White & Lloyd

There are various stages to any building project, and at each stage a variety of professional skills are required – this is where White & Lloyd can help simplify the decision of who does what.

White & Lloyd can help you source a suitable Architect if you haven’t yet found the right one. You should ensure that what you are planning to build is feasible financially and from a planning perspective before incurring too many costs.

By carrying out an initial cost estimate on your outline design - you can keep an eye on the budget from the very start.

Your architect can advise whether your project is likely to gain planning permission.

Your Architect submits your approved drawing to the local authority with the aim of gaining planning permission. Depending on your house, you might also need to apply for a certificate of lawful development (if your build is “permitted development”) and apply for listed building consent if required.

At this stage your Architect will also consult with the planners on your behalf to understand if alterations to your design are needed in order to gain consent.

It is now the job of your Architect or ourselves to develop the design ready for building control and tendering. We take your planning drawings and add construction detail to ensure that your works will comply with building regulations. This includes specification of suitable materials and insulation to create a sustainable and efficient home.

We can put together the schedules of materials and finishes so that you know exactly what’s being designed. This is also where we introduce our Structural Engineer who will ultimately ensure that your new space will be structurally sound by preparing the required calculations and drawings. We then submit this information to Building Control for review under the Building Regulations. Once this notice has been served, work is allowed to begin.

They are the ones that turn the design into reality and we highly recommend using us to help you with this process. We ensure that the builders know what they are quoting for and make certain that you receive like-for-like quotations.

We prepare a schedule of works which details what needs doing, specification and materials to be used and the quantities required. The builders will price against these later. Together we decide the list of builders to be invited to tender. We suggest between 3 and 5 for a good spread of quotations. When this is agreed, the tender package sent out to the builders. When the tenders have been received back we ensure their validity and make a recommendation in the form of a tender report to you. We then put together a letter of intent which forms the basis of your agreement with the builder.

First of all, we put together a JCT Contract. This sets out everyone’s responsibility in an industry standard format. This protects you and is well worth the investment. We also administer the contract, documenting anything that varies from the original price. This prevents any unwelcome surprises that those without a contract get when the builder sends their invoice! We project manage the build from start to finish, chairing site meetings, solving problems and pushing the build progress against the programme. We ensure that you are always in your comfort zone and always well informed as to progress.

From a cost perspective, we also prepare monthly cost reports which let you know where we are against the budget and also issue valuations which dictate how much the builder is paid. This ensures you never pay for more work than is done. Towards the end of the project we start putting together a final account which details the additional or reduced costs throughout the project. We then negotiate this with the builder to ensure that you get best value.

When the works are complete, we visit site to assess any defects and ensure that the builder remedies these. Your project is then certified as complete and you can then move in! You get manuals detailing the systems within the house and “as built” drawings for any maintenance down the line. You now move into your wonderful new living space and crack open a bottle of bubbly!