The owner-side construction management model
On a traditional general-contractor build, the builder marks up trades and materials by ten to twenty percent. That margin grows with every change order. Owner-side construction management ontario clients prefer flips that equation. You hire Lakeside CM directly. We hold the schedule, run the trades, and shield you from the inflation that hides inside fixed-price contracts. Our paycheque is fixed before a shovel touches the ground.
What the fee-only structure actually means
Our fee is a flat percentage of the hard cost of construction, agreed in writing at pre-construction. It does not move when steel prices move, when a trade adds a change order, or when the build runs into a granite outcrop nobody saw on the survey. Owners working with a fee only construction management partner get every trade quote, every invoice, and every reconciliation. There is no version of the budget that we see and you do not.
A $2M example
On a $2,000,000 custom cottage, a traditional GC arrangement adds roughly 15% margin onto $1,700,000 of trades and materials, about $255,000 in builder margin sitting on top of your build. A Lakeside CM construction management engagement on the same scope is a flat 7% fee on the trade scope, about $119,000. The owner keeps $136,000. We will publish a full side-by-side table once the numbers are confirmed for your specific build. (// REPLACE with confirmed math after James reviews)
What we run for you
Pre-construction planning, trade and supplier selection, contract negotiation, day-to-day site management, weekly budget and schedule reporting, change-order discipline, deficiency walk and closeout. You get one accountable manager on the lake, one weekly call, and one inbox. Every trade reports up to Lakeside CM, and Lakeside CM reports to you.
Where this model works best
Owner-side construction management is the right tool when the build is custom, the budget is meaningful, and the site is unusual, islands, conservation lakes, winter access, helical pile foundations, ICF basements. It is the wrong tool for a quick spec build on an easy lot. If your project is over $1.5M, on a real lake in cottage country, and you intend to live in it for a generation, this is the model that protects you.