December 15, 2025
Whether it’s a straightforward remodel or all-new construction, homeowners with a place at the table have a special opportunity as co-collaborators with creative design-build professionals. Together, a good team can move efficiently – and within budget – from wishlist concepts to on-the-ground realities.
Take the Turicchi project, for example. When Lannette Turicchi called Giffin & Crane to spearhead a comprehensive remodel of what she described as her “disjointed and soulless” home, the contracting firm brought in architect Tom Meaney, who has a knack for rearranging awkward floor plans to create better flow. Out of the gate, Turicchi had Meaney and company cofounder Bruce Giffin on speed dial, and they sat down often to discuss details.
“I would describe design elements that I liked,” remembers Turicchi, “and then Tom would start sketching.” On site, the build team would use giant pieces of cardboard to mock-up life-size versions of the drawings. “Then we would all take a look and talk about it,” she says. “They really appreciated my ideas and input.”
“The best team is the one that can get into your head, see your dream, and make it into a reality,” she adds. “I think we had that.”
It also helped that “Lannette had very good taste and strong ideas,” Meaney says. “She definitely helped the team effort” in overcoming the project’s functional and aesthetic challenges. “Working together, we were able to clean up a lot of the mess she had inherited when she bought the place.”
But any successful design-build collaboration is more than just a group of people good at their respective trades, explains company cofounder Geoff Crane. “We gather the right professionals for the tasks at hand, certainly, but they also have to be the ones that will all work together.”
Every project is different. Each one calls for a specific team assembly that matches expertise and personalities and tradesmen and site supervisors. The bottom line, says Crane, is that everybody wants a successful project. It’s really about communication and responsiveness.
“Having contractors and owners and the other professionals at the table can really direct the whole team to where it needs to go,” Crane adds. “That way, you’re moving forward faster and staying within the budget.” And the result is a happy client, keenly aware of the wide range of talent, discipline, and creativity the entire design-build team has brought to the home.
“I had a say in everything,” remembers Turicchi, “and I’m so grateful for those long discussions every step of the way. As a result, I have the house I wanted.”