So, you have decided to make some major changes to your home. You’ve done your sums and looked at the cost, as well as the upheaval involved in moving, and you’ve realised that staying where you currently live is by far the best option. So, what’s your next choice to make? The question is whether to find a designer and architect to draw up some plans and submit them to the local planning office for permission to make the structural alterations to the property, then find a builder to do the work, or to employ a local builder who provides a design and build service.

What is a builder’s design and build package?

Here at Vitex Construction Ltd. our design and build package is best described as a ‘one-stop shop’ for any residential building project where we take care of everything, from design, through the planning application, and finally construction. The biggest advantage is that you only need one point of contact, which is us, and therefore there is no added stress trying to liaise and coordinate between a designer, an architect and a builder. This also helps to speed up the whole process and makes everything far more efficient.

Design and build leads to fewer mistakes and can reduce costs

Because we have an established working relationship with several architects, we have learned how to communicate effectively and efficiently to ensure the end result is exactly as you would have anticipated it. Because of the design and build system, we are also able to advise the architect early on what can be achieved easily, and therefore cost effectively, and what will be harder to achieve, and which therefore will be more costly. We find this preferable if there is a strict budget involved. As you can imagine, if presented with plans that have been prepared independently from us, we can only provide a quote for what we are being asked to build, but there is no room for us to make suggestions for potentially cheaper alternatives.

Going down the design and build route means you can set the budget from the onset

When a builder and architect have worked together before, it is easier to gauge the costs of a design and build project and therefore provide you with a quote at the very early stages of the process. These quotes usually cover the main structural elements, but do not include finishes and fixtures.

Design and build for extensions through to an entire, brand-new property

While we have mentioned design and build as an option for a modification to your existing home, this option is also available for building an entire new property, with all the same advantages. They say that the three most important aspect of any property are ‘location, location and location’. Now you will understand why one of the most popular property-related television programmes was so named! While you may have a specific location in mind, but you just can’t find the right property, opting for a building plot can be an excellent option, and a design and build package the perfect fit.

The downside to a design and build package

There is only really one ‘downside’ to a design and build package, and that is if an alteration to the original design is required. Because one advantage of a design and build package is that you get a quote for the cost early on, any alterations you request to the design at a later stage can prove costly, as there is always the potential for a knock-on effect, where changing one element may mean changing several other elements to facilitate the original change.

Here at Vitex Construction Ltd., builders based in Slough, which means we have direct access to Central London, and easy access to all the Home Counties, we offer a comprehensive design and build service. If you are considering altering your existing home or you are thinking of building a new property from scratch, please feel free to contact us and invite us out to have an informal chat and to give you an idea of approximate costs and timelines. To help you along, we have also created a useful calculator as a guide to potential building costs, though this does not include the financial cost of the design element of your project.