Owner's Representation and Project Management

PACM represents homeowners during the planning, design, and construction of remodels, additions, and custom homes. We coordinate with your architect, builder, and other consultants, review costs and progress, and bring decisions to you with the information needed to make them.

Our advice draws on hands-on building experience, including our own SB 9 project in Palo Alto, and a career managing complex technical projects. That experience helps us examine how a design will be built, what a proposal includes, and whether the work is progressing as planned.

Your architect and contractor have responsibilities under their own agreements. We define our role alongside theirs, including reporting, coordination, and which decisions require your approval. The scope of our involvement is agreed before work starts.

When an owner’s representative makes sense

• Costs or delays are becoming difficult to explain. You need an assessment of change orders, payment requests, the work remaining, and your options for completing it.
• Your project is large or complex. Whole-home remodels, additions, new custom homes, and multi-phase projects with several consultants.
• You are busy. You want to make the decisions that matter without managing the day-to-day stream of questions, submittals, and change orders.
• You are not in town. Second homes, relocations, and projects that run while you are traveling need someone on site who reports back clearly.
• You want independent oversight. You already have, or will select, your own architect and builder, and you want an experienced set of eyes reviewing their work, their invoices, and their schedule.

What we do

Pre-construction

• Define your goals, priorities, and budget.
• Help you select and interview architects, designers, and general contractors.
• Review proposals, fee structures, and contracts before you sign them.
• Build a realistic master budget and schedule, including permits, design time, and contingency.
• Coordinate feasibility questions with the City of Palo Alto and neighboring jurisdictions, including SB 9, ADU, and historic-review considerations.

Design phase

• Keep design decisions aligned with the budget as drawings develop.
• Manage the consultant team: structural, civil, Title 24 energy, landscape, and others.
• Coordinate utility service applications and upgrades with PG&E or CPAU, water, and sewer.
• Review drawings and specifications for completeness, constructability, and cost before they go out to bid.
• Compare bids, including allowances, exclusions, and differences in scope.

Construction phase

• Scheduled site visits, weekly or every other week depending on the stage, each with a written report: progress, quality, open questions, and decisions needed from you.
• Review and approve pay applications against work actually completed.
• Evaluate change orders for legitimacy and pricing before you approve them.
• Track the schedule and flag delays early, while there is still time to recover.
• Document project meetings, decisions, and follow-up responsibilities.

Closeout

• Manage the punch list to completion.
• Collect warranties, manuals, lien releases, as-built drawings, and final permits.
• Walk you through the finished home and its systems.

When costs or delays become a problem

If you are receiving unexpected bills, repeated change orders, or revised completion dates, we can review the project before you make further commitments. We start with the construction agreement, plans, original proposal, change orders, payment history, and current site conditions.

Our review can include:

• Checking the basis for extra charges. Compare proposed extras with the agreed scope, allowances, and previous approvals. Request supporting quantities, labor, and material costs where charges are unclear.
• Assessing proposed changes. Examine why a change is needed, the cost and schedule implications, and whether there are alternatives. Identify optional work that could be deferred or omitted.
• Estimating the remaining cost. Review committed costs, work still to be priced, and likely completion requirements. Identify missing information and unresolved costs.
• Discussing disputed items with the contractor. Present documented questions and challenge charges that are not supported by the project records.
• Considering other contractors. Help identify and compare alternatives when appropriate, including the cost, availability, and disruption involved in a handover.

Some additional costs reflect necessary work or changed conditions. Others arise from scope gaps, duplicate charges, or decisions that have not been fully explained. We identify what the records support, what needs clarification, and the options available to you. You decide how to proceed.

Reviews of a specific issue

Not every project needs full owner’s representation. We also offer defined-scope services:

• Budget and proposal review. A candid second opinion on a contractor’s bid or an architect’s fee proposal.
• Contract review. A plain-language walk-through of what you are signing and what is missing.
• Schedule and progress audits. A one-time or monthly look at a project that feels off track.
• Pre-purchase lot and house assessment. For buyers planning a remodel or a tear-down and rebuild: what the lot allows, what the build is likely to cost, and how long permits and utilities will take.

How we are paid

Defined reviews are a fixed fee, quoted in writing before we start. Ongoing representation is billed monthly or hourly, agreed in writing. We do not take referral fees or markups from architects, contractors, or suppliers. You pay us directly for our work on your behalf.