How we work
Design and build, construction management and project management are the same capability arranged three ways. The only real question is who carries the risk — and the honest answer depends on your appetite, not on what suits us.
Choose your route
Route one
We carry the price risk.
You agree a fixed or capped price and we design, build and finish the home to it — architecture, construction and interiors under one accountable team.
Simplest and most certain. Changes are possible, but a fixed price means variations come at a cost.
Best if you want one number, one team, and to hand it over.
Design & BuildRoute two
You carry it — and keep the upside.
You contract the trades and materials directly; we procure, programme and run the whole build for you, open-book, with every price visible.
Save on a package and the saving is yours. Design, procurement and construction can overlap, so change is far cheaper than under a fixed price.
Best if you want to be involved, see everything, and adapt as you build.
Construction ManagementRoute three
Your builder carries it.
You keep the contractor you've chosen. We act for you — pricing and tendering the specification, agreeing a price you can trust, then holding cost, programme and quality to it.
An experienced developer on your side of the table, rather than marking their own homework.
Best if you have a builder, or want one, but not the risk of running it alone.
Project ManagementSide by side
| Design & Build | Construction Management | Project Management | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price risk | Us | You | Your builder |
| Who holds the trades | Us | You (we procure & manage) | Your builder |
| Cost visibility | An agreed price | Open-book, package by package | Tendered and tested by us |
| Savings go to | Us (within the price) | You | You, where we find them |
| Changing your mind | Costs — it's a variation | Handled at cost as you go | Scrutinised and priced fairly |
| Your involvement | As little as you like | High — you're in the room | Moderate |
| Interiors | Included, in-house | Included, in-house | Available |
Not sure?
Most people don't arrive knowing which route they want, and they shouldn't have to. Tell us about the project, your timescale and how involved you'd like to be, and we'll give you a straight answer — including if that answer is that you don't need us at all, or that the route which suits you earns us the least.
Two decades of doing this across London and the South East means we've used all three. That's the whole point of asking someone who builds, rather than someone who only advises.
Questions
It depends on the project, and anyone who answers that without seeing yours is guessing. Construction management often costs less overall because there's no main-contractor margin or risk premium in a lump sum — but you carry the cost risk in return. Design and build buys you certainty, and certainty has a price. We'll show you the honest trade-off for your scheme.
Sometimes, early on. Once packages are let or a contract is signed, changing route gets expensive. It's worth an hour's conversation at the start to get it right.
Who holds the trade contracts. Under construction management, you do — and we procure and run them for you, open-book. Under project management, your builder does, on an agreed price, and we act for you to hold them to it.
No. They earn us differently, and we'd rather tell you the truth than win the wrong job. If your build is straightforward and you've a good builder, we'll say so — even if that means less work for us.
