A meeting
with a Solo Project Manager will be
arranged to discuss your requirements.
Assuming this has
not already been done by you, we will
instruct a Surveyor to visit your plot,
take detailed measurements and undertake
a land survey.
This information
will be passed to our Architect and
taking into account your instructions
a design
will be prepared.
Alternatively if your own Architect
has already drawn up plans we can prepare
a full quote from those.
The Architect will
submit plans and a quotation to you
for your approval within six weeks of
our first meeting.
If you are happy they will be submitted
to your local Council for approval,
Depending on which Council is involved
this process can take between six and
ten weeks.
Assuming planning
permission is given we apply for building
control approval which tells the Council
exactly how the house will be built.
This can take another four weeks to
get a decision.
During this time you should approach
one of the new build insurance companies
to provide your warranty, typically
this will be NHBC
or Zurich.
We provide you or
your chosen builder with a setting out
plan which will explain in detail how
to build your foundations. They will
very likely lay in your services at
this stage, drainage, electric, water,
etc.
Getting the
Utility companies to provide quotations
can sometimes be a long and difficult
process, so ensure that you conatct
them early on.
A block and beam floor is the quickest
and most cost effective way of building
your ground floor.
We can order this for you as part of
your package.
During this period
we will order your timber frame, depending
on workload at the factory this can
take up-to six weeks before delivery
to your site.
Prior to delivery
and erection of the timber frame a scaffold
will need to be erected around the footprint
of your new home to facilitate construction.
This differs to traditional brick and
block were the scaffold is adjusted
regularly as the build progresses.
Your new home arrives
on the back of a heavy goods vehicle.
We hire a crane to lift the component
sections from the lorry into position,
our team of shell erectors overseen
by our Contracts Manager then commence
the build.
This
is the fun bit as you will be amazed
at the speed of construction compared
to traditional methods.
External windows
and doors are delivered and fitted
and within a week you will have a
watertight shell ready for your roofer
to lay tiles. This is the first trade
you should employ in order that the
frame can settle and compress under
the weight of the roof.
First fix Electricians
and Plumbers
can now lay in cable for lighting
and power points, and pipe work for
either conventional heating systems
or underfloor heating.
When you are ready
you can call off the next delivery which
would be wall & floor insulation
and plasterboard.
With the floor ground insulation in
position a cement screed is laid on
top. Once this has dried out you can
fill the wall voids with insulation
and the plasterers can plasterboard
and skim the walls and ceilings.
During this period the exterior of the
building can be lined with bricks and/or
cladding. We can also advise you of
systems that do away with the need for
any brickwork at all saving even more
time and money.
With the external
skin complete, soffits, fascias, guttering
and soil pipes can be fitted.
Now comes the part
you have been waiting for.
Second fix carpentry (internal doors
sets, stairs and skirting board as well
as the kitchen and bathroom/s)
Second fix electrics (power points,
light switches, telephone and TV points)
Second fix plumbing (boiler, radiators,
towel rails)
You're almost there now; it's choosing
materials for landscaping and driveways.
Now it's time to
visit your local DIY store and spend
hours poring over colour charts and
wallpaper samples and the dreaded trip
to IKEA for soft furnishings.
From delivery of
your timber frame to site and dependant
on the size of your house it will be
another two or three months before completion.
