Construction Management Pricing

Professional construction management and owner’s representation services for homeowners, business owners, and architects across Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. Transparent pricing and cost-plus delivery

Transparent guidance to help you plan with confidence

Every construction project is different. Scope, complexity, schedule pressure, and decision-making requirements all influence the level of management required. For that reason, construction management services are not priced like a trade or a fixed-scope contract.

At High-Tier Construction, we believe in transparency. The information below is intended to help homeowners, business owners, and architects understand how professional construction management is typically structured and what clients commonly invest for this level of oversight.

How Construction Management Is Priced

Construction management fees are based on responsibility, risk, and involvement, not just time spent on site. Our role is to protect the project by coordinating people, information, schedules, budgets, and decisions as conditions evolve. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all pricing, we structure our fees around how projects actually unfold.

Typical Pricing Structures

Percentage of Construction Cost

Best suited for full renovations, new builds, and architect-led projects.

Typical Range: 8% – 15% of construction cost.

When This Applies: Multi-trade projects, structural work, custom details, or projects with schedule and coordination complexity.

How this works:
The fee scales proportionally with the size and complexity of the project, aligning our role with the overall scope and risk.

Example:
A $600,000 renovation typically invests $48,000 – $90,000 in professional construction management.

Monthly Retainer

Best suited for commercial spaces, business owners, and phased projects.

Typical Range: $4,500 – $12,500 per month.

When This Applies: Occupied spaces, phased construction, ongoing coordination with multiple stakeholders.

How this works:
A predictable monthly structure that provides dedicated project management capacity without the cost of a full-time hire.

Pre-Construction & Advisory Services

Best suited for early planning and design coordination.

Typical Range When This Applies $4,000 – $20,000.

When This Applies: Budget validation, scheduling, constructability review, consultant coordination.

How this works:
Early-stage support that helps align scope, budget, and expectations before construction begins—often reducing risk and cost later.

What Influences Pricing

Construction management fees are influenced by factors such as:

• Project size and technical complexity
• Number of trades and consultants involved
• Occupied vs. vacant site conditions
• Schedule constraints and critical timelines
• Level of reporting, meetings, and documentation
• Speed and frequency of client decision making

Understanding these variables early allows for more accurate planning and smoother execution.

Why Professional Construction Management Matters

Projects without dedicated oversight often experience:

• Budget overruns caused by scope gaps
• Schedule delays from trade conflicts
• Design intent compromised during construction
• Excessive change orders and reactive decision-making
• Increased stress for owners and consultants

Our role is to prevent these issues before they become costly problems—providing structure, clarity, and leadership throughout the process.

A Note on Transparency

All pricing ranges shown are indicative only and provided for budgeting and planning purposes. Final fees are confirmed following a detailed review of project scope, complexity, and schedule.

Discuss Your Project

If you’re planning a renovation, commercial build-out, or architect-led project and would like to understand what level of construction management support makes sense for your situation, we’d be happy to discuss.

Preferred Contract Method: Cost Plus

At High-Tier Construction, our preferred contract format is Cost Plus. This approach is widely used in complex renovations, custom homes, and architect-led projects where scope evolves and transparency is critical.

Under a Cost Plus structure, the client pays the actual cost of construction (labour, materials, subcontractors, permits, etc.) plus a clearly defined management fee. This format allows projects to move forward efficiently without relying on heavy contingencies or assumptions that often inflate fixed-price contracts.

Why Cost Plus Works

Cost Plus contracts:

• Encourage open collaboration between all parties
• Reduce adversarial relationships and change-order disputes
• Allow scope to evolve without disrupting momentum
• Provide greater cost accuracy as decisions are made
• Align incentives around quality and long-term value
• Rather than pricing unknowns upfront, Cost Plus allows decisions to be made with real information as the project progresses.
• Live Cost Transparency

To support full transparency, we provide clients with access to a live cost sheet throughout the project.

This includes:

• Real-time tracking of all project costs
• Clear categorization of labour, materials, and subcontractors
• Ongoing budget comparisons and forecasts
• Visibility into approved and pending costs
• Clear documentation supporting every expenditure
• Clients always know where the budget stands—no surprises at the end of the project.
• Built on Trust and Accountability

Our role under a Cost Plus structure is to act as a trusted steward of the budget, providing clarity, documentation, and proactive communication at every stage. The result is a calmer process, better decision-making, and projects delivered efficiently with confidence.