One contractor. One fixed price. One point of accountability — from the first sketch to handover day. Our design-and-build service eliminates the gap between what your architect designs and what your contractor delivers.
Traditional construction in Ghana involves separate architects, structural engineers and contractors — each with their own fees, timelines and sometimes conflicting interests. When something goes wrong, everyone points at someone else.
Design-build puts one team in charge of everything. Your single contract covers design, engineering coordination and construction. One price. One timeline. One person to call.
From brief to built — custom homes designed and constructed under a single fixed-price contract. All sizes, all budgets, all finishes.
Offices, retail spaces and mixed-use developments designed and built by one team. Faster delivery, single accountability.
Need more space? We design the extension, handle the permit and build it — fixed price, no separate architect fee.
Warehouses, factories and commercial compounds designed for your operational requirements and built on time.
Interior design concept through to full installation. Offices, restaurants, retail — designed and delivered as one package.
Not ready to build yet? We develop your concept into permit-ready drawings — so you know exactly what you're getting and what it costs before committing.
No — our design-build service includes architectural design through our partner architects. If you already have an architect you love, we can work with them too. The key is that both design and construction sit under one contract with one fixed price.
Not necessarily — and often it is cheaper overall. When design and construction are integrated, expensive redesigns caused by the architect specifying things the contractor can't build (or won't build at the quoted cost) are eliminated. The single contract also reduces administrative cost and dispute risk.
Yes — changes are handled through written change orders that price the variation before work proceeds. We don't prevent design evolution; we just make sure you know what every change costs before it happens.
In a traditional procurement model, you hire an architect separately, then separately engage a contractor, and manage the handover between them yourself. In design and build, one party is responsible for both — meaning one contract, one point of accountability.
Design and build contracts are priced on a fixed-price basis inclusive of design fees, structural engineering, project management, materials, and labour. You pay one number. The design element typically adds 8–12% to the base build cost versus supplying your own architect-drawn plans.
| Project Type | Approximate Total | Design Fee Component |
|---|---|---|
| 3-Bedroom house, standard finish | GHS 545,000–890,000 | GHS 40,000–75,000 |
| 4-Bedroom house, standard-premium | GHS 730,000–1,310,000 | GHS 55,000–105,000 |
| 5-Bedroom villa, premium | GHS 1,320,000–2,550,000+ | GHS 100,000–200,000+ |
| Commercial office/retail (per m²) | GHS 5,500–9,200 per m² | Included |
* Includes architect, structural engineer, permit application, materials, labour, project management, and 6-month warranty. Excludes land, borehole, generator/solar.
A Cornerstone design and build contract includes: architectural design by an ARB-registered architect; structural engineering; building permit application and management; all construction from foundation to finishes; project management and supervision; and a 6-month workmanship warranty. It does not include land, borehole, generator, or furniture unless specifically added to the scope.
Design and build typically costs 8–12% more than a traditional contract where you supply your own drawings. This premium pays for the integration of design and construction under one accountable party — and the certainty of a single fixed price rather than separate design and construction contracts that interact.
Design changes after construction has started create cost and delay. Any change is priced and issued as a written change order, agreed by both parties before the change is made. We do not proceed with changes until the additional cost is agreed in writing.
Make sure you have the right information before committing to any construction project in Ghana. These are our most-read guides:
We visit your plot at no charge and no obligation. During the site visit we assess soil conditions (critical for foundation type and cost), confirm plot dimensions, evaluate access for materials delivery, and identify any site-specific constraints that will affect the build. This visit is what makes our quote accurate rather than estimated — and it costs you nothing.
Your quote lists every material item (quantity and unit cost), every labour operation, supervision, professional fees, permit fees, and contingency — separately. You can compare every line against current market prices. We do not use lump-sum estimates. Transparency is how we earn trust and verify value simultaneously.
Once you are ready to proceed, we sign a fixed-price construction contract before any money changes hands. The contract specifies: the complete scope of work; the fixed contract sum; the payment schedule (tied to milestones, not dates); the completion timeline; and a 6-month workmanship warranty. The price in the contract is the price you pay — it cannot be changed without a signed change order agreed by both parties.
Your crew is assigned exclusively to your project — not shared across four or five other sites. Each day, your dedicated project manager sends WhatsApp site photographs from the build. This is particularly important for diaspora clients who cannot visit the site regularly — you see exactly what is being built, at what stage, in real time. If any issue arises on site, you hear from us before it becomes a problem.
Payments are released against verified construction milestones, not against calendar dates. Our standard residential schedule: 30% on contract signing and site mobilisation; 40% on completion of structural works (foundation, walling, slab, and roofing); 30% on practical completion and handover. You do not pay for the next phase until the previous phase is confirmed complete — protecting your money throughout the project.
Every Cornerstone project carries a 6-month written workmanship warranty from handover date. Any defect in our workmanship — cracked plaster, roof leak at a junction we installed, failing tile adhesion, faulty fitting — is corrected at our cost within the warranty period. We provide this warranty in writing because we are confident in our work. We can also provide references from clients who have tested the warranty and confirm it was honoured without dispute.
Free initial consultation. Fixed-price design-build contract. 6-month warranty. First-time clients get 10% off their first repair job.
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