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FIRST MEETING AND BRIEFING
Atelier Willowbridge offers an initial meeting without charge or obligation to discuss your ideas and goals, providing advice on how we can help you to get the results you want. Following this meeting, we will provide a transparent, itemised fee proposal, setting out our charges for each service. Typically the work stages are as described in the next pages although each project varies and you may not need all of these services. We will always endeavour to tailor our service to your actual requirements.
MEASURED DRAWINGS
A detailed measured survey of the building or site is essential in order to produce accurate existing plans and elevations from which to work. Often we will carry this out ourselves but on more complex sites, the services of a specialist land surveyor may be needed. If so, we will obtain quotes for this and work with the land surveyor to produce the necessary drawings.
SKETCH DESIGN
Next we will develop a sketch proposal in accordance with your first meeting and agreed brief. The proposals may be presented in the form of hand drawn or digital plans, perspective sketches or full 3D models depending on the nature of the project and services required. We generally expect to discuss possibly two iterations of the scheme with client to fully resolve the principles of the design.
PLANNING APPLICATION
Once a scheme is agreed Atelier Willowbridge will liaise with local planning officers and where necessary, advise on the use of other consultants such as ecological or historical specialists.
BUILDING REGULATIONS
Building regulations are legal standards on matters such as structural integrity, energy efficiency and fire safety. We will prepare and co-ordinate submissions to a building control inspector to ensure compliance with the regulations. This normally also requires the services of a structural engineer and often an energy consultant.
SPECIFICATION AND DETAILED DRAWINGS
After planning permission has been granted we will develop the proposals in more detail, preparing detailed drawings and a written specification as required. These documents will form the basis of the following work stages, the Tender Process and Contract Administration.
THE TENDER PROCESS
Atelier Willowbridge will provide help and advice on this to enable you to select the most suitable approach for your project. Many forms of tender are possible and most often this will be a full competitive tender by an agreed a list of suitable contractors. Atelier Willowbridge will prepare and issue detailed tender drawings and schedules to enable the contractors to return accurate, itemised prices. A fixed time period is allowed for the tender process and when tenders are returned, the tenders are analysed with our comments to help you choose your builder.
CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION
Atelier Willowbridge is a small practice and does not offer Contract Administration, once the building work is underway. However Atelier Willowbridge will carry out regular site visits and meetings to check that the work is being done properly and to help resolve any unexpected problems, and if necessary we will issue further drawings.
The client may chose to manage the contract themselves, or engage the services of specialist RICS Building Surveyor to administer the Building Contract, providing written instructions, authorising variations, certify monthly payments and carry out final inspections on completion of the works. This is vital to ensure that you and your builder both have the necessary support to create the building you wanted at a fair price.