Design and build company in London. Designers, a quantity surveyor and builders, under one contract.
Choosing the right construction company mostly decides whether a project goes well. Here are the seven things worth checking. We also say how we answer each at NU Projects.
Clear communication and transparency
You should know what is happening at every stage. You should not have to ask. That means regular updates. It also means being told about a cost or delay while still small. You are not told at the end.
We share progress photographs and the programme. You can then follow the work without visiting site every day. Ask any contractor how often you will hear from them. Ask what that report contains.
A skilled and experienced team
A construction company is only as good as the people on it. Architects, engineers, project managers and trades all have to be capable. They have to have done work like yours before.
Our architectural designers, interior designers, quantity surveyor and MEP director are in-house. That means the person who answers a technical question is accountable on site.
Quality and safety, recorded
Quality is checked while the work is still visible. Concealed work, waterproofing, services and setting out all have to be inspected and recorded. This happens before the finishes go over them. After that quality can only be claimed.
Ask who signs off each of those. Ask to see how it is evidenced. Safety runs the same way. It needs regular inspection and proper training. It also needs the CDM 2015 duties held by somebody named.
Flexibility and problem solving
Every project meets something unexpected: weather, a supply delay, or whatever the strip-out reveals. What matters is not that it happens. What matters is how quickly an alternative is found and how it is priced.
Ask how a change is described, priced and approved before it is built. A contractor who solves problems verbally on site is storing them up. They will arrive in the final account.
Strong client relationships
Understanding what a particular client actually wants takes time and listening. It is the difference between two houses. One suits them. The other suits the drawing.
Ask to speak to somebody a contractor has finished for. Repeat clients and referrals tell you more than a portfolio does.
Use of modern technology
Measured surveys, 3D models and project management software all help. A 3D model lets you see a room before it is built. That is when a change is cheap rather than expensive.
None of it replaces judgement. But a contractor still working from paper and memory will miss things. A model would have caught them.
Environmental responsibility
Energy-efficient design, waste reduction and responsibly sourced materials are now part of every brief. They also lower what the house costs to run. That is the part that pays back.
Ask what insulation and airtightness standard is being worked to. Ask where the materials come from.
Those seven are what to look for. You can ask us all of them. To do that, tell us about your project. You can also look through the portfolio. Or read how we run a job in our 12-stage process.
This is the work we do. Design and build company in London, or ask for a cost estimate.
Published 8 December 2025. Written by the NU Projects studio, edited since for house style and accuracy.