Services
Work is staged and priced stage by stage. You can stop at the end of any stage, keep the drawings, and take them to somebody else.
Stages
Site appraisalA week on the ground, our own survey, and a written appraisal of what the site will and will not take. Some clients buy only this, before buying the land.USD 2400.00
Concept designOrientation, section and the position of every opening, argued in drawings and in writing. The decisions here are the ones you cannot undo later.USD 6500.00
Planning submissionDrawings, documents and the dealing with the authority. We have taken thirty-eight applications through and lost two.USD 8800.00
Technical designThe drawings a contractor can build from without ringing us every Tuesday. Coordinated with the engineer before it leaves the office.USD 14500.00
Tender and contractor selectionThree priced tenders on the same documents, compared line by line, so you are choosing on more than the bottom number.USD 4200.00
Construction administrationSite visits, valuations and the arguments you should not have to have yourself. Charged as a percentage of build cost rather than a fixed fee.
What clients ask first
Mostly about money and time, which is fair.
What do you charge?
Each stage is priced separately and the prices are on the services page. Construction administration is a percentage of build cost rather than a fixed fee, because its length depends on the contractor rather than on us.
Can I stop partway through?
Yes, at the end of any stage. You keep the drawings and you are free to take them to somebody else. About one client in six stops after planning and we do not treat it as a failure.
How long does a house take?
Fourteen months is our median from first meeting to keys, of which about five are drawing and nine are building. Planning is the stage most likely to add time.
Do you work outside Kingston?
Yes, across the island. We build travel into the fee rather than adding it later, and for anything more than ninety minutes away we say so at the first meeting.
Will I deal with a junior?
No. The person at the first meeting is on the drawings and on site. It is the main reason the practice has stayed at six people.
What clients say
Read all the reviews★★★★★
A week on the site before drawing anything. The house is cool at three without air conditioning.
★★★★★
Drawings complete enough that the contractor priced them accurately and did not come back for extras.
★★★★★
We stopped after planning and they handed everything over without complaint.
★★★★★
Planning took four months longer than anybody wanted. They were straight about it throughout.
Not sure which stage you need?
Start a projectAsk about this stage
Where the site is and what you are trying to build is enough to start.