How we work
How we price, plan and run a project
A project should start with a quote you can check line by line, a programme you can hold us to, and payments tied to work that is actually done. This is how we set ours up.
Programme
Every stage planned against calendar weeks
This is the programme we issued for a house refurbishment in 2025, before work started. Stages overlap where trades can work alongside each other.
| Stage | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site set-up | Week 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Demolition and strip-out | Week 2 | Week 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Structural works | Week 4 | Week 5 | ||||||||||||||
| Upper floors | Week 4 | |||||||||||||||
| External walls | Week 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Internal walls | Week 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Roof | Week 8 | Week 9 | ||||||||||||||
| Electrics and lighting | Week 9 | Week 10 | ||||||||||||||
| Windows and doors | Week 10 | |||||||||||||||
| Mechanical installations | Week 10 | Week 11 | ||||||||||||||
| Drylining and plastering | Week 11 | Week 12 | ||||||||||||||
| Plumbing and sanitaryware | Week 12 | Week 15 | ||||||||||||||
| Finishes and decoration | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | |||||||||||||
| Joinery and second fix | Week 15 | Week 16 | ||||||||||||||
| External works and handover | Week 16 |
Before we start
The documents you receive
This is the paperwork behind our priced projects. The extract is from a real schedule, with the rates hidden.
| Item | Work item | Qty | Unit | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.2 | Pitched roof | ||||
| 8.201 | Supply and install natural slate, 500 × 250 mm | 38 | m² | Rate hidden | Total hidden |
| 8.204 | Supply and install breathable roofing membrane | 38 | m² | Rate hidden | Total hidden |
| 8.205 | Supply and install 140 mm wood fibre insulation between rafters | 38 | m² | Rate hidden | Total hidden |
| 9.3 | Rooflights | ||||
| 9.302 | Supply and install solar-powered rooflight, triple glazed, with blind | 1 | nr | Rate hidden | Total hidden |
| 17 | Contingency 10% | item | Rate hidden | Total hidden |
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An itemised schedule of works
Every line has a quantity, a unit and a rate, grouped the same way on every job: preliminaries, demolitions, structure, roof, windows and doors, plastering, joinery, finishes, electrics, mechanical, plumbing.
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Provisional sums marked as provisional
Where a figure depends on a supplier quote or on what we find when we open up, it is labelled, so you know which numbers can still move.
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Options priced as separate lines
Upgrades such as wardrobes, a stainless steel worktop or a better rooflight are priced on their own, so you choose what goes in.
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A visible contingency
A 10% contingency sits on its own line rather than hidden inside the rates.
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A week-by-week programme
Each stage of the work, from site set-up to handover, is planned against calendar weeks before we start.
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Payment against work done
You pay in stages against valuations of completed work, with 2.5% held back until the final valuation.
Money
How payments and changes work
- Stage valuations
- Each valuation records the percentage complete on every line of the schedule. You pay for the work done, not for time passed.
- Retention
- 2.5% of the value is held back until the final valuation, so the last snags are finished before the last payment.
- Provisional sums
- Figures that depend on a supplier quote or on what is found when work opens up are labelled as provisional. When the real figure is known, it replaces the allowance.
- Options
- Upgrades are priced as separate lines. You decide what goes in before the work is ordered.
- Changes
- Changes you ask for, and items omitted, are recorded on a variations sheet alongside the schedule, so the running total is always visible.
- Contingency
- A 10% contingency is shown on its own line. You can see whether it has been used.
Compliance
The approvals and duties we take care of
- Building Control
- Building Control fees and the service are priced in the schedule, and we arrange inspections through the job.
- Party wall
- Where work affects a shared wall or digs near a neighbour’s foundations, party wall awards are priced as a provisional sum. Notices must be served two months before party wall work and one month before excavation.
- Structural engineer
- Engineer’s design and calculations are priced as a line, so steelwork and foundations are specified before we build them.
- Health and safety
- On domestic projects, the law passes the client’s duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 to the contractor. Site set-up, welfare, protection and insurance are priced in our preliminaries.
- Testing and certificates
- Electrical installations are tested and certified, and certificates are handed over at the end of the job.
Questions
Questions about how a project runs
What is a schedule of works?
A list of every task in the project, each with a quantity, a unit and a price. It lets you compare quotes line by line and see exactly what is and is not included.
What is a provisional sum?
An allowance for work or items that cannot be priced exactly yet, for example joinery waiting on a supplier quote. It is replaced with the real cost once known, up or down.
What is retention?
A small percentage of the contract value held back until the work is finished and snagged. On our projects it is 2.5%, released at the final valuation.
What are preliminaries?
The costs of running the site rather than building anything: set-up, project management, welfare, protection, insurance and waste. On our recent tenders they came to between 9.5% and 14% of the total.
Who is responsible for health and safety on my home project?
Under the CDM Regulations 2015, a domestic client’s duties pass automatically to the contractor, or to the principal contractor if there is more than one contractor, unless a principal designer agrees in writing to take them on.
Next step
What happens when you get in touch
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Tell us about the project
Two minutes on our enquiry form, or call us. Drawings help but are not needed.
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We visit and measure
We look at the property, the access, and anything that affects price: structure, services, neighbours, the landlord’s requirements.
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You receive a priced schedule of works
Every line itemised, with provisional sums and exclusions stated, so you can compare it line by line with any other quote.
or call 020 7459 4729