Approach

How a project runs, what it costs, and the questions I am asked before we start.

How I work

A project in five stages

The same sequence every time, so that nobody is surprised by what comes next, and so that the fortnight where I disappear into the drawings is expected.

01 2 wks

Brief

A site visit, a long conversation and a written brief we both sign before any drawing starts. If the budget and the brief disagree, this is where we find out.

02 4 wks

Concept

Two or three honest options as plans, sections and card models, then one direction agreed and costed by a quantity surveyor I trust.

03 10 wks

Consent

Planning and listed building applications, drawn to answer the questions the officers actually ask. Nine listed consents so far, all granted first time.

04 8 wks

Detail

Construction drawings at 1:20 and 1:5, a specification you can read, and a tender set priced by two or three builders I have worked with before.

05 40 wks

Site

Fortnightly inspections, valuations, a sample panel for every finish, and the four hundred small decisions that make a building feel finished.

What I take on

Five kinds of work, and the things they have in common

Almost everything I do is a building that has to stand up to the Scottish weather for a century, and be looked after by the people who live in it.

Fees

What it costs, in plain figures

Fixed fees for the small pieces of work and a percentage for the whole job. No hourly rate, and no surprises at stage four.

Feasibility

£1,800fixed

Two visits, a measured survey, three sketch options and a written note on planning risk. Yours to keep, whoever you build with.

  • Site visit and measured survey
  • Three sketch options at 1:200
  • Planning and budget note
  • Delivered within two weeks
Book a feasibility study

Full service

Most projects

9 to 12%of construction cost

Brief to completion: every stage drawn by me, tendered to builders I know, and inspected on site every fortnight.

  • Concept, consent and construction drawings
  • Tender and contract administration
  • Fortnightly site inspections
  • Defects visit at twelve months
Start a project

Retrofit assessment

£950fixed

A half-day survey of a traditional building with a report on the fabric, the moisture and the insulation route I would take.

  • Moisture and fabric survey
  • Insulation strategy with details
  • Priced list of first moves
  • Report within ten days
Ask about a survey

Questions

Asked before most projects

Do you take on projects outside Scotland?
Rarely. The practice works where I can drive to site and back in a day, which covers most of the country from Edinburgh. I have made two exceptions for people I had built for before.
How far ahead are you booked?
About nine months for a full-service project. Feasibility studies and retrofit assessments can usually start within a few weeks, and they are a sensible way to use the waiting time.
Will you work with our own builder?
Yes, if they will work with me. I tender every full-service job to two or three contractors, and I am happy for yours to be one of them. What I will not do is hand over a drawing set and disappear.
Do you only build in stone?
No, but I always ask whether we could. Stone, brick and timber cover most of what I do because they weather well here and because the trades exist. Concrete when the ground or the wind demands it.
What happens about planning?
I draw for the officer as much as for you. Nine listed building consents in fourteen years, all granted first time, mostly because the drawings answered the questions before they were asked. A refusal is possible; a surprise should not be.
Can we see a finished house?
Usually. Most of my clients are generous with their doors, and I take new clients to see one or two buildings before we sign anything. It is the quickest way to find out whether we agree about what a room should feel like.