A builder's read on
your project, in writing
Terrahills prepares fixed-scope reports that help US owners, developers and lenders test a budget, a bid or a site before committing to it. The work is advisory. We do not carry out construction in the United States.
Our advice comes from more than 30 years of general contracting in Ontario, where an estimate is something we have to build to. We look for what early budgets tend to miss: site work, servicing, foundations, fire protection, soft costs and contingency. Project-location assumptions and pricing sources are set out in every report.
- A second opinion on an existing budget
- Scope gaps and missing allowances identified
- Contingency and assumptions tested
- Prepared at concept or schematic design
- The whole project, not only the building
- Options compared on the same basis
- Contractor proposals compared line by line
- Exclusions and qualifications brought forward
- Questions to put to bidders before award
- Sequencing, access and site logistics
- Coordination risks between trades
- Comments from a contractor's perspective
- Published zoning and site constraints reviewed
- Concept yield, whole-project cost and pro forma
- A recommendation to proceed, change or stop
- Canadian owners assessing a US project
- US owners assessing a site in Ontario
- Differences in approvals, fees and estimating terms
A fixed scope,
a fixed delivery date
Each report answers a stated question. The scope, fee and delivery date are agreed in writing before work begins, so you know what you will receive and what it will not cover.
You tell us what the report needs to support: a land offer, a budget approval, a contractor award or a go or no-go.
We review the documents you have and confirm the scope, fee, delivery date and anything that needs a licensed US professional.
Most of the work is done from our Ontario office. Site visits are arranged where the decision depends on one.
You receive a written report with its findings, assumptions, exclusions and sources, and we walk through it with your team.
What an engagement covers
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Project types | Industrial and warehouse, cold storage and food-grade facilities, self storage, and other commercial buildings by arrangement |
| Where | Western New York and southeast Michigan first, with other northern states by arrangement |
| Clients | Owners, developers, investors and lenders, including Canadian companies assessing US projects |
| What we need | Site address, intended use, any drawings or specifications, existing budgets or bids, and the decision the report must support |
| Estimate stages | Described by design stage: concept, schematic design, design development or construction documents, in US dollars |
| Deliverable | A written report with findings, assumptions, exclusions, pricing sources and recommendations |
Each report is prepared for the client named in it. Reliance by a lender, investor or other party must be agreed in writing.
What these reports
are not
Some opinions must come from a professional licensed in the state where the project is located. If your decision depends on one, we will say so at the start and identify what you need to obtain.
- Engineering or architectural design, opinions or stamped drawings
- Appraisals or opinions of property value
- Real estate brokerage or advice on negotiating a land purchase
- Legal, tax, financing or investment advice
- A construction price, bid or offer to build in the United States
Questions US owners ask us
Plain answers about our advisory reports for projects in the United States.
Start Your Project Today
Tell us about the project and the decision in front of you. We will confirm the scope, fee and delivery date in writing.
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