This first stage of the project involves us working with you to establish your brief. For us, this is about listening to you. It is as much about determining the number of bedrooms and bathrooms as it is about understanding how you want to use the space. Often, it is more useful for us to learn how you envision living day-to-day life in your new space – that way we can respond with the right layout to help make it a reality.

Once we have established your brief, we will then work to come up with a variety of options that meet it. We always consider furniture and joinery from the earliest stages of the design process, so you know the spaces we propose will be practical and useable if built. We always say if we can’t come up with at least one option you haven’t thought of, we shouldn’t be your architects! Through this process, we will help you explore the pros and cons of each option, and after some back and forth, we will create a scheme that you are happy with.

If required, we will then prepare the relevant planning applications to the local council and submit them on your behalf. On occasion, it can also be beneficial to split a proposal into multiple applications or even submit a pre-application to the council to help establish the parameters the planners will allow. In all cases, we will guide you on the most appropriate path to achieving planning permission.

Finally, we always recommend that at the planning stage you get a cost estimate produced to ensure that the designs we have worked to produce together are within your budget. While we have a good idea of rough cost levels from our many years of experience, it is always best to get a Quantity Surveyor to confirm.

Once we have a scheme that you are happy with, that’s within your budget and we have obtained the relevant permissions, we will then start work on detailed design. This is where the majority of our work takes place. If we haven’t already, we will help you appoint the rest of the professional team required to design the project. In our careers, we have developed a network of consultants suitable for all sizes of projects, and we will recommend and obtain quotes for you to review and appoint.

In detail design, we will work with you to make all your choices. This starts with large decisions: such as which kind of brick do you want to use and which type of floor finish do you want in each room, and ends with smaller decisions, such as what sort of light switch do you want? We have relationships with suppliers for all elements of your project and will accompany you to showrooms to help you make choices if required. We are also happy to make these kinds of interior decisions on your behalf if you prefer. As you make your decisions, we will be producing construction details and working with consultants to ensure the finished building will meet building regulations and other statutory requirements.

At the end of this detailed design process, we will have produced a large package of information setting out exactly how a contractor should build the project. This package, along with any other information produced by consultants, is arranged into what is called a tender pack by the Quantity Surveyor. This is then sent out to multiple contractors to obtain quotes for the work. These contractors will often be companies we have worked with in the past and who we know have the ability to deliver your scheme.

Once the contractors have returned their prices and set out their timeframes to complete the project – and pending some negotiation and possible value engineering – you are ready to sign a contract and start construction work.

You will sign a contract with the builder to carry out the work for the project, and after the agreed lead-in period, they will start work. We will act as Contract Administrator on the contract: in simple terms this means we will sit between yourselves and the contractor and ensure that both parties follow the terms of the contract.

As part of this role we will attend site on a regular basis to ensure the contractor is working diligently, following the drawings and, where required, we will also provide additional information to ensure the project can proceed without delay. We will also manage any changes and variations to the project that occur on-site. These changes could be because you change your mind and want something different, or because unforeseen structural issues or ground conditions call for a change in the design. Even the best-laid plans can experience a hiccup from time to time, and we will always work to provide solutions to whatever challenges may occur.

Each month, we will work with the design team to ensure the contractor is paid only for the work they have carried out. As the project draws to its conclusion, we will continue to check on the building work to ensure it meets our standards and, when the time comes, we will issue the relevant certificates and paperwork that allow you to move in to the property.

No matter how good a contractor is, there will always be little issues that emerge as you live in your new space and the building goes through all four seasons. Over the first year after you move in, we will continue to monitor the building and record any defects. After twelve months has passed, we will arrange for the contractor to return and rectify any issues that have arisen, in accordance with the contract.

From this point onwards, although the project has been contractually completed, we still maintain good relationships with our clients and will always continue to help with any issues many years after the project is finished.