Budget and quantity surveying, answered plainly.

Cost depends on floor area, scope and specification.

Structural changes, access, services, kitchens, bathrooms and joinery all move the total.

Use our build cost calculator for an initial range. We then develop a property-specific cost plan.

Next Ask us to separate construction cost from fees, VAT, contingency and your own purchases.

Excavation is only part of the cost. We also price engineering, temporary works, access, waterproofing and drainage.

Neighbour interfaces and the finished fit-out add further cost. A rate per square metre means little without these assumptions.

Use our build cost calculator for a range built from our own rate card.

Next Ask us for separate allowances for shell, services and finished accommodation.

Size, foundations, structural openings, glazing, drainage and kitchen specification all drive the budget.

Reworking the existing ground floor often needs as much attention as the new extension.

Use our build cost calculator for a range built from our own rate card.

Next Ask us to price the new area and existing rooms separately.

Roof structure, stairs, headroom, roof form, bathrooms and floor work all set the budget.

The finished loft room is only part of the construction scope.

Use our build cost calculator for a range built from our own rate card.

Next Ask us for a cost plan covering stair access and works below.

Your budget should cover surveys, design, consultants, applications, construction, services, finishes, furniture and contingency. Add VAT on top.

Temporary accommodation, storage, removals and utilities often sit outside the contractor’s price. So can the cost of borrowing.

Next Ask us to set out one budget showing what is included and excluded.

Our quantity surveyor develops cost plans, measures and prices the work, and compares tenders.

Financial changes are tracked throughout the project. The role can also cover valuations and final account support, depending on your appointment.

Next Ask us which cost reports and review stages are included.

Treat it as an early planning tool. It is not a survey, a tender or a fixed price offer.

Its accuracy depends on the inputs and assumptions you use. We reconcile the result against your actual property and a written specification.

Next Save your assumptions and ask us to review them against your brief.

An estimate is an indication, based on stated assumptions. A quotation sets out the priced scope and its terms.

Neither label alone tells you how we treat unknown work, changes or exclusions.

Next Read the scope, qualifications, validity period and terms together, before you agree.

Price certainty improves once surveys, coordinated drawings, specifications and responsibilities are settled.

We identify and allocate any remaining unknowns. We never describe a price as fixed without setting out what that covers.

Next Ask us for a schedule of assumptions, exclusions and provisional sums.

It is an allowance for work not fully defined when we price the job.

The final adjustment depends on the contract and the scope we actually instruct. We keep it visible in your budget.

Next Ask us what each allowance includes and when it becomes a firm price.

The right reserve depends on survey quality, building condition, scope and design maturity.

A basement or extensive strip-out carries different risks from a light refurbishment. We never give one percentage as right for every home.

Next Ask our quantity surveyor to explain the risk allowances and who can approve them.

Yes. We use your total budget as a design constraint from the start.

This only works if we track changes and your own purchases against it.

Next Set a target for each major package before detailed selections begin.

We review layout, structural complexity, specification and procurement first, before cutting isolated finishes.

We compare the cost and consequence of alternatives. This way, the design still works as a whole.

Next Ask us for a prioritised options schedule showing savings and compromises.

Quotes can assume different drawings, quantities, access arrangements, finishes, programme lengths or responsibilities.

A lower total can hide missing work or larger allowances.

Next Ask us to compare each tender against the same scope and exclusions.

Do not assume they are. Our proposals state whether figures include VAT.

We also set out which fees sit inside the contract sum. Others sit outside it.

Next Ask us for one inclusive budget summary.

Area rates only help when the measured area and included work match.

A basement shell, a finished extension and a whole-house refurbishment are very different products.

Use our build cost calculator for a range built from our own rate card. We match it to your scope.

Next Ask us whether a rate includes existing areas, fit-out, fees and VAT.

We keep a live forecast. It separates the original sum, approved variations and pending decisions.

It also shows allowances and remaining exposure. Money already paid is not the same as the forecast final cost.

Next Ask us to review the forecast with the decision and variation logs.

This depends on the local market, usable space, quality, layout and what buyers value.

Spending on construction does not automatically translate into an equal rise in value.

Next Get independent local valuation advice if resale matters most to you.

We use clearly described assumptions for kitchens, bathrooms, joinery, lighting and finishes.

We keep those allowances visible and update them as you approve selections. An assumed finish level is not a final specification.

Next Ask us for an allowance schedule and the decisions that replace each figure.

Our offer states its validity period and any provisions for later price movement.

Procurement timing and changes to the agreed scope can affect the final commitment.

Next Ask us which prices are held, for how long and under what conditions.

A provisional sum allows for a piece of work that is not yet defined. Contingency is a reserve against uncertainty.

Counting the same risk in both places can hide the real budget.

Next Ask our quantity surveyor to show allowances and contingency separately.