Step by Step Guide
-
INITIAL STAGES
Our initial meeting will be your opportunity to share your ideas with us and tell us all about the house of your dreams. We will discuss the location, the plot, what you’re looking for in your new home, our house types and product specification. We will discuss and guide you through the services we provide and the process from start to finish. We will review any existing consent and conditions to make sure what you’re looking for will comply with planning requirements. We will also at this stage discuss your budget and our payment structure and issue you with some budget costs for your property.
After further discussion and when you are happy with our budget pricing and outline design, we will issue a proposal which will detail what’s included both prior to starting your build and during construction. Alongside the proposal we will issue a draft floor plan and finishing specification. Our price will include all fees and services including planning and building warrant applications and will also set down our payment terms. When you are happy with our budget pricing, outline design and specification and are happy to proceed to the next stage you will be issued with a formal agreement enabling us to take the next step towards creating your dream home.
-
THE DESIGN & PLANNING PROCESS
On receipt of your signed agreement and initial deposit, work will begin on site investigation, in respect of ground conditions and drainage along with further discussion regarding service and utility connections. On receipt of all reports we will review our estimates for structural design and plot specific works and inform you of any changes.
During this investigation process we will finalise your design and update your contract giving you a fixed price based on our investigations and your preferred external specification. It is important to note that some elements of your agreement will remain as provisional sums until we are on site or until your specification is agreed, however in most cases the site investigation will highlight any potential additional cost which we will advise you of immediately.
On approval of your final design we will submit your planning application to the local authority on your behalf and liaise with the planners to ensure a smooth process.
-
BUILDING WARRANT PROCESS
On receipt of planning approval and your further instruction, we will begin to arrange all certificates and reports required to support the building warrant application. A further deposit may be required for this work. In certain cases where planning is deemed to be straightforward a decision may be made to proceed with the building warrant application in advance of the official planning decision, which can shorten the process should this be your preference. We are able to provide further advice on this where appropriate.
During this process we will look to purify any planning conditions which require to be in place prior to starting on site. We will also prepare your construction contract for your approval on receipt of your Building Warrant. We would also request that all design work on the structure of the building be frozen to allow us to progress with the build on site.
-
FINISHING CHOICES & ALTERATIONS
During the time taken to progress the building warrant we will help you to review and finalise the finishing choices that will make your house a home. We’ll guide you through your kitchen and bathroom choices, internal finishings such as doors and handles and be on hand to help with all of your choices right down to the colour of paint for your walls. During this part of the process we will continually review your complete price ensuring you remain in control of your budget. Having all these decisions made prior to issue of the building warrant ensures that when the time comes we’re ready to start without delay.
-
BUILDING YOUR NEW HOME
On your instruction, when all variations are priced and agreed and building warrant has been issued a final deposit will be required and we will start to build your new home.
The construction process begins with our mobilisation to site and the setup of the welfare and site fencing ensuring compliance with Construction (Design and Management) regulations which governs health, safety and welfare of all construction projects. With this in place works can commence on your new home. For the duration of the build you will have a designated point of contact where we would request all correspondence and requests are channelled through. You will be given a projected date of entry and we will keep you informed of progress as the build continues, with payments being made at key stages of the build as previously agreed. We understand you will want to keep a close eye on progress and will arrange for accompanied site visits at these key stages of the build.
Your new home will also be inspected at key build stages by local authority Building Standards Officers and NHBC inspectors.
-
HANDOVER
When your new home is complete we will arrange for a familiarisation visit prior to handover, giving you a chance to inspect your new home and us the opportunity to show you how your home functions. Around a week after the familiarisation visit your new home will be ready for handover. On the day of handover we will meet with you to pass over your keys and issue you with a handover pack with full details of your new home and all relevant contact information.
-
OUR ONGOING COMMITMENT
Our involvement doesn’t stop when we handover your keys. At Pat Munro Homes we understand the importance of continuing customer care to ensure a smooth move into your new home. In the early days and weeks after handover you will have a designated point of contact to discuss any aspects of your new home. Should any works be required we will aim to complete these items to your satisfaction as soon as possible.
After the initial settling in period we will be in touch after 12 months to rectify any items that occur whilst your new home is ‘settling’ and will always be on hand should you need us in the interim.
For further peace of mind your new home both during construction and after completion will be covered by the NHBC Buildmark guarantee, details of which are available on request.