Home renovation, extension and interior design.

Home renovation, extension and interior design in Manchester

The Challenge

The client had been presented with an opportunity to purchase a run down 2 bedroom bungalow in Denton. Whilst a skilled DIY’er with friends/ relatives in the building trade, the client felt he and his team were still a little short in all of the skills necessary to purchase and complete the changes to the property make this his family home.

One of the biggest challenges the client had to consider, even before purchasing the property was whether it was possible to build upon the United Utilities main drain sewer pipe.

The client needed verification that his costings were accurate and he had covered all of the trades necessary to complete the project to a high standard and on time. 2D & 3D plans were also required so he and all of his team knew the finer details of the project.

The Solution

We surveyed the property to take a brief of the changes he wished to make. We produced 2 plans of the existing property and plans with the proposed changes. The plans were converted to 3D photo like images so the client and his team could see the proposed build and an array of options to consider.

Once the client had settled on his favoured design, our Quantity Surveyor calculated industry average costs for every stage of the project. We heard back from United Utilities that our suggestion for a build over agreement was acceptable.

With our recommendation, the client put in an offer to the vendor, below the asking price but reflective of the work necessary to bring the property up to an acceptable standard. The offer was accepted.

Next, we produced a detailed report of each stage of the build for the client to tick off the ones he and his team could complete. A tender pack was sent to pre vetted local builders. The tender document excluded major purchases such as the kitchen, bi folding doors and the windows, as we our “personal shopper” was set to work to find these items direct from our panel of trade suppliers and only included the building stages he could not complete his self. We produced and submitted planning and building regulation drawings for approval.

When the quotes arrived back, we analysed the detail, negotiated the rates and checked the availability of the trades people all fitted with agreed timelines. To secure the property from the weather and vandals, windows and doors were fitted as soon as acceptable quotes were received.

With Planning approval and Building Regulation approval received and a detailed schedule of works in place, the client was off and running with his Shell Build project.

The client utilised our experience, skills and contacts only where necessary. He utilised the skills of his family and friends and saved in excess of £25,000 in the purchase, renovation and extension of his new home than if he had engaged a builder contractor to complete the full works. The client even saved enough from his original budget to stock his beloved wine store ready to enjoy.