the house extension process

01

Architectural & structural drawings & planning permission

Before considering the construction and building of your extension or conversion, you first need to employ an architect. A professional architect will assess your home and its potential, as well as working alongside structural engineers and party wall surveyors to deal with the structural and regulatory aspects of your home extension. Ideally, you should find an architect who is familiar with your particular London council so that they can advise you on permitted development rules and requirements — otherwise, you could end up with architect’s drawings that are rejected by your local authority.

02

Site visit & estimate

Once you have architect’s drawings and planning permission confirmed, it’s time to start finding the right construction company for your project. Many construction companies will give you an estimate based on drawings alone — but at Luka Construction we conduct a site visit to assess the scope of work in person, before putting together a thorough estimate of the project’s costs. An estimate is based on an assessment of your home alongside the structural and architectural drawings you’ve commissioned, giving us a big-picture view of the task at hand so that we can provide you with an accurate estimate.

03

Tender & quote

Once you’ve received estimates for your work, you’ll put your home extension project out to tender, meaning you invite construction companies to provide you with a full quote on the scope of works being carried out, before deciding which one is best for you. At the tender stage, we set ourselves apart from others by providing a thorough, detailed and entirely transparent quote — with a fixed fee for your project and no upfront costs. Our quotes, based on our original estimate but reassessing to cover every possible detail, draw from years of experience in the construction trade and a strong desire to be transparent. You’ll receive a quote that’s broken down into categories, along with fixed fee costs for every step of the process. You’ll know where every penny of your fee will be spent, leaving no room for hidden or surprise costs later down the road.

04

Legal + Health & Safety

If our quote is accepted, the next step is to deal with the legal and Health & Safety side of the project, including insurances. We want you to feel comfortable with our work so it’s important to us that we are all on the same page from the outset. Ironing out any legal issues, confirming insurances and completing all necessary Health & Safety checks is an important step in your home extension process, but one that we’ve done many times before - meaning we’re on hand to help make the process streamlined and efficient at all times.

05

Contracts & paperwork

While many contractors will work on projects with nothing more than a handshake, getting contracts confirmed and signed by all involved means that everyone is protected - ensuring your home extension project runs smoothly and you’re never let down. There are a number of different contract types to choose from here, and it is often best to consult a solicitor before making a decision about which is best for you. Whichever you choose, it’s important that you feel comfortable with the details and we will never drive you to sign something you aren’t entirely happy with. Once the paperwork has been signed and everything is official, we will begin work on your home extension project. No funds are needed upfront before work gets underway.

06

Construction work

Now that the background work is complete, work can start on extending your home and giving you the extra space you need. During the construction phase, you’ll have a dedicated member of our team managing every aspect of your project, liaising with all tradesmen involved and keeping you informed at every step along the way. If there are any unexpected changes to the scope of work, we’ll inform you as soon as possible and reach a mutual decision about how to proceed. If there are any unexpected changes that affect the original fixed fee quote, we will let you know as soon as we do. There will be no surprise charges at the end of the project at all.

07

Follow Up & Snagging Rectified

With a home extension project, the final day of construction is not the end of the project. As your house settles and gets used to its new structure, there may be snagging issues that arise. Six months after construction has finished, we will visit the site to conduct a full and detailed inspection. This inspection will identify any minor or major issues that need resolving and we will manage the resolution of these issues as soon as possible. The final fee for your home extension is not due until after satisfactory completion of all snagging issues.

08

Enjoy your new space!

Now it’s over to you: sit back, relax and enjoy the new space we’ve created for you!