Owner's Advocate

When you are spending serious money on your home, you deserve someone in your corner who knows how construction actually works — and who is not trying to sell you anything.

Northern Builder Co-op LLC is an active licensed builder. That means we read bids, contracts, and field conditions the way a contractor reads them — not the way a lawyer or an inspector does. We tell you what we see, what questions to ask, and what we would do in your position. Then you decide.

One important thing: we will not advise you on a project we are bidding or building. Our advice is only worth something if it is independent. If that is the situation, tell us on the request form and we will say so right away and point you elsewhere.

What We Can Help With

How It Works

1. 01

   Send the request form

   Tell us what is going on. The more specific you are, the more useful our answer will be.

2. 02

   We reply within one business day

   We give you our honest read: whether we can help, and how. If we are not the right fit, we say so plainly and point you somewhere better.

3. 03

   We set up a call

   If we believe we can be of service, we talk through your situation, answer your questions, and give you a clear estimate.

4. 04

   You decide

   Nothing is booked and nothing is owed until you say so. Every engagement starts with a written Advisory Services Agreement.

What is an owner's advocate?

An owner's advocate is an independent construction professional — not your contractor, not your inspector, not your attorney — who works exclusively on your behalf during a home building or remodeling project. Their job is to translate the contractor's world into plain language: reviewing bids for completeness and fairness, reading contracts before you sign them, flagging scope gaps that could cost you later, and giving you an honest read on what is reasonable to expect at every stage. Unlike a home inspector, who documents conditions after the fact, an owner's advocate is engaged before and during construction, when there is still time to act on what they find.

What does an owner's advocate cost in Minnesota?

Owner's advocate fees vary with the scope of the engagement. A one-time bid or contract review is a flat advisory fee — typically a few hundred dollars for a straightforward document, more for a complex custom-home contract with multiple trade bids attached. Ongoing project oversight, where an advocate stays involved through construction milestones, is usually structured as a retainer or a per-visit fee. For a major remodel or new build in the Twin Cities metro, a full-project engagement might run one to three percent of the total construction budget — a fraction of what a single missed scope item or a poorly written change-order clause can cost you.

The question is not what an advocate costs. It is what the alternative costs. A $400 contract review on a $180,000 project is cheap insurance. A missed exclusion in that same contract can cost ten times that to resolve.

When should a homeowner hire one?

The most valuable time to bring in an owner's advocate is before you sign anything. Once a contract is executed and a deposit is paid, your leverage drops significantly. That said, there are several points in a project where an advocate adds clear value:

• You have multiple bids and cannot tell why they differ by $40,000.
• A contractor has handed you a contract and you are not sure what you are agreeing to.
• Your project has stalled, gone over budget, or the contractor has gone quiet.
• You are in a dispute over work quality, change orders, or final payment.
• You are planning a large project and want a second set of eyes before you commit.
• You have inherited a project mid-stream and need to understand where things stand.

If any of those situations sound familiar, an advocate conversation costs nothing. We reply within one business day.

Owner's advocate vs. home inspector — what's the difference?

A home inspector and an owner's advocate are both independent professionals, but they serve different purposes at different points in a project.

The short version: a home inspector tells you what exists. An owner's advocate helps you manage what happens next.

Can an advocate review my construction contract and bids?

Yes — and this is one of the highest-value things an owner's advocate does. Most homeowners sign construction contracts without fully understanding what they are agreeing to. That is not a criticism; construction contracts are written by contractors and their attorneys, and they are designed to protect the contractor. An advocate reads them the way a contractor reads them.

What we look at in a contract:

• Scope of work — what is explicitly included, and what is not
• Exclusions and allowances — where the real cost risk lives
• Change order language — how additions are priced and approved
• Payment schedule — whether draw timing is tied to completion milestones
• Warranty terms — what is covered, for how long, and what voids it
• Dispute resolution — arbitration clauses, lien rights, and termination provisions

On the bid side, we look at whether the bids you received are actually comparing the same scope, whether allowances are realistic for your market, and whether anything is conspicuously missing — the kind of gap that shows up as a change order after the contract is signed.

We do not provide legal advice and we are not attorneys. For contracts with significant legal complexity, we will tell you plainly when you should also have an attorney review the document. What we provide is the construction read — the part most attorneys cannot give you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an owner's advocate?

An owner's advocate is an independent construction professional who works exclusively on your behalf — not for your contractor, not for a lender, and not for an insurance company. They review bids and contracts, advise on scope and budget decisions, and give you a plain-language read on what is happening in your project. The goal is to make sure you understand what you are agreeing to and what you are paying for before it is too late to change it.

What does an owner's advocate cost in Minnesota?

A one-time bid or contract review is typically a flat advisory fee — a few hundred dollars for a straightforward document, more for a complex contract with multiple trade bids. Ongoing project oversight is usually a retainer or per-visit fee. For a major project, a full engagement might run one to three percent of the construction budget. We provide a clear written estimate before any engagement begins, and nothing is owed until you agree to the scope and fee in writing.

When should a homeowner hire one?

The best time is before you sign a contract — that is when your leverage is highest and an advocate can do the most good. But an advocate can also help mid-project if a dispute has developed, a contractor has gone quiet, or the budget has drifted in ways you do not understand. If you are unsure whether your situation warrants it, send us the request form. We will tell you honestly whether we can help.

Owner's advocate vs. home inspector — what's the difference?

A home inspector documents existing conditions — typically at a single visit — and produces a written report of what they observed. An owner's advocate is engaged before and during construction, focused on contracts, bids, scope, and contractor accountability. An inspector tells you what exists; an advocate helps you manage what happens next. The two services are complementary, not interchangeable.

Can an advocate review my construction contract and bids?

Yes. Contract and bid review is one of the most common and highest-value things we do. We read the scope of work, exclusions, allowances, change-order language, payment schedule, and warranty terms — and we tell you what we see in plain language. On bids, we look at whether the bids are comparing the same scope and whether anything is conspicuously missing. We are not attorneys and do not provide legal advice, but we provide the construction read that most attorneys cannot.

Owner's Advocate is an advisory service of Northern Builder Co-op LLC. Fees, scope, and terms are set out in a written Advisory Services Agreement provided before any engagement begins. Northern Builder Co-op LLC is a licensed Minnesota residential building contractor, License No. BC802778.