construction.

Yes. As a full-service design-build firm, we take care of the entire permitting and inspection process for you. Our team prepares all drawings, scopes of work, and specifications, coordinates engineering when needed, and submits permit applications on your behalf. Once construction begins, we manage every required inspection and ensure all work meets current building codes.

We’ve built strong relationships with local building departments, including the city of Corvallis, and we value the professionalism and thoroughness of their inspectors. Their oversight provides an extra layer of quality assurance, which aligns perfectly with the standards we hold for our projects. You never need to navigate permits or inspections on your own. We handle the details so you can feel confident that your remodel is safe, compliant, and built with care.

Our team handles many issues without needing to involve you—it’s part of our job. If something requires extra work and budget, we’ll discuss options with you, issue a change order, and adjust the schedule, if needed.

We plan ahead so your project stays on track. Our design and production teams closely monitor lead times for every product and material being considered. If something has an extended wait, we identify it early and adjust the schedule around it or recommend comparable options that still achieve your design goals.

For items that need to be secured sooner, we can use a Letter of Commitment to place orders before the construction agreement is finalized. This helps protect your timeline and ensures key selections arrive when the team needs them.

If a product delay does arise, we communicate with you right away and talk through the best path forward, whether that means adjusting the schedule or revisiting alternatives. Our priority is simple: deliver a finished space that looks and feels exactly the way you imagined. Thoughtful planning and clear communication make that possible, even when the supply chain throws curveballs.

During the design phase, clients can expect scheduled in-person meetings complemented by weekly summary updates to keep the process clear and collaborative. Once construction begins, communication continues with daily verbal and written updates that outline what was completed that day and what’s planned for the following day.

Cost & Payments

This is entirely project-specific and can range from $10,000 to $500,000+ depending on scope, timelines, etc. If you’d like to get an idea for project-specific pricing based on our real project numbers, download our cost guide. However, the best way to get accurate cost estimates for your home remodel is to schedule time to talk.

The most important step is partnering with a team that plans thoughtfully from the start. With a fixed-price design-build approach, we guide you through a clear process that keeps your goals, priorities, and budget aligned at every stage. Instead of rushing into construction, we spend the time up front to explore options, understand how you want your home to support your life, and make decisions that fit both your vision and the investment you’re comfortable with.

We also walk you through the true costs of a whole-home renovation so there are no surprises later. You’ll always know where your money is going and why, and you’ll have a team dedicated to helping you make choices that provide long-term value. A remodel is a significant investment, but when it’s planned well, it becomes one of the most meaningful ways to improve your daily life. Our goal is to help you feel confident and supported from beginning to end so you can focus on the results you’ll enjoy for years to come.

We begin with a ballpark estimate based on a general scope and key assumptions. During design, we plan every detail and gather firm pricing, which allows us to create a fixed-price agreement.

The design phase allows us to identify and understand all the variables, making it possible to offer fixed-price agreements with confidence. We occasionally do time-and-materials (T&M) work for simple handyman tasks, but only as a courtesy for past clients—it’s not something we typically offer to the general public.

It depends on the type of change order. Some are no-cost change orders, simply documenting changes that don’t significantly impact the project budget. Others involve additional costs based on the scope of the work and are paid at the time the change order is approved and initiated.

Materials & Design

Yes, you can- However, we recommend leaning on our professional designers for all design decisions. They’re trained to make selections that align with your vision, budget, and overall design cohesion. It usually leads to a better final result.

It starts with listening. Before any drawings or decisions are made, we take the time to understand how you live, what isn’t working in your current space, and what you hope to experience in your home every day. We ask thoughtful questions that help uncover both your goals and the root problems behind them, whether that’s functionality, flow, storage, or simply wanting a space that feels more like you.

From there, our design team translates your vision into a plan that reflects your style, supports your routines, and solves the challenges you shared with us. Throughout the process, we check in often, refine details together, and make sure the design continues to align with your lifestyle. The result is a remodel that feels intentional, personal, and deeply connected to the way you want to live in your home.

Our process is collaborative and supportive. We’ll show you carefully chosen options, offer our recommendations, and help you make confident decisions. If there’s a design choice we think might cause problems, we’ll bring it up more than once to make sure you understand the potential impact before moving forward.

Yes—if your project calls for it. Kitchens, bathrooms, and more complex remodels often include 3D renderings so you can clearly visualize the final outcome before construction begins.

Working with Thayer Design Build

  • Discovery phase: Jared (President)
  • Design phase: Your Project Designer
  • Build phase: Your Project Manager

We have cross-department collaboration throughout and a clear handoff process to ensure nothing slips through the cracks as your project progresses.

We use a mix. Critical work like demolition, framing, finish carpentry, and site management is done by our in-house team. For specialized trades, we work with vetted subcontractors—they can often work efficiently and more cost-effectively because they work within their specialties daily.

We offer a 10-year warranty on all our home remodeling work. That said, we’ve also helped clients beyond the warranty period because we take pride in standing behind our work and caring for our community. We like to refer to ourselves as “your contractor for life!”

We schedule a 90-day walkthrough to check for any issues and ensure everything is performing well. After that, we do annual check-ins throughout the 10-year warranty period to keep things running smoothly.

Quality starts with the people who work on your home. Our team is made up of experienced craftspeople, trained designers, and project managers who care deeply about creating spaces that feel thoughtful and well built. A strong company culture supports that work, and we invest in continuous education, proven processes, and a mindset of ongoing improvement.

We maintain quality through team reviews, milestone inspections, and strong internal processes:

  • During design, your designer and project developer review every detail for accuracy and alignment with your goals.
  • Before construction begins, our full team conducts a comprehensive review and signs off on the project to ensure clarity and consistency.
  • During construction, your project manager oversees quality control daily, making sure our trade partners meet our standards.
  • We also perform internal inspections before drywall and again at final completion to confirm everything is built to the level of craftsmanship you expect from us.

These checks, combined with a culture built on pride and professionalism, ensure your remodel is completed with exceptional care and attention to detail.