Basement Extension and Refurbishment

THE PROJECT

This basement extension and refurbishment project came about when our clients bought a 19th century three storey end of terrace townhouse in West London, together with some adjacent land. A new basement was created with a bedroom suite and a single storey family room over it. The house layout was reconfigured to create an open-plan kitchen/family area. Sliding, folding doors were added to the kitchen creating flow into the paved and decked garden area. A pixelated south facing brick wall was a beautiful design feature. The green roof of the new extension was then planted with meadow wildflowers and a new roof terrace from the rear first floor bedroom was added.

THE CHALLENGE

Our clients were at a busy stage of their lives – with both work commitments and a very young baby. They approached us once their designs were complete and they were ready to prepare for the build stage of their project. Our brief was to find and appoint a main contractor for them. We were then appointed to oversee the build to help ensure it was completed on time and within budget.

THE SOLUTION

The first step in the process involved carrying out a Design Review. This aims to check the completeness and accuracy of the design information, and is a key piece of work that needs to be completed prior to collecting builder’s quotations.

We then organised a competitive tender by pulling together a schedule of works and meeting with and briefing a shortlist of suitable local builders. Once any queries were answered and the tender returns were received back we then analysed the results and helped our clients to select their build team. Once onsite we then managed the works as the Contract Administrator.

THE RESULT

Whilst most of the build progressed relatively smoothly, the main contractor unfortunately suffered from financial difficulties meaning he could no longer trade towards the end of the project. One of our key roles was to liaise with the administrators to ensure that our clients’ best interests were being met. Without a Project Manager on board this could have caused our clients a great deal of extra expense, time delays and stress however we were able to ensure the project stayed on track. We were then instructed to fully project manage the build and found alternative individual tradespeople to use to finish the build. We got new quotes, worked out a detailed programme and project managed the building works to completion.

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CLPM Services used by our client:-

Design Review, Budget, Tender Process, Monthly Cost Reporting. Contract Administration role with main contractor with site inspection then full Project Management using individual trades.

I definitely couldn’t have done this project without a project manager. To have someone to take away the burden of chasing builders, it was much easier to have a project manager worry about it.

Mrs S, Fulham, London