Construction management & planning in Utah
Construction management, design-build, preconstruction estimating, and owner’s representation for residential and commercial projects across Utah County and Salt Lake County. We plan the whole job before anyone mobilizes, so decisions get made once, in the right order, with the trade-offs on the table.
Who hires us to plan and manage
Most of our planning and management clients fall into three groups. Owners with a project too big or too tangled for a single lump-sum bid — a multifamily building, a phased commercial build-out, a custom home on a difficult lot — who want a professional running procurement, schedule, and budget from day one. Property managers and commercial owners who need capital work sequenced around tenants and operations, with documentation their stakeholders can audit. And homeowners at the “we have an idea and a rough number” stage who want real cost information before they pay for full design.
It’s the right fit when the cost of a planning mistake is bigger than the cost of planning. If your project is a straightforward, well-defined scope — one trade, clear drawings, no phasing — a standard general contract is usually all you need, and we’ll tell you so. The value of these services grows with complexity: multiple trades, permits in more than one jurisdiction, occupied buildings, or a budget that has to survive contact with real bids.
We see dependencies before they become delays. That is most of what this family of services is.
Four ways to structure the engagement
Construction Management
We manage trades, schedule, budget, and quality on your behalf — typically open-book, joined to the project before drawings are final.
ExploreDesign-Build
Design and construction under a single agreement, so the budget shapes the drawings instead of discovering them at bid time.
ExplorePreconstruction & Estimating
Feasibility, constructability review, budgeting, and value engineering — real cost information before you spend design money.
ExploreOwner’s Representation
You hold the contracts; we review bids, pay applications, schedules, and quality as your advocate — useful when you already have a builder.
ExploreHow do the engagement models differ?
The short version: they differ in who holds the contracts, when we join the project, and how pricing works. Plainly:
- General contracting. The familiar model. You (or your architect) finish the design, we price it, and you get one fixed contract with Grandview. We hold the subcontracts and own the outcome. Best when the scope is well defined before pricing.
- Construction management. We join before design is done, price the job open-book as it develops, and manage the trades for a stated fee. You see actual subcontractor costs. Best for complex or phased work where early cost input prevents redesign.
- Design-build. One contract covers both design and construction. We coordinate the design team, so cost feedback happens weekly during design instead of once at bid day. Best when you want speed and a single point of accountability.
- Owner’s representation. We don’t build anything. You hold the contracts with another builder, and we protect your interests — reviewing bids, schedules, change orders, and pay applications. Best for owners who need construction literacy on their side of the table.
Not sure which fits? That’s a normal first conversation. Describe the project and the constraints, and we’ll recommend a structure — including the ones that pay us less.
How the trades are contracted and managed
Honesty about this matters more on a management page than anywhere else. Grandview is a licensed Utah general contractor — DOPL B100 license #14282236-5501, verifiable at dopl.utah.gov. Structural steel, welding, concrete, framing, roofing, and finishes are all delivered under that one contract to one standard. For all MEP trades, Grandview holds the contract and manages licensed electricians, plumbers, and HVAC contractors; we coordinate, sequence, and quality-check their work within your project — the same approach that runs through our MEP coordination work. You get one accountable contract either way.
Good planning in Utah is also local knowledge. Permitting timelines vary widely along the Wasatch Front: fast-growth cities like Lehi, Saratoga Springs, and Eagle Mountain run high plan-review volumes and evolving processes, while established departments in Provo, Orem, and Salt Lake City tend to be more predictable — we build the difference into the schedule instead of discovering it later. And Utah adopted updated I-codes effective July 2026, so we design and estimate to current Utah-adopted code rather than the edition your last project was built under. Both of those facts routinely move schedules and budgets more than material prices do.
Questions we actually get
What does construction management cost in Utah?
CM fees are usually a percentage of construction cost — commonly in the 5–10% range for mid-size Utah projects, plus general-conditions costs. Treat that as a ballpark planning number, not a promise; the real figure depends on scope, duration, and how much preconstruction work the project needs. We put the fee in writing before you commit.
When should I bring you in — before or after design?
Before, if you can. Roughly 80% of a project’s cost is locked in by design decisions, so cost feedback during design is worth far more than a sharp bid after it. If your drawings are already finished, that’s fine too — we’ll price them as a general contractor or review them as your owner’s rep.
What’s the difference between an estimate and a fixed price?
They’re different levels of certainty. A consultation produces a budget range; preconstruction produces an estimate built from real quantities and trade quotes; a proposal turns that into a fixed price tied to a defined scope. Anyone quoting a “fixed price” from a two-line description is guessing. We label which number you’re getting at every stage.
Do I need a construction manager for a home remodel?
Usually not. Most remodels are best served by a standard general contract, and we’ll say so. CM or design-build starts earning its fee on remodels with structural changes, phased occupancy, multiple permits, or budgets north of a few hundred thousand dollars — where an early planning mistake costs more than the planning itself.
Where the plan usually leads
Planning is the first half of a project, not the whole of one. Most of these engagements flow into new construction — custom homes, ADUs, multifamily, and commercial ground-up — or into renovation and build-outs, where sequencing around occupants makes early management worth the most.
Tell us what you’re working on
We reply within a couple of hours during business hours — a day at most. You’ll get a straight read on scope, sequence, and budget before anyone commits to anything.