Design and build appointments have become the normal route for homeowners in Chelsea, because almost every house here is listed or in a conservation area and the approvals, the structure and the finishes all have to move together. Here is what the appointment actually gets you.
Experience on this kind of building
Our architects, interior designers and builders work in the same office and have done renovation work across Chelsea, from whole-house projects to single-room refurbishments. That means the planning position and the construction constraints are known rather than researched.
One contract
You deal with one company from the first survey to handover. You are not coordinating an architect, a contractor and three consultants who have never met, and there is no gap between appointments for something to fall into.
A design drawn for your house
We write the brief down room by room before anything is drawn, then design against it. That is what makes the finished house functional as well as good-looking, because the drawing was tested against how you actually live.
Quality that is recorded
Concealed work, waterproofing, services and setting out are inspected before the finishes go over them, and the inspection is recorded. We use materials and suppliers we use repeatedly rather than tendering each package to the lowest bidder.
Where the cost sits
We are not the cheapest and we do not price to be, which is explained in full here. What you get instead is a cost plan you can read: what is included, what is excluded, where the allowances sit, and what moves if you change your mind.
Our own construction rates are published by work type in the NU Build Cost Calculator.
Talk to us
If you are planning work on a Chelsea house, tell us about it, or see completed work in the project portfolio.
Published 19 February 2023. Written by the NU Projects studio, edited since for house style and accuracy.