Carman Group is re-inventing the wheel.

Although the real estate market saw major fluctuations on the commercial side, residential sales remained active, with sales prices increasing appreciably.

From our perspective it meant a proliferation of New York renovation projects in co-ops and condos and single-family homes in Litchfield, CT, where we are active in design and construction.

This past year was especially significant for The Carman Group because we developed our website, www.thinkbefore youbuild.com, and formally created a marketable definition of the work we have been doing since 1997.

We are Owner's Representatives. Although it's a common nomenclature within the commercial sector, the term Owner's Representative is rarely referred to in a residential context. Yet that is exactly what we have been doing for years, only breaking it out as a combination of architecture, project management, cost management and construction management.

It makes for quite a laundry list of services, especially when explaining to co-op and condo owners, prospective clients, what The Carman Group is all about. However, the contract we write is an Owner's Representative Agreement, which fully covers the comprehensive nature of our services.

We have also found that residential construction has as many variables as commercial fit-outs. The difference is that we are most often dealing with peoples' homes, rather than workplaces. As such, residential projects tend to elicit more personal responses. Without being overly dramatic, we're trying to help improve our clients' lives with customized homes that reflect their personal needs. At the same time, we are protecting their real estate investments and improving their assets.

Adding to the emotional tenor of a residential project is the fact that renovation costs are substantial and generally out-of-pocket. For a quality apartment renovation in Manhattan, hard costs in 2003 averaged between $175 and $225-per-square-foot. So it makes sense that an owner would want someone who works solely on his or her behalf to coordinate all aspects of a construction project, including preconstruction, planning and design, project administration and occupancy.

Traditionally, residential projects are overseen by the design architect and coordinated by the general contractor. If the two professionals have a history of working together, then the project can work smoothly. A well run project reduces the necessity for expensive change orders and results in consistent sequencing and the hiring of efficient, responsible sub-contractors.

But in the real world, this kind of symbiosis of services is rare. For any number of reasons, it's far more common for the architect and GC to stop communicating in the midst of a project, leaving the owner with no other option than to try and arbitrate between the two or terminate services. Of course, when an owner terminates the services of the architect, GC or both, he or she is left with loose ends, work stoppages and unsolved problems. Then there are the ensuing lawsuits and liens for non-payment of services that were not adequately provided in the first place.

All of which explains why I took my background as an architect and facility and construction manager and began concentrating on the residential market. Nowhere are consumers more vulnerable than in the construction of their own homes. Although these types of projects are smaller in scope than commercial facilities and offices, they are equally challenging.

Both office and residential build-outs require adherence to well-defined codes, specific hours for construction and consideration for other tenants or office workers. But apartment build-outs can also include major installations of kitchens and bathrooms, all varieties of finishes and, in co-ops, approvals by boards of directors. Moreover, I have been asked to present plans to co-op boards on a number occasions and it's always somewhat intimidating.

I recently read an article in The New York Times regarding a group of condo owners who bought multimillion dollar lofts in a converted warehouse that began to fall apart within the first few years of residence. I couldn't help but thinking that had an Owner's Representative gone to the site with these prospective buyers, certain problems such as the faulty windows, non-working fireplaces and breaker boxes could have been flagged immediately.

There are potential pitfalls in new construction, as well as in post- and prewar that should be addressed prior to purchase. Ideally, possible problems are dealt with and solved long before there is an exchange of money.

In the past year, The Carman Group has begun working with brokers and their clients in the most preliminary stages.

In one case we simply reassured a purchaser that the two apartments he was considering could be combined with a fluid livable design.

The broker was thrilled. In other cases, we have drawn up preliminary Master Plans so that prospective buyers can gauge the scope of the work upon which they will be embarking.

So this year, our service lines expanded to include consulting with brokers, ostensibly, helping them close deals that are on the fence. As architects and project managers, we are able to explain and diagram what is needed to meet the expectations and desires of their buyers in the context of the site.

After six years as the principal of The Carman Group, along with more than two decades as an architect and construction and facility manager, I have a bold new definition for my work, Owner's Representation.

It's like starting a career all over again with new challenges, different expectations and the same high standards.

STEPHEN N. CARTER, NYC/AIA PRINCIPAL THE CARMAN GROUP, LLC