At What Stage Should You Engage The Assistance Of A Building Contractor?

13 Jun At What Stage Should You Engage The Assistance Of A Building Contractor?

Getting started with your building project can be daunting, and knowing when to engage the assistance of an experienced building contractor is crucial. But this shouldn’t be based on the project’s size or complexity alone. Instead, consider what you want to achieve with the project and the resources you have available. By understanding your driving factors, you’ll know at what stage to engage a building contractor.

In this article, we’ll explore how your goals and priorities may shift before you start the process by fully understanding the cost and affordability of your project. Whether you’re planning a new build, a beautiful barn conversion, or a stunning extension, understanding when to involve a building contractor and how to work effectively with them can help you achieve the desired outcome and make your building project a complete success.

Understanding your driving factors

For any new home build, barn conversion, or extension, the project traditionally begins with you hiring an architect to design and draw up detailed plans for your build. You’d follow this process by seeking a reputable building contractor to complete the works based on these plans. However, this is an outdated and somewhat roundabout way of doing things.

The reason is that without early engagement with your contractor, they won’t have the opportunity to contribute to the project early in the process. And with them having a wealth of building knowledge and experience, you could miss out on important issues being raised or a wealth of options or ideas coming to light.

However, the overriding factor a building contractor can bring to the table is understanding what the driving factors are for you to realise your project’s successful outcome. If you want to proceed with your project, but your decision is driven by cost, then engaging with your contractor at the earliest opportunity makes sense. Then you’ll know, even roughly, the potential costs.

Early engagement with your contractor

As building contractors with many years behind us, we’ve lost count of the times that fully designed and building regulation-approved projects have come to us to be quoted for, only to end up considerably over the client’s budget. Subsequently, the project gets shelved or stalls indefinitely and never even reaches the build stage.

In these circumstances, it’s hard to understand how projects move so far along without a clear indication of building costs and the customer not knowing what to expect early on in the process. If your project decision is based on affordability, early engagement with a building contractor means cost advice can be provided early while working with an outline set of proposals and an overall project concept.

Having cost advice at this stage will be invaluable in ensuring that you’ll still have an appetite for the build before you’ve spent many thousands on potential planning permissions and architect and surveyor fees. You can then make a more informed decision about if, when, and how you should push the project forward.

When later engagement might be wise

Of course, there will be exceptions, where the appropriate first step would be for you to seek early engagement with an architect rather than a building contractor to get your project moving forwards. But only when there is no pressure to ensure the project can be delivered within an available budget. If you’re fortunate enough to be in a position where your driving factor is to ensure the building’s function and finishes deliver on your needs, more than your concern about the project’s cost, then appointing a suitable architect to move your project forward should be your first step.

Finding an architect suited to the challenges of your site will be your next logical step, particularly if the project involves a listed building or is in a conservation area or an area of natural beauty (AONB) like Dartmoor National Park. In this scenario, it’s usual for a contractor to be engaged at a later date once the project has obtained both planning & building regulation approval. The contractor will then have a detailed set of drawings and specifications to capture your requirements accurately, providing a project cost which is based on the project specification rather than affordability.

But even so, early engagement with a contractor means you could get help finding local architect practices with a proven track record of obtaining consent and approval on sites with these specific challenges. Unicorn Construction can help you with this with no strings attached, so feel free to get in touch – we’d be happy to point you in the right direction.

How can early engagement help you?

With few exceptions, it’s generally recommended to engage the assistance of a building contractor as early as possible. Working with them during the planning and design phase of your build project can give you valuable input and advice in different areas, helping to ensure your project is viable across all fronts, including cost and affordability. Here’s how early engagement with Unicorn Construction can help you:

Expertise and advice

We have years of experience and expertise in all aspects of the building process, including planning, design, and construction. We can offer valuable advice and guidance on project feasibility, design options, and cost-saving measures.

Cost control

Based on cost and affordability, we can help you develop a realistic budget and provide cost estimates for materials, equipment, and labour. We can also help you find cost-effective options that meet your design and quality goals.

Project planning

Alongside cost control, we can help you develop a detailed project plan and schedule based on your proposals, which is essential for completing your project on time and within budget – we can even produce proposals for you within a fixed initial fee proposal. We’ll also coordinate with subcontractors and suppliers and get specialist consultants’ advice on your behalf to ensure every box is ticked.

Risk management

Our experience will help identify potential risks and challenges that may arise during the project and develop strategies to mitigate them. Knowing this can help prevent delays, cost overruns, and other issues that can impact the success of your project.

Quality control

While every area of our work is completed to the highest standard to meet your – and our – design and quality goals, we’ll also implement quality control measures to address any issues that arise during and after the project.

Get early engagement with Unicorn Construction today

At Unicorn Construction, we encourage early engagement in every project. This way, we can work with you to fully understand your driving factors, progress your planning application, and finalise the finer details. And, of course, we can provide a set of costs to help you plan and budget for your project going forward.

But don’t forget, whatever stage of your build you’ve reached, we can help you with no strings attached. So let us know if you need our expert advice on any aspect. Contact us today for more information on 01626 364 521, email [email protected], or send us a message, and we’ll help you take the next step towards the forever home you’re dreaming of.