Articles

A plain-English guide to the terms that affect your home project’s budget, decisions and responsibilities, from cost plans and tendering to payments and completion.

A cost plan helps you test your design, compare options and understand the likely cost of completing your home project. Its value is in the decisions you make with it.

Three builders’ totals may cover three different jobs. A Schedule of Works gives them a common basis for pricing and helps you see what still needs checking.

A builder’s quote, a cost plan and a Schedule of Works serve different purposes. Here is how to choose the right next step for your home project.

There are two appointments that shape the outcome of a residential construction project more than almost anything else. The first is the appointment of the design team, because that determines what is designed, how well the project is coordinated and whether the brief is translated into something that can actually be built. The second is the appointment of the contractor, because that decision has an enormous influence over how the project is delivered, how the programme is m

One of the most common objections architects hear when recommending a cost plan is: “Why would I spend £1,000 or £2,000 on a Quantity Surveyor when a contractor can tell me what the project will cost for free?” At first glance, this sounds perfectly reasonable. Contractors build houses every day, employ trades, buy materials and prepare quotations for a living. Surely they are better placed than anyone else to tell a client what a project is likely to cost. The problem is tha