Commercial Design-Build Contractor in Portland, Oregon
“Exceeded our expectations.” Animal Care Center Veterinary Clinic, Salem, clinic renovation
“Professional, competitively priced, with excellent communication.” MK Phelps, primary care clinic build-out
Modern Northwest runs commercial projects design-build: one contract with us covers the design, the permit drawings and the construction, so you are not refereeing an architect and a builder who each blame the other. We use it on tenant improvements, suite conversions and site work across Portland, the west side, Clackamas County and Southwest Washington. Most of our recent design-build jobs are small and medium commercial spaces, 1,900 to 5,800 square feet, where speed and one price matter more than a long bid process.
Commercial Jobs We Run Design-Build
- Ace Hardware, Washougal WA: a 5,800 square foot garden center outside the store. New steel fencing, concrete demo, asphalt, new curbs, footings for a future canopy, striping and signage. Finished October 2025.
- Elevate Towers, Hillsboro: lobby updates in Tower I and Tower II plus a ground-floor spec suite.
- Uptown Family Dental, Beaverton: a former blood bank converted into a dental office, 2026.
- Axletree, Milwaukie: a 1,900 square foot first-tenant space for a florist and a 1,900 square foot spec suite next to it, late 2026.
- Milwaukie: a 3,500 square foot dental suite on SE McLoughlin Blvd being converted into a fitness studio, starting November 2026, and a 1,900 square foot tenant space on SE Main St.
What You Get With Design-Build
One Contract, One Point of Contact
Design, engineering coordination, permit drawings and construction sit under one agreement. When something in the field does not match the drawings, we fix it. Nobody sends you a change order to settle an argument between two of your own consultants.
Pricing While It Is Designed
We price the job as the layout develops, so you find out a wall of glass or a new restroom costs too much while it is still a line on a drawing, not after the plans are permitted.
Faster Start
Long-lead items like storefront, HVAC units and electrical gear can be ordered before every drawing is final, and demo can start as soon as the permit allows, instead of waiting for a full bid round.
Designed by Builders
Our development side is led by Sergey Marandyuk, VP of Development, who holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Architecture degrees from Portland State University. Layouts get drawn with how they will be framed, plumbed and inspected in mind.
Conversions and Second-Gen Space
Design-build fits jobs that change what a space is: a blood bank into a dental office, a dental suite into a fitness studio. The existing plumbing, power and walls decide the design, and the builder is the one who knows what is behind them.
Site and Exterior Work
It is not only interiors. The Ace Hardware garden center in Washougal was fencing, concrete, asphalt, curbs and canopy footings, designed and built under one contract.
Design-Build, CMAR or Bid: Which One Fits Your Project?
Design-build is one contract for design and construction. It is usually the fastest route and gives you one party responsible for everything. The trade-off is that you are not bidding finished drawings against several builders, so you are trusting the builder on price. That is why we price as the design develops and show you the numbers.
Construction manager at risk (CMAR) means you hire your own architect, and the contractor joins early to price and plan, then guarantees a maximum price. We ran the landlord work at Mercantile Village in Lake Oswego, ahead of the Thirsty Caterpillar bookstore build-out, this way.
Design-bid-build means your architect finishes the drawings, then several contractors bid. It gives you the most price competition and takes the longest, and every gap in the drawings becomes a change order. It suits owners who already have an architect and plenty of time.
If you are not sure, walk the space with us. We will tell you honestly which route fits your schedule and budget, even if it is not design-build.
Thirsty Caterpillar, Lake Oswego
A 3,790 square foot bookstore and cafe at Mercantile Village, finished May 2026. We ran the landlord work CMAR and then built the tenant space, one team from empty shell to opening day.
See the ProjectHow a Design-Build Project Runs
Walkthrough and Goals
We walk the space or the site with you and write down what it has to do, the budget and the open date.
Layout and First Price
A test layout and a first price come together, so you can trade features against cost before anything is final.
Permit Drawings
The design is finished into permit drawings and we submit them to Portland Permitting & Development, Clackamas County, the City of Vancouver or whichever city covers the address.
Order and Build
Long-lead items are ordered early, the crew starts as soon as the permit allows, and you get one schedule from one company.
Inspections and Turnover
Inspections, punch list and closeout, then the keys. Warranty questions come back to the same team that designed and built it.
Commercial Design-Build Questions, Answered
What is commercial design-build?
One contract covers the design, permit drawings and construction of a commercial project. You deal with one company instead of hiring an architect and a contractor separately.
Is design-build cheaper?
Not always cheaper on paper, since you are not bidding finished drawings against several builders. It usually saves time and change orders, and we price as the design develops so cost surprises show up early.
Do you do design-build for small jobs?
Yes. Most of our design-build work is 1,900 to 5,800 square feet, like the Axletree suites in Milwaukie and the Ace Hardware garden center in Washougal.
What is the difference between design-build and CMAR?
In design-build the contractor holds the design contract too. In construction manager at risk, you hire the architect, and the contractor joins early and guarantees a maximum price. We have run jobs both ways.
Related Services
Serving the Portland metro, including Portland, OR, Beaverton, OR, and Vancouver, WA. See our full service areas in Oregon and Washington.
Want One Team From Layout to Keys?
Tell us about the space or the site and your open date. We will set up a walkthrough.
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