Cost Jeopardising

A badly set out project never turns out well

We often get asked how much a Sq/M or a Sq/Ft it is to build a few flats or a new build house without so much as details on size, specification or location. We can normally get to the bottom of this quickly and get a fairly accurate baseline and more often than not the client is happy with this.

As long as clients get their branded kitchen and engineered timber floor they are happy however get into CDM and on to the professional team and at this point a client wants a cheap architect, no engineer “as maybe the architect can also do this” or monitoring and a private building control as it is deemed they ask less questions. It’s at this stage where we have seen a lot recently of “We will start with the cheaper alternatives and if it isn’t working we can go with your recommendation”.

We really need to shift the focus from cost cutting at the critical points to a value engineering at the specification as good procurement can often more than cover the costs of a solid and essential professional team.

Ensure if a ground test or acoustic / fire consultant report may be needed, get it done early as at least then you’ll know if it is needed as burying your head in the sand will only delay inevitable problems and increased costs later in the project.

For help in planning your project and avoiding unforeseen costs further down the line, get in touch with our team today.