Holland Park houses are large, mostly stuccoed, mostly listed or in a conservation area, and mostly altered at least once before. That combination is what makes them demanding to renovate, and it is why owners here tend to want one team rather than four appointments.
This is what a design and build company actually does on a house like that, and what to expect from each part of it.
1. The disciplines sit in one place
NU Projects has run complex residential work in London since 2010. Architects, interior designers, a quantity surveyor, an MEP director and the site team are all in the same office. That means a change to the structure, a change to the interior and a change to the cost plan can happen on the same day rather than over three weeks of emails.
2. The design answers the brief, not a template
Your house is a particular shape and you live in it a particular way. We write the brief down before anything is drawn, room by room, then design against it. Whether that means a contemporary intervention in a classic Victorian townhouse or a careful restoration, the drawing has to be testable against something.
3. Detail is checked while it can still be checked
Material selection, setting out, concealed work, waterproofing and services are inspected as the work happens. Once the plaster is on, quality cannot be inspected, only claimed. That is the difference between a house that looks right at handover and one that is still right in five years.
4. One point of contact
From the first consultation to the final walkthrough, a project manager runs the programme, the procurement and the trades, and tells you when a decision is due. You should never be the person chasing a surveyor or wondering whether an order went in.
5. What happens after handover
Testing, commissioning, certification, operating information and a defects process. The same team is still there afterwards, which is the part most people only value later.
Holland Park in particular
Most of the housing stock here is in a conservation area, and a good number of the houses are listed. That means the planning route has to be worked out for the actual building before the design is fixed. Stucco repair, sash window upgrades and the services needed for a modern house all have to be achieved without changing what the street sees.
If you are planning work on a Holland Park house, tell us about it. See completed work in the project portfolio, or price the job with the cost calculator.
Published 5 May 2023. Written by the NU Projects studio, edited since for house style and accuracy.