Design Build
Your single-source partner for NH commercial and industrial design-build, for the lifetime of your system
At Eckhardt & Johnson, we provide fully engineered mechanical and plumbing design-build solutions for educational, commercial, outpatient, industrial and other facilities. Our in-house licensed engineering and design-build team works directly with architects, engineers and general contractors to deliver systems that are on budget, on schedule and built to perform.
100+
Years in New Hampshire, since 1917
PE-led
In-house engineering team
CEM + HBDP
Energy and high-performance design credentials
To code
Meets or exceeds plumbing, gas, mechanical and energy codes
Design-build, explained
What is design-build?
Design-build is a way of delivering a project where one team is responsible for both the design and the construction. Instead of hiring an engineer to design the system, bidding the drawings out, then hiring a contractor to build it, the owner works with one partner from the first concept to the finished, commissioned system.
Traditional design-bid-buildEngineer designs, the drawings go out to bid, a contractor builds. Separate contracts, separate teams.
Design-build with E&JOne team designs, builds and commissions the system. One contract, one point of accountability.
At Eckhardt & Johnson, our team handles the entire project. Your early and ongoing input is valued, and the result is a turnkey mechanical and plumbing system, and a lasting partnership.
Concept to commissioning, under one roof
Owners, architects, engineers and general contractors work with one E&J team from the first sketch to the finished system.
Scan
3D laser scanning of existing conditions, so design starts from the building as it is.
Design
In-house engineering team led by a PE sizes the plant, routes the systems and stamps the drawings.
Coordinate
Mechanical and plumbing models coordinated against structural, electrical and fire protection.
Prefabricate
Assemblies built in the E&J shop by certified welders, then set on site.
Build
E&J mechanics install the work around the operations of an occupied building.
Commission
Start-up, design verification and controls checkout, in-house.
Service
20+ service trucks and 24-hour support for the life of the system.
Questions?
Let’s talk about your project.
Our team can help you plan the next step for your facility.
What design-build saves you
One team from design through service saves time and money in three ways. And every system we design meets or exceeds the current plumbing, gas, mechanical and energy codes.
Reduced time
No hand-offs between an engineering firm and a contractor. Questions get answered inside one company.
Fewer change orders
The people who engineer the system install it, so design gaps are caught before they become change orders.
Standardized parts and equipment
Chosen to work during installation and for the life of the system, through design and service.
What we offer
Mechanical and plumbing engineering for commercial and industrial facilities, tailored to individual needs.
HVAC
Heating, cooling and air
- Load calculations for heating, cooling and humidification
- Ventilation for indoor air quality and safety
- Final equipment selections
- Precise control and accuracy when needed
- Pump and hydronic systems: boiler, radiant, snowmelt, chilled water
- Process piping
- Variable refrigerant flow (VRF)
- Cooling towers and water-source heat pumps
- Heat exchangers
- VAV and DOAS systems
- Kitchen hood and make-up air
- Clean rooms, labs and specialty exhaust
- Schools
Plumbing
Water, waste and gas
- Sanitary waste, including effluent pump systems
- Storm drainage
- Domestic water, including booster systems
- Water-heating plants
- Emergency safety stations
- Gas piping and sizing
- Compressed air and vacuum piping
- Medical gas piping
- Chemical drainage systems
- Insulation
Energy savings
Audits, incentives and lifecycle cost
Studies of existing mechanical systems for ASHRAE Level I, II and III audits to maximize efficiency and cut operating cost. We work with local utilities to secure prescriptive and custom incentives for high-performing, sustainable designs, and run lifecycle analysis on new designs to compare first cost against long-term operating cost.
Controls
Controls that support the design
From integrating with an existing building management system to custom local controls, the controls installed support the mechanical design the way the client wants it to run.
When design-build makes sense
Not every project needs a single mechanical partner from concept through start-up. These do.
Already have engineered drawings? See Construction. Need service on an existing system? See Commercial HVAC.
- Occupied-building renovations around people, patients or students
- Boiler and chiller plant replacements with a hard shutdown window
- Facilities with unreliable or missing record drawings
- Projects where early budget certainty matters more than a low first bid
- Complex mechanical and plumbing coordination in tight ceilings and chases
- Owners who want one partner for the life of the system
Professional credentials and design team expertise
The engineers, designers and project managers who plan the system work in the same building as the crews who install it and the technicians who service it.
- Professional Engineer (PE)
- Certified Energy Manager (CEM) through AEE
- ASHRAE High-Performance Building Design Professional (HBDP)
- Mechanical, plumbing and controls designers
- Detailers and coordinators
- Project management team
Recent design-build work
NH. Pharmaceutical standards
PCI Pharma Services clean room
E&J’s design team turned the engineering drawings into plans coordinated across trades, fitting the HVAC system into a pharmaceutical facility. E&J mechanics installed the complex equipment on schedule, and the service team now handles major repairs that keep the clean room operational.
Plaistow, NH. Heating season cutover
Timberlane High School boiler plant
Three high-efficiency boilers and two water heaters modeled in 3D and prefabricated in the E&J shop, then tied into the existing piping with no downtime.
Utility incentives on design-build projects
Utility incentives are easy money. We do the legwork.
On every E&J design-build project, we review the equipment for NHSaves prescriptive incentives, and look for custom incentives when a project falls outside the standard programs. We fill out the applications, gather the documentation and work with the utilities. The check is made out to you.
- Electricity
- Natural gas
- Chillers
- VFDs
- Custom incentives
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We review the equipmentAn upfront review of the design to identify every piece of qualifying equipment.
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We file the applicationsThe NHSaves applications filled out and every piece of supporting documentation gathered.
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We work with the utilitiesCoordination with the right people at each utility until the incentive is approved.
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You sign and get the checkYou sign off on the incentive offer and the check is cut directly to you.
All we need from you: your utility account numbers and who the check should be made out to.
What our customers say
Owners and architects who have built with E&J, in their own words.
[Customer quote to come. What sets E&J apart on a design-build project.]
[Customer quote to come. One point of accountability, start to finish.]
Customers
- Allegro
- GE
- Marmon
- Inter-Lakes School District
- Wadleigh Memorial Library
- Barrington Library
- NHTI
Architects we work with
- Warrenstreet Architects
- Bruce Ronayne Architect
- SMP Architecture
Questions owners and architects ask
Do you work with our architect or engineer?
Yes. Our design-build team works directly with architects, engineers and general contractors, and can complete the mechanical and plumbing design or work alongside the engineer of record.
Do you design the electrical too?
No. E&J designs and builds the mechanical and plumbing scope, and coordinates its models against the electrical and fire protection trades.
Do you help with utility incentives?
Yes. We work with local utilities to secure prescriptive and custom incentives for high-performing, sustainable designs.
Can you audit our existing systems?
Yes. We perform ASHRAE Level I, II and III energy audits of existing mechanical systems, led by a Certified Energy Manager.
Who services the system after turnover?
E&J does. The same company that designed and built the system maintains it, with 20+ service trucks and 24-hour emergency support.
Design-build exists to close the gap between what was designed and what got built.
Our team handles the engineering, the design and the installation, start to finish. One point of accountability. Your input stays in the loop throughout, and what gets built is what was truly designed to work. Our goal is to hold to the principles of design-build and build a lasting partnership with every owner.
