After the Design Phase
Three ways to build your extension
Every route starts with the same Design Phase: drawings, structural calculations and a schedule of works that you can use with any builder. Then you choose who runs the build.
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Option 1
Tender it yourself
You have the time and experience to run the build, and want to shop around for a builder.
- Manages the build
- You
- Contract
- Between you and your builder
- Guarantee
- Whatever your builder offers
- What you pay
- Design Phase fee only
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Option 2
Build with our help
You want to run the build yourself, with an experienced eye on the contract, the work and the payments.
- Manages the build
- You, with our oversight
- Contract
- With your builder, drafted with our help
- Guarantee
- Your builder's, with our inspections on record
- What you pay
- Design Phase fee + contract management fee
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Most clients choose this Option 3
We build it
You would rather hand it over and have one company answerable for the whole job.
- Manages the build
- Build Team, with a named Build Manager
- Contract
- One fixed-price contract with Build Team
- Guarantee
- 3-year structural + 2 years' defects liability
- What you pay
- Design Phase fee + fixed build price
Why most clients let us build it
Design and build under one roof means one company is answerable from the first drawing to the handover.
One contract, one price
The build price is fixed in a single contract with Build Team, so you are not juggling separate trades or quotes.
The team that designed it builds it
Your drawings, structural calculations and schedule of works stay with the same company on site, so nothing is lost in the handover.
A named Build Manager
One person runs your site from start to handover and keeps you updated as the work goes on.
Guaranteed for years
Every build comes with a 3-year structural guarantee and 2 years' defects liability, in your handover folder.
How each route works
The Design Phase is built to be tendered: every contractor prices the same drawings and schedule, so the quotes can actually be compared.
- 1
Get your tender pack
At the end of the Design Phase you have the detailed drawings, the structural calculations and a schedule of works setting out exactly what is to be built.
- 2
Ask builders to quote
Send the same pack to several contractors. Because they all price the same schedule, the quotes can be compared.
- 3
Compare like for like
Check what each quote includes and leaves out, and how it handles things found on site. The cheapest is often the one that left the most out.
- 4
Sign the contract
Be clear on payment stages, timescales and what happens if the work runs late. We can help with this part even if we are not building.
You run the build to keep costs down, and we stay involved for the parts that are hard to get right: the contract, the key inspections, and the moment something on site does not match the drawing.
- Help putting the building contract in place
- Site visits at the key stages
- Written progress reports
- A professional check on quality before you release each payment
- Someone to call when the builder asks a question you cannot answer
Your contract is with us, your Build Manager works for us, and the guarantee is ours. This is what happens from the day you instruct us.
- 1
Site meeting
You meet your Build Manager at the property to confirm the details.
- 2
Preparation
Building Control appointed, paperwork arranged, parking bay suspended for the skip.
- 3
Start on site
Protection down, strip-out, foundations dug.
- 4
Construction
Twelve to sixteen weeks for a typical extension, with regular updates.
- 5
Services and plastering
Electrics and plumbing, then plasterboard and plaster.
- 6
Practical completion
A walk-round with your Build Manager; we finish the snags and clear the site.
- 7
Handover
Your handover folder, with the documents and the guarantee.
Common questions
Yes. The Design Phase is a stand-alone service: at the end of it you have the drawings, the structural calculations and the schedule of works, with a perpetual, royalty-free licence to use them with any contractor. Nothing ties you to our build arm.
It can be, if you have the time to run the process and the experience to read the quotes properly. What you save on price you spend in hours and in risk: managing a site, settling disputes and checking quality all fall to you.
Putting the building contract in place, visiting the site at the key stages, reporting progress in writing, and checking the quality before you release payments. You still hold the contract with your builder; we make sure it is being followed.
A typical extension runs twelve to sixteen weeks on site, after the design and planning stage. Larger schemes and wraparounds take longer.
The Build Team guarantee covers structural defects in the work we build for 3 years after completion, plus a 2-year defects liability period. Both apply to work carried out under our own build contract and come in your handover pack.
Not sure which one fits?
Talk it through with one of our architects, free. Tell us where you are and we will tell you honestly which route makes sense, including the ones where we don't build it.
Book a free consultation