We understand committing to a kitchen extension or building a new home is scary thought as it can be expensive and challenging. We’ll help you resolve planning, building regulations and construction issues quickly and easily, so you can relax and think about your new kitchen or colour of paint for the walls. We also want to make you aware of five simple steps what is required by you (the client) to make the process simple, efficient, cost effective and fun for everyone involved.

What are you looking to achieve out of the property?

Are you looking to extend or build something new? If so, contact us about your thoughts and ideas and we will be happy to see whether our services can help. If so, we can arrange a consultation to visit yourself and the property and discuss in detail the processes involved to gain the necessary permissions and answer any questions you may have. After every consultation you will receive a fee letter that outlines our services which include the design stages involved, timescales and fees so you clear from the outset what is required.

When are you thinking of building?

We advise to all our clients to plan ahead before committing yourself to the project. The process to gain the necessary permissions is complex and therefore a lot of patience is required as developing drawings, gaining planning permission, developing building regulation drawings for construction purposes and gaining accurate costs from builders can take considerable time. For example, a small single storey kitchen extension can take a couple of months before building work can begin on site.

If you have a timescale or start date in mind, you will need to bring this to our attention as soon as practically possible so we can manage and program our projects accordingly.

Decision making

During any project, there will be decisions to be made along the way. We offer all our clients the opportunity to review drawings and plans so you clearly understand the proposal before any submission is made. If there are any additions or amendments to the drawings, just tell us and we’ll be happy to oblige.

If you need more time to think about the proposal, we will be happy to offer that too. However, in order to maintain project momentum we advise not to spend too long on decisions.

Making payments

There are a variety of different payments to made over the course of the project. There are application fees for both planning and building regulations, map charges as well as professional fees for designing the proposal. To ensure the project runs efficiently, we recommend that payment of the works is made (within the terms and conditions) after each stage. Missing a payment can lose project momentum, incur delays and sometimes incur additional charges.

Working with builders

Builders today are very busy and they will not be interested in quoting or working on jobs where there is little information or no drawings to hand. To get on the right side of builders, we ensure all the drawings, specification and necessary permissions are produced beforehand so you can gain an accurate quote, how long the build process will take and when they can start on site.

We also recommend you carry out research on local builders and see their previous works to ensure you are happy with the quality of the build and person who you will be dealing with on a day-to-day basis.

View our frequently asked questions