Our Project Preparation Service

Our Project Preparation Service is the first step to building your dream home.

It is designed to help you make the important decisions needed before you begin your project – whether that’s transforming your home, business or starting a self build.

It’s only natural to have lots of questions before working with us. These often include:

• What are the key things I want to achieve from my project?
• What will it cost and can I even afford to do the work?
• Are my ideas even feasible?
• How do I start?
• What is the process and how long will it take?
• Will I need planning permission?
• Who else will I need to work with?

Why would I need a Project Preparation Meeting?

Rushing into a major construction project without answering these questions is risky:

• You are more likely to experience cost and time overruns.
• You may not get the most from your architect.
• You may not end up with the dream project (and the home) you were hoping for.

That’s why our first meeting with you, the Project Preparation Meeting, is a hugely important moment in your project.

The Project Brief

The output from this meeting is your Project Brief which you can refer to throughout the process.

The Project Brief will help you to:

• Clarify your aspirations for your project.
• Understand how much the work is likely to cost.
• Find out how long your project is likely to take.
• Get the most from your architect.

As this is such an important stage in your project we want you to value this moment as much as we do. This is why we charge for our time to attend and record this meeting.

This is a fixed fee of £130 (+VAT). You are free to use your project brief with any architect but if you confirm our appointment to your project we will happily deduct £130 from your first invoice.

Get your project started on the right track

“You’re left informed, aware of possibilities and with an understanding of what really does matter for a future project.” Tony, Sheffield

“The meeting showed us what we wanted to achieve was possible. This gave us the confidence to proceed.” Matt, Sheffield

To get your project off to a flying start, get in touch to book your Project Preparation Meeting.

You can also sign up for our monthly newsletter for more tips on how to transform your home or build your grand design.

How to get the most from your architect

Working with an architect is an investment. Choose the right one and their fee will be paid back in spades by the value they will add to your project.

However, to get the most from your architect it’s important that you’re prepared as a client.

Here are our top tips to get you started:

Have a clear brief

A brief is a great starting point for discussions with an architect. It should include what you’re hoping to achieve and a wishlist of your top priorities. It’s also helpful to include what you love most about your current home and what your biggest frustrations are.

Understand your brief isn’t a fixed thing

The brief is a starting point that should be questioned and tested throughout the process. A good architect will help you to refine your brief and make sure you are getting the most from your project.

Be clear about your budget

It is important to talk about this from the outset so your architect can fit their designs to your budget. It’s also vital to consider all project costs including professional fees, VAT and other statutory fees not just build costs.

Challenge your architect

A good architect is open to being challenged and it’s important you do so. Be sure to ask plenty of questions.

Be open to new ideas

A client which starts the process by knowing exactly what they want will close themselves off to so many potential ways for their new building to enhance their lives.

Ready to start your dream project? Get in touch with us today to discuss how we can help.

Or sign up to our newsletter to receive more tips and inspiration.

2018 highlights

As 2018 comes to a close we wanted to share some of our highlights from the year.

And what a year it’s been. We’ve doubled in size, worked on some fantastic projects and won some awards along the way.

The year started with a bang after we were highly commended at The George Phillips Awards in Oakham for Stamford Road.

Speaking of awards, we have to mention Sycamore Hall being a finalist in The Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating Awards, and the Hen House being nominated for several awards this year, including the Sheffield Design Awards.

“The night at the Sheffield Design Awards was a personal fave. Particularly Al’s exuberant cheering!” – Liam

We felt an enormous sense of pride when our clients moved into the Hen House in the summer. Photographer Dug Wilders captured it brilliantly.

We were over the moon when Hugh Pearman, Editor of RIBA Journal decided to visit the Hen House.

Thankfully, Hugh was very impressed.

“It meant a lot to get the peer recognition and for Hugh to take enough interest to come to Sheffield.” – Paul

In July, we enjoyed a team away day. As with any business, it’s important to take a step back – and delicious food & coffee always helps.

“To be welcomed by such a fantastic group of people. I feel very fortunate to have found great colleagues for my first job out of uni.” – Marcus

Food is a constant source of discussion at the practice. This year we did our own Great British Bake Off sweepstake. Another highlight for Liam was when Julie made “that divine Lemon Meringue pie!”.

In September it was back to Oakham to host an Open House at our Stamford Road project. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet new and existing clients and showcase one of our fantastic homes.

“My highlight of 2018 is the TEAM, it really made a difference to work with amazing colleagues!” – Julie

And finally, we thought it was about time we commissioned some new photography of the team.

Elm provided the perfect location [if you haven’t been we can highly recommend it!] and the talented Helena Dolby took the photos.

To see more images from the shoot click here.

“I’ve loved growing the team & welcoming each fantastic member into the practice [along with the regular trips to the Bath Hotel that entailed].” – Alan

We hope you’ve enjoyed our 2018 highlights. For more news and monthly highlights sign up to our newsletter.

New team photos

A few days ago the team popped along to Elm for a photoshoot.

We thought it was about time we updated our photography to reflect our new – and much larger – team.

We wanted to do it in a place that was relaxed and felt like “us”. Elm is the perfect location, and not just because of the delicious coffee. We can also highly recommend it for a glass of wine and pizza in the evening.

A massive thank you to Sam, who opened up especially for us.

And of course, photographer Helena Dolby for the photos.

It was also a great opportunity to catch up on some projects.

We’re very impressed with Claire’s model for our new build in Brattleby.

A big thank you to Helena & Sam for a wonderful shoot!

Our favourite karaoke songs

We’re a divided practice when it comes to karaoke. Some of us [like Liam, Alan & Tom] can’t wait to belt out a good tune. Then there’s some who wouldn’t say no…and the rest of us that definitely wouldn’t say yes!

But one thing we do agree on is that your tune of choice says a lot about you. We’ll leave you to judge our choices below, and if we ever do make it out for a team karaoke we’ll share the video evidence.

Jolene – Dolly Parton

I am not a karaoke enthusiast but if I had to choose a karaoke song it will be this one – it always gets me singing and dancing. [Julie]

Purple Rain – Prince

Every time. Although the karaoke version is always too short and misses the best bits at toward the end; which I try to fill in any way…[Liam]

Lady In Red – Chris DeBurgh 

A classic. [Tom]

Psycho Killer – Talking Heads

Get your project off to a flying start in 2019 with our top tips for success.

The New Year is an ideal time to kick off your dream project. To get you off to a good start we’ve compiled  our top tips for success in 2019 and beyond.

Do your homework

Construction projects can be complicated. So time invested in researching before you begin will be time well spent.

Our guide to the best books for project planning is a great place to start.

Make time for your project

There’s a huge number of decisions to be made at all project stages. So set aside plenty of time to engage in the process and fully consider all the information your architect presents to you.

Projects can become unstuck during the construction stage as clients haven’t fully appreciated the implications of their earlier decisions.

Find out why you should make time for your project. 

Get your brief right

The brief [a written list of your requirements for a project] is vital to the success of your project and will form the basis of your architect’s design.

Your brief needs to be more than just a list of spaces. It should be something emotional – it will guide the design of your home and your decision-making process.

Read more about creating the brief.

Get your finances in order

Construction is expensive. Professional fees, materials and labour costs can quickly add up. Avoid potential disappointment by being honest about your budget with your architect from the start.

If you need finance to complete your project then this will take time to get in place. So make sure to arrange this as early as possible in the process.

Read our finance guide with BuildStore.

Make sure you’re covered if things go wrong

Always check your architect, structural engineer and contractor have the correct level of insurance should the worst happen.

Also, make sure you have the right personal cover in place before work starts. Particularly if you’re working with an existing building.

Read our insurance tips with Actus Insurance.

Don’t assume you will always need planning permission

Not every project needs planning permission. This is true with most larger projects but there’s a lot you can do within your Permitted Development Rights.

How to make the most of Permitted Development.

Ready to downsize?

If you’re thinking about moving to a smaller home it’s important to have a declutter and establish how you will use your new space. There’s a lot you can do with a smaller space by getting creative.

Opening up views within your home or adding dramatic double-height areas can all help add to your sense of space.

Things to consider when downsizing.

Get the fundamentals right

Don’t spend time worrying about fancy technologies or high spec kitchens if you haven’t got the building’s fabric [walls, floors, roofs, windows] right.

You’re likely to upgrade your kitchen in the future but you’re extremely unlikely to revisit your home’s performance. Investing as much as you can in the fabric will create a more comfortable and healthier home for your family.

Find out why we think it’s well worth the investment.

And finally:

Enjoy the process

A self build project is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s challenging, but there will be plenty of enjoyable moments as well.

Get your project off to an even better start by booking your initial project preparation meeting with us for the New Year. Get in touch with us today.

You can also sign up for our monthly newsletter for more tips on how to transform your home or build your grand design.

Take a tour of Sycamore Hall

A few months ago the team from Homebuilding & Renovating visited Sycamore Hall.

We’re really pleased the HBR team got to see it in person following its nomination in the The Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating Awards 2018.

Watch the video below as Paul gives a tour of the house and discusses the design process behind those stunning bespoke windows by VELFAC.

To find out more about Sycamore Hall visit our project page.

Houseproud in Stamford

Our Stamford Road project is showcased in the November issue of Houseproud Stamford & Rutland magazine.

“Our favourite aspect of the house is the downstairs living space, as the kitchen flows into the dining room which flows out onto the patio, creating a relaxing environment that extends out to our garden.”  Fiona & Stewart MacDonald

A big thank you to the team at Houseproud and Stewart & Fiona for opening up their home.

Click here to read the article in full.

Paul begins his EnerPHit project

There’s a reason why Grand Designs do a ‘revisited’ series. Projects take time – and patience! Paul understands this better than most; he first started drawing up plans for his own home renovation in 2014.

We’re happy to report work began on site in July, and Paul’s dreams of creating an EnerPHit home that is comfortable and healthy for his family to live in is finally becoming a reality.

The project

Progress on site is going well despite this also being a bit of an experiment for Paul in which he’s using materials he hasn’t tried before. He says:

“I’m also using this retrofit as a bit of research and development for our design practice – I have to walk the walk if I expect our clients to take the plunge on these types of projects…”

Paul briefing the team on site.

Build diaries

As well as keeping us updated with plenty of Instagram shots, Paul is also documenting his project in a series of build diaries for Homebuilding & Renovating magazine.

Paul is documenting every aspect of the project. In his first column, he goes back to the beginning and explains why he chose to retrofit his a 1960s semi-detached house rather than self-build. Here’s a taster:

“I would love to build my own home; what architect wouldn’t? However, finding land at an affordable price is one of the biggest hurdles for anyone looking to self-build.”

Read the rest of the column here.

In his second diary, Paul discusses the many positives of doing an eco retrofit and is completely honest about the hurdles along the way!

“We’re architecturally one of a pair and drastic changes to our house made our adjoining neighbours understandably nervous.”

Continue reading here.

In his latest column, Paul discusses why he decided to work with contractor Terry Huggett Developments (a no-brainer when you look at Terry’s quality of work) to achieve the level of quality needed to reach the EnerPHit standard.

From this…

To this…

The extension is taking shape

For anyone wanting to find out more about EnerPHit and how this relates to the Passivhaus standard, Paul has also written a guide explaining the difference between the two, what’s involved and how to achieve the certification.

Both pieces will be online soon, (we’ll post a link when it is) but in the meantime, you can read both articles which are in the January 2019 issue, out now.

Rookery Dell: How bringing light into the home inspired reflections on theory & practice

In his first blog, Marcus discusses working in practice after studying at the University of Sheffield for the last three years.

A month ago I hit a milestone: Rookery Dell was my first project to begin construction. It sparked a reflection of the relationship between theory and practice.

The project brief

Our clients Matt and Sophie wanted to make some improvements to their detached house in Sheffield, which felt impractical, dark and disconnected. They wanted the kitchen to become the hub of the home, and to be better connected to the living spaces on the lower ground floor below.

The original kitchen at Rookery Dell

The kitchen was landlocked by another room; it had no windows to the outside and received extremely low levels of natural light.

We drew up plans to open up the kitchen bringing in natural light, and widened the stairs creating a vertical connection. Before anything was built, this preliminary work felt similar to university. The reality of it hit me when I read an email from Matt in response to my drawings  for the home:

“the void space has been cut and the staircase opened up which has a great effect and makes the two floors feel less distinct.”

Work begins on the staircase

Woah – it’s real. An actual person has just been affected by some lines that I drew. No longer imaginary, no more ‘oh that’ll be cool, but it’s never going to happen’. Real people will engage with the space that we have altered, and be affected by the decisions we’ve made.

Doing, not thinking

To affect the real world in this way is the nature of practical work, and it carries with it a great sense of satisfaction. I believe this direct reward gained from the act of doing, is notably missing from the university education of many architects.

For me, the lack of practical application at university was stifling. Why aren’t architects taught to lay bricks, mix cement, or work with timber? After all these skills enable an architect to actually make their ideas a reality.

At an inter-disciplinary workshop I attended in the summer I was shocked at my lack of constructional knowledge. What’s a mortise-and-tenon joint? Which way up do I use a chisel?

The extension offers great views of Sheffield

Inter-disciplinary working is eye-opening, and more representative of practice. On this project, Matt and Sophie were involved with many decisions, working closely with the structural engineer and the builders.

Project progress

The building work started about six weeks ago, and the kitchen is currently being installed. It’s refreshing to see a project progress into the construction stage very quickly, and they’re already noticing a big difference:

“We have a house which has a much better sense of flow. Opening up the staircase means that our ground floor and lower ground now feel less distinct and separated. “

The kitchen is taking shape

“Working with yourself and Paul gave us the confidence to proceed with the work and opened up new possibilities.  For that, we are very grateful.”

Working in practice is part of the longer education in architecture; I’ve found it to compliment studying well, yet 3 years is a long time to wait before anything ‘real’ happens. The boundary between theory and practice is permeable. I believe more practical projects at university would help students understand how they can engage with the real world.

Thanks to Matt and Sophie letting us share their photos. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on their progress.