A SiteLine retainer gives you a seasoned owner's rep on call for the duration of your project — weekly check-ins, document review, schedule and budget audits, and a written summary every month. It is the alternative to hiring a full-time PM you don't need year-round, and the structure that keeps a long build from drifting between touchpoints.
Every retainer engagement ships the same core deliverables — the cadence is structured, the documentation is consistent, and your project gets a steady rhythm of oversight without you chasing a contractor.
A standing weekly call with your GC and key subs. Schedule check, open items walked through, decisions documented, next week scoped. Same time, every week — your project gets the rhythm of a full-time PM.
Shop drawings, product data, substitution requests, RFIs — reviewed before they hit your desk so you sign approved versions with context. We catch the gaps your subs would otherwise gloss over.
Independent schedule tracking against your GC's baseline — slippage flagged within a week, not a month. Pay applications reviewed before approval. Change orders audited against contract scope and market pricing.
RFIs drafted on your behalf when scope clarification is needed. Change orders priced independently before you sign. Ninety percent of the time, an audited change order comes back smaller than the original request.
A two-to-three page written report at the end of every month: what got done, what slipped, what's next, where the dollars stand. The artifact that keeps you informed without forcing you to live in the details.
Unlimited email and phone support during business hours, with defined response windows. Time-sensitive items get same-day attention. You talk to the same person every week — not whoever picked up the phone.
A retainer is the right structure when your project is long enough, your time on-site is limited enough, and the cost of small things drifting month over month is large enough that you want a steady set of eyes on it. Most retainer clients fall into one of three patterns: an owner-builder running a single custom build, a developer with several active projects, or a returning renovation client who's stacking additions and remodels over multiple seasons.
A retainer is not the right structure if you're running a single short engagement under four months, if you have someone on the project full-time already, or if the scope is small enough that a fixed-fee engagement makes more economic sense. We suggest a fixed-fee review in those cases — and we'll tell you as much on the consultation call.
Retainers replace hourly billing with predictable monthly cost. The exact rate reflects project complexity, response expectations, and active project count — and is confirmed during consultation.
Steady oversight without the full-time hire
A consistent weekly cadence keeps small issues from compounding. Here's the structure every retainer engagement runs on.
| Activity | Cadence | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Coordination call with GC / subs | Weekly | 60-minute video call, standing time |
| Submittal & RFI review | Within 2 business days of receipt | Written comments in markup, decision note |
| Schedule & budget check | Weekly (rolling) | One-page status update |
| Change-order review | Within 4 business hours | Independent pricing, scope write-up |
| Written progress summary | Last business day of each month | 2–3 page report, photos where useful |
| Email response | Within 4 business hours | Direct line to your rep |
| Phone / urgent response | Same-day during business hours | Direct line to your rep |
Drop your name and email and we'll reach out within one business day to schedule the 30-minute scope call. No proposal until we both know the engagement makes sense.
A retainer starts with a 30-minute conversation about your project, your timeline, and what oversight actually buys you. No proposal until we both know the engagement makes sense.
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