Our process
One decision at a time, in the right order
Most homeowners worry about costs running away, planning going wrong or making a choice they can't undo. The process is built around those worries, in the order people actually feel them. Each stage has its own fee and its own outcome, and you decide at the end of each one whether to carry on.
If you want the practical questions answered first, the FAQs cover fees, planning and timescales, and About the practice tells you who you would be working with.
01
Project Clarity Call
Free, 15 minutes
“Where do we even start?”
A short call to talk through where you are, what you are trying to achieve and what is worrying you. We decide together what the sensible next step is. Sometimes that is a Clarity Pack, sometimes straight into design for a simple project with a clear brief, and sometimes it is to pause.
What you have at the end: A clear next step, with no pressure and no obligation.
02
Clarity Pack
From £1,500 + VAT
“Are we making the right decision?”
Before anyone commits to drawings or builders, we test what is realistically achievable on your home. Two to three different layout options, the planning context and risks, a high-level look at structure, build cost bands against your budget, and a written recommendation with a roadmap.
What you have at the end: A clear answer on what is possible, what it is likely to cost and the order to do it in, in 3 to 4 weeks.
03
Design & Planning Pack
Proposed after the Clarity Pack, for your project
“What are our chances of approval, and how do we improve them?”
We develop the chosen direction in 3D, so you can see it before you commit, with up to three rounds of changes once a layout is chosen. Then we prepare and submit the planning application and deal with the case officer while the council decides.
What you have at the end: A developed design and a planning application, plus a guide to what happens while the council decides and the decisions you can start making.
04
Technical Pack
Proposed after the Clarity Pack, for your project
“Will this go wrong once we start?”
The drawings and specification a builder needs to price accurately and build properly: construction details, window and door schedules, coordination with the structural engineer, and the building regulations application. We then send the package to up to four builders and compare their prices for you.
What you have at the end: A buildable set of drawings, and a written comparison of the tenders with a recommendation.
05
Build Support Pack
Optional; proposed for your project
“Who is on our side once the builders arrive?”
Optional support on site: answering the builder’s questions, checking work against the design and helping you make the decisions that come up during the build.
What you have at the end: Someone who knows why every decision was made, there when you need them.
Nobody is forced through every stage. A simple project with a clear brief can go straight to design, and you can stop after any stage with everything you have paid for. No additional work is ever started or invoiced without your agreement in writing first.
Not sure where to start? Start here.
Fifteen minutes on the phone with James. We talk through where you are, what you are trying to achieve, and what the sensible next step looks like. There is no pressure and no obligation. Sometimes the right outcome of a call is simply a clearer head.
Book a free 15-minute Clarity Call (opens in a new tab)
James calls you at the time you pick. You describe the house and what you want to do; he tells you what he would do first and whether a Clarity Pack is worth it. No preparation needed.
No selling. Just a clear view on the smartest next step. Prefer to write? Send a short note.
