Architectural Design

We work with a favoured architect and interior designer if required, which allows us to form a solid design team.  We will arrange a meeting with the architect and myself at your home allowing us to brief the architect together who will develop floor plans and front and rear elevations for your consideration. When the designs perfectly fit your requirements the architect will submit the planning application (if planning permission is needed).

Structural Design

Once we have agreed floor plans and elevations I will brief the structural engineer to produce structural drawings and calculations and, if necessary, brief the party wall surveyor to write and serve party wall notices.

Detailed Specification of Works

I then work with you to create a detailed specification of your refurbishment requirements for each room or trade to include all the build requirements, electrics, lighting, plumbing, heating and finishes.

Build Tender

Using the approved architects/interior designer’s drawings, structural drawings and detailed specification, including finishing schedules, I will brief a short list of preferred contractors (most of whom I have worked with many times before) to enable them to provide itemised quotes.  I am also very happy to work with any contractors you the client might like to put forward. I will then analyse the build quotes, negotiate on your behalf and help you to choose the most suitable contractor. The cheapest quote is not always the best quote and I will ensure the quotes are scrutinised for omissions and misquotes! I then write up the contract with the chosen contractor to include start and finish date, payment schedule and detailed programme.

Of course if time is pressing we can skip a three week tender process and I can recommend a building contractor who I think is correctly set up for your project – I will brief the contractor take him around the site and develop a pricing document that will allow us to ensure you are getting a competitive price.

Interior Design

Not every project requires an interior design service but I can advise accordingly and explain the benefits of employing a designer based on your particular project, which will include detailed designs for each room. This will likely cover furniture layouts, colour schemes (including paint colours, flooring, carpet, window dressings and soft furnishings), lighting and electrical layouts and kitchen and bathroom design and elevations. The more detail we can provide to the contractor the more likely we’ll get the final result we’ve envisaged.

Project Budget

As mentioned it’s key to manage the contractor across the agreed budget.  Once we have agreed a detailed budget, which will stem from the schedule of works we drew up at the tender stage, we will then perform frequent valuations across the works completed to date – it is key that we don’t overpay the contractor at any stage of the project to ensure there are no performance issues at the latter stages of the project.  Variations will also be managed and we will always track these back to the original schedule of works to ensure you are not being charged for something that should have been costed in the original tender.

Onsite Project Management

I will be the main point of contact with the contractor liaising with site managers and trades on site to ensure they understand and help deliver exactly what we want. I will also order fixtures and fittings at the right time and manage the snagging process. Note every contractor we put forward are set up to have site foremen or managers which ensures the project runs efficiently and there is a point of contact onsite.

Value for your Budget

Most people see project management as an extra unnecessary cost but as hopefully explained above you can see that it’s a necessary cost that will ensure your project runs efficiently and does not take over your life.  We tend to work with our preferred contractors in most situations and as we both know how each other works, this not only ensures a well run project, the contractors factor my involvement into the running of the project which results in their costs being less than if you contracted them directly without my involvement.

The above provides a simple order of process on how I can help you run your refurbishment project but every project is different in some way and so I find it’s best to have a chat first and see where I can add value to your project.

Managing your Contractor

Of course you may have already appointed or be in the process of appointing a contractor but value the importance of a separate project manager – I have no problem offering my services at this post tender stage and working with a client’s contractor.