Do You Have Questions Relating To A Construction Project We Can Help With?
We have provided the answers to our most commonly asked questions below, if you cannot find the answer you were looking for here, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Whatever stage you are at with you project please get in contact with us via telephone or email to discuss. We can talk through ideas that would suit your property and give an idea of budget costs before you commit to any fees or production of architectural drawings that may be required. We will also discuss planning, building regulations, potential increases of value to your property and architectural fees to help you make a well-informed decision. The next step would be then to help you produce a set of drawings (if this is required) on your project to enable us to provide you with a full quotation. Some of our customer may already have these drawings in place if so please send them over and arrange a meeting and we will produce a full quotation. Not all projects will require drawings so please contact us today to discuss.
Depending on project size we aim to have all our estimates and quotations back with 2-4 weeks. If you are not yet at the stage of having architectural drawings produced, we can offer a budget price estimate based on our experience and per M2 costs. This can be sent over in a few days to see if your ideas fit your budget. On smaller works we can usually issue our quotations within a few days.
This depends on the type of project you have in mind as some work/extensions may fall under permitted development. Please contact us to discuss your ideas and we can guide you through any planning process that may be required.
You do not need building regulations approval for some exempt projects.
These include most repairs, replacements and maintenance work (except heating systems, oil tanks, fuse boxes and glazing units) new power and lighting points, or changes to existing circuits. Like-for-like replacements of baths, toilets, basins and sinks are all exempt. Any work out of this will need signing off from a building control officer. We can take care of this process for you.
Most planning applications are decided within 8 weeks, we can guide you through this process.
Are usual working hours are 8am – 5pm Monday to Friday, however we do work outside of these hours when required and agreed by the client.
This obviously depends on the size and complexity of the project however what we can guarantee is that you will have a clear program of works with a start and finish date issued before the project commences. With any building projects from time to time you may come across unforeseen circumstance that can have an effect on timescale (weather, hazardous waste etc) if this is the case or if we are ahead of our predicted schedule a revised programme of works will be issued to the client and completion time adjusted.
Most of our projects enable the clients to carry on living at the property however safety is the most important factor when deciding if we can work whilst the customer is at home. We will do everything commercially possible to segregate working areas to avoid dust, temporary kitchens can be installed and working areas to be fully secured away from the main living areas. We will only do work in key areas of the house (kitchens/bedrooms) when completely necessary and will give the client full notice of when this work will incur. A clear programme will be issued and agreed before work commences and we will discuss living arrangements and what works best for your project.
This is a personal decision for the customer and what the customer feels comfortable doing. We will agree all design details before we start work so will not require any clients on site during the day. We will meet evenings and weekends to discuss progress. Access inside the property will be required at certain stages.
Yes we have public liability insurance for £5million all certificates are available to be sent prior to starting works.
We work on our larger projects using JCT 2016 contracts, this covers both the clients and the contractor.
Yes, you will be issued a handover pack at the completion of your project that will contain all guarantees and certificates.
We ask for a small holding deposit to book in your start date, once the project has commenced, we issue fortnightly valuations that reflect the work carried out over the previous two weeks. We find this works very well for both customer and contractor.
We restrict our workload to no more than 2-3 projects at any one time, this is to make sure that all our customers get the best possible service and attention they deserve.
We recommend that you meet with your project manager at least once a week to discuss progress, you will also be able to discuss any variations with your on site foreman. We believe communication with the client and contractor to be key for a successful project so will always be on hand to discuss any issues.
We have over 50 years’ experience in the residential and commercial market carry out several different roles. This experience and attention to detail we demand from ourselves has enabled us to offer a 1st class service across Suffolk.
Please see our testimonial page on our website, we believe our future success is built from our previous customers. Further references are available upon request.
If your property has adjoining neighbours we would investigate your obligations under the “Party Wall Act” and assist you in dealing with this if required. We recognise that your relationship with neighbours is longstanding and you will continue to live alongside them long after we have left site. Prior to commencement we usually visit neighbours, offering our business card and contact numbers should they have any concerns whatsoever. We do our utmost to keep relationships at their best whilst your works are carried out and that means being sensitive to traffic in the street, protecting boundaries, keeping dust and noise levels to a minimum.