Feasibility Site visit
Whether it’s for Loft Conversions, House Extensions or a Garage Conversions, one of our surveyors from Bigger Homes will visit you to discuss your needs and talk design options for your home and the steps the project will entail. We are famously Creative – rapidly being recognised as one of the leading design / build companies in the south-east. We design and deliver distinctive projects providing unique character, grace and sophistication, or simply warm and comfortable, without being pretentious. We will then provide a comprehensive quotation and floorplan of the proposed conversion/extension where applicable. Once we have agreed on the specification/ price we can also arrange for you to view a similar project in your area, this will give you the opportunity to see our standard of work, discuss with other clients to share their experience with Bigger Homes and to help you realise the potential for your own home.
Booking – Planning Process
A small booking fee is requested to confirm your booking and to get the planning process started. We will then allocate your project to one of our architects to design and allocate your project to one of build teams. We will send you a welcome pack out explaining the next steps and any other information associated with your project.
Architects site survey
One of our architects will visit your property and carry out a full measured survey. This takes approximately one hour. We will then draw up the architectural plans on cad and email the design over for your initial feedback. It normally takes 2 -3 weeks to draw the plans and to get them submitted to the local council.
Architectural Plans
We will email you your plans for your approval, once any changes have been made we will submit them with the necessary application forms to the local council for the relevant planning/lawful development permission. The council takes approximately eight weeks for them to approve/ decide the application.
During the planning application period, you are required to serve party wall notice(s) on your neighbour(s), for their consent to the works. In your welcome pack you will receive details of a party wall surveyor; they will send you template forms free of charge to serve your notice(s). We recommend you serve these notices at your earliest opportunity in order to start works promptly after planning consent has been obtained.
Planning Approval
We will check and monitor your planning application on your behalf and a couple of weeks before it is due we will be in touch to book your pre-start construction meeting, we will submit your building control application on your behalf after the meeting. Once permission has been obtained and your pre start meeting has taken place construction normally commences a couple of weeks thereafter.
Pre-start construction meeting
At the meeting we will introduce you to the Construction manager and your building contractor. The Construction manager will be managing the contractor/team constructing your project. This meeting is for us to asses and discuss the project to be able to hit the ground running when we start the works, its also an opportunity to discuss any further questions relating to the project you may have. The Construction manager will run you through the build process, explaining how they intend to carry out the project, the channels of communication and how we will protect your home, minimising any disruption to you and your family.
Construction Starts
Your building team will arrive on the agreed start date and construction commences. Prior to this, preparation of the site along with the protection of key areas discussed at your pre start meeting will take or will have already taken place; skips and materials will have been ordered/delivered and scaffolding erected where appropriate.
Weekly site visits
During the construction of your project, your Construction manager from Bigger Homes, will be visiting your project twice weekly to check on quality of works, customer satisfaction and to ensure works are progressing according to the schedule. If you need to contact us at any stage of your project, we have a fully functioning office, open Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, so there will always be someone available to take your call.
Snagging
When your project is closing to an end your Construction manager will arrange a snagging visit for yourself and him to walk the job to discuss any outstanding works still to be done and to highlight any snagging that needs carrying out. This work will be carried out before completion and handover.
Completion
On completion of your Loft Conversion, House Extension or Garage Conversion, your Construction manager will visit and walk the job one final time with you to check all works have been carried out to satisfaction to both Bigger Homes and yourself. He will give you your completion pack and talk you through all the paperwork included, including your guarantee and building control certificate/certificates.