How to start
Saving Costs on Construction
Whether you are thinking of building a house or doing home improvements to an existing home, you will naturally want good value. You will be interested in Saving Costs on Construction, so read on for our advice and tips on which services can save you the most.
You may have even asked professionals how to build a house as well as indications of the cost to build a house. You will need planning permission first to build a home or alter an existing property.
At the design & planning phase, architectural designers can help you visualise some contemporary house building ideas.
Once your planning is in place, the next step is to satisfy Building Control of various aspects of your build. This is the pre-build phase. Building Control will also want to see Structural Calculations in conjunction with your Building Regulations Drawings.
The construction phase: when you are ready to build, construction support services could make significant savings for you.
Our top tips
On where you could save
You may have thought that the cheapest way to build a house is to use cheap building materials, but the best value house construction strategies may surprise you. They apply not only to the cost to build a new house but also to extensions and loft conversions.
New build architects London Architecture offer support services for the construction phase. These can actually save 10-15% off your total construction cost, making the fees a good investment if you are building a house on a budget. This is partly because we can pass on substantial trade discounts of up to 80% from our supplier accounts.
Using a Tender Service
& Contract Admistration Service
Tenders put you in the driving seat. They are your paper truncheon to make sure your contractor shortlist all quote like-for-like and do not use cheaper materials later.
- Read our brief descriptions of Tender Stages and Contract Administration here.
- See our more extensive article on Tender Packs here.
A Contract Admin. / Project Management service takes away the potential headache of disputes with builders and incomplete work. They are paid in arrears for the percentage of work completed, not equal divisions. The final payment is deferred 3 months to account for snagging or flaws.
RIBA model
5 Stages
Phase 1: Design & Planning
1. Site Survey
2. Planning Application Drawings
Phase 2: Pre-build
3. Building Regulations / Structural Calculations
Phase 3: Construction
4. Tender Pack Service
5. Contract Admininstration / Project Management
London Architect
New Build Architects
If you want to modify your home, we can help. Extension Architecture work in all London boroughs within the M25 and beyond. We can offer both planning and architectural support with all the above stages, as we have planning consultants under the same roof as our design team.
