We strive to find out exactly what you’re looking for, right down to the very last detail. This involves everything from consultations, brainstorming and concept designs to helping you select certain fixtures and fittings.

However, the entire scope and focus of the project rests upon the initial ideas you bring to us or any other design and build company. It’s all about ensuring that your thought and ideas are accurately communicated from the get-go.

That’s why we’ve compiled 5 of the best ways you can share your ideas and some useful things you can bring to an initial consultation to show any design and build company exactly what you’re looking for.

1) Written briefs

The vast majority of the concept design stage occurs through face-to-face communication between yourself, the designers and any designated project manager. However, it can help to create a written brief, or even a series of notes, which helps you to consider how to formulate your ideas. By taking this route instead of ‘off the top of the head’ approach, you can spend days or even weeks prior to the initial consultation creating and tweaking your own thoughts and creating a final written brief which lays down fundamental points you’re looking for.

This brief can be passed on to the design team at the initial meeting, or it can simply be used as a reference point to recite and expand on your thoughts.

2) Magazine clippings

Interior design magazines are packed with the latest design ideas which you can use for inspiration, so it can be worthwhile to buy a few and then cut out any snippets which you can show the designers to get across your ideas. After all, a picture paints a thousand words! Magazine clippings can showcase anything from full interior design schemes through to item of furniture and even certain colours which you may like.

3) Images from the internet

Thousands of interior design websites give you a treasure trove of images which you can use to showcase your favourite ideas. You can either print them out or even store them in a photo album to share on your tablet or laptop. Social media websites such as Facebook and Pinterest are also well worth checking out.

4) Mood boards

Mood boards are an interior designer’s top trick. This involves creating a board or scrapbook where you store all of your favourite ideas from a range of sources in a collage format. This can involve magazine clippings, photos, colour swabs, streaks of paint, wallpaper and even things like fabric or lace. This not only helps to get across your ideas in a creative way, but it also allows you to experiment by combining different colour and textures to see how they look on the mood board itself.

5) Questions

The most successful projects stem from two-way communication. It isn’t just about sharing your ideas, but it’s also about finding out what we can do and how we can use our design experience to develop an initial idea into something you prefer even more. In the case of initial consultations where you haven’t quite decided which design and build company to choose yet, having some pre-prepared questions also helps you to find out more about the company and whether they’re the right fit for you. This is why it can pay to create some interior design or business-related questions which you plan to ask on the day.

If you’re unsure about what steps to take with your design and build, extension or refurbishment project, contact us – we’re here to help.

The post Show your Ideas to a Design and Build Company – 5 of the Best Ways appeared first on Bischell Construction Ltd.

Research and gather as many examples as you can

Pictures often speak a thousand words, which is why it’s very helpful to research various sources of information to gather examples and ideas. Magazine clippings, website print-outs and mood boards are a superb way to get across your favourite ideas for the design. Plus, this type of research may draw your attention to great new ideas which you hadn’t thought about previously.

Once you’ve prepared any examples you’ve found, bring them along to the initial consultations. You can then discuss them with your design and build company of choice to start forming design concepts.

Also note that you don’t have to bring examples of entire exterior or interior spaces. For example, you could circle a certain fixture or fitting which you like within a broader design.

Prepare answers to questions you’re likely to be asked

Where possible, it’s wise to prepare answers in advance to questions you may be asked. Not only does it allow the initial consultations to go more smoothly, but it gives you days or even weeks to mull over certain ideas and be surer of your choices.

Some common questions are usually related to room numbers, room purposes, sizes, shapes, colour themes, materials, fixtures, fittings and so on. You don’t need to have an answer for everything, but the more you can figure out beforehand with ample time to think, the better.

Create “plan B”s

Sometimes, certain ideas just aren’t viable. There may be budget restrictions, planning permission objections or even neighbour disputes. That’s why it’s helpful to prepare some alternative options just in case this eventuality occurs. A great way to do this is by creating a list of various ideas and then prioritising them, so you have your 1^st favourite idea, your 2^nd favourite and so on. Then, if your first choice cannot be done, you already have some alternatives lined up where you’ve had a chance to put plenty of time and thought into them.

Discuss your project with your neighbours

In cases where planning permission must be obtained, neighbours are given the opportunity to raise any disputes with your local council. If they occur, they can cause delays and difficulty in obtaining permission.

For this reason, it’s helpful to discuss your plans in advance with your neighbours to get an understanding of what they think. This means that you know in advance whether you’re likely to encounter any objections instead of going through the full design stage and then finding out that neighbours are unhappy and object to the build.

Why may they raise objections? Some of the common reasons include noise, inconveniences and any impacts the final result may have on their own way of life. For example, if a house extension blocks sunlight into their garden.

Don’t be afraid to speak up

Design and build companies are here to create the perfect result for you, and the only way they can do that is if they fully understand all of your thoughts, ideas and concerns. That’s why, if there’s something you do or don’t like, it’s important to make it very clear – however large or small it may be. If that’s done sooner rather than later, then the designs can be amended to reduce the number of build-stage changes which can cause delays. You’re paying them, they work for you, and you’re in control!

Read more about us, review our accreditations or see 2D and 3D design examples of the work we do in our gallery.

The post How to Make any Build Project Faster, Easier & Hassle-free appeared first on Bischell Construction Ltd.

While there is plenty of keynote talks, walks and exhibitions to attend, this year the festival delivered an additional highlight. We were invited by RIBA London to work with and mentor a team of seven part 1 and part 2 architectural students to create three pavilions for the Southbank Centre’s summer Festival of Neighbourhood.

The students had to design and deliver a series of shops, fitting with the theme of the festival and to meet the requirements of the trade operator chosen by Southbank Centre’s commercial team. It was to be the students first opportunity to gain experience and exposure delivering a real client facing project and we were proud to be selected to help the students construct the pavillions, to mentor them and to supervise the build to ensure it was all up and ready to go before the final deadline loomed.

The post RIBA Architectural Students Mentored at Southbank Centre Project by Bischell appeared first on Bischell Construction Ltd.

The genesis of this post is based not only on the frequency with which we’re asked this question but also to address the negative associations people attach to it.

“We don’t subcontract, all our staff are in-house”

It’s a statement that’s often espoused to convince clients that a company is bigger than it actually is. It’s the go-to-phrase to mask the fact that there exists deficiencies in a company’s skill set. While there may be general contractors that don’t subcontract any work at all, for the most part, you’d be hard pressed to find them.

The rationale behind such a retort is understandable. Subcontracting done under the right conditions is entirely justifiable and necessary but in anticipating a client’s preconceived ideas of subcontracting, a falsehood seems the easier option to allay a client’s concern rather than engage in a lengthy explanation. However, choosing this path of least resistance sets the client-contractor relationship off on the wrong foot and in any case, it’s usually apparent when subcontractors are being used, which doesn’t bode well for maintaining trust later on.

Subcontracting specific elements of a project that lie outside a contractor’s core competency is to be expected and if done correctly, can lead to great project outcomes and happy clients. This is a far better option than the contractor attempting work they simply aren’t capable of doing in order to save costs or through some misguided sense of pride or delusional sense of competency.

Subcontracting: The evil side

Typically, the idea of subcontracting is met with a raised eyebrow. You’re seen as the grubby middleman bringing in the revenue only to then shift off the work and responsibility to someone else while you go vacationing somewhere.

The sad truth that may reinforce this way of thinking, is that some companies do in fact operate this way. The consoling fact is that they’ll quickly be darwinised, However, it’s the client that ends up paying the price on the contractor’s path to extinction.

In our experience, companies that operate this way are in the minority, and the stereotypical view of subcontracting, for the most part, is wide off the mark. That aside, one of the biggest mistakes we’ve seen is attempting to hire an unknown subcontractor under serious time constraints. This usually results in making recruiting decisions without carrying out proper due diligence.

A contractor I knew many years ago, subcontracted a substantial portion of their project to a team they had spoken to only a few times. They hired them quickly, without reference checks and without inspecting their past work because their price was relatively cheaper and because they were out of time. The subcontractor carried out shoddy work that needed constant correction and inspection and eventually, they were terminated, leading to a disrupted completion schedule, a furious contractor and a frustrated client. It’s one of the drawbacks of subcontracting if not done with proper planning, thought and consideration.

It’s an experience not foreign to us. We’ve been in similar positions early on in our history, where diligence unfortunately took a back seat to expediency. Random hiring without the necessary quality checks is a pathway to disaster. We’re recounted stories of this kind on a worryingly regular basis from our friends in the industry. It’s bad practice and should be planned out.

Subcontracting: The right way

Subcontracting correctly and with the customer’s interests at heart, as opposed to calling in a hired gun that you’re not 100% sure about, is tough but imperative if projects are to run successfully. Pre-qualifying subcontractors, checking references, inspecting past work, speaking to their past clients, carefully monitoring them on site and conducting performance reviews should be par for the course. Such a process won’t magically align the stars and eradicate all potential problems, but will certainly reduce the scope for error by orders of magnitude. This all takes time and as such, is not something that should be left to the last minute when you are left utterly desperate for a team to join your ranks.

A sudden sharp growth in sales, booked up subcontractors or an increase in your churn rate will leave you exposed and clamouring for bodies on site. A frantic mindset leads to hasty decisions. Something will be overlooked. Unwanted compromises will be made. There are plenty that turn to labour agencies, but for large scale hiring, this is a poor short term fix as you simply cannot control the personality types that turn up and attempting to engineer a unified team out of thin air is not far removed from attempting a Hail Mary shot.

Once all hiring conditions have been met, the only determinant of a reliable team is time. Carefully monitored time on site and appraisals of workmanship and key performance indicators over time will tell you whether you have a star team on your hands. Having a network of subcontractors that meet all these requirements is an arduous process but one that’s well worth investing the time in. Building a supply chain comprised of time tested, reliable teams who embrace your culture and methodology and with whom you share a mutual understanding and trust, should be the ultimate aim.

Cause of project failure

Of all the rescue operations we’ve carried out for clients to finish off their jobs that were abandoned by contractors, the cause of failure in 60% of the cases was down to unreliable and poor quality subcontractors that were used. With construction projects encompassing the combined effort of multiple trades, having too many that go off the rails in terms of deadlines and workmanship can be at best disruptive and at worst, absolutely fatal to a project’s success. Even having one tradesmen making a severe enough mistake can cost big in terms of project cost and deadlines and not everyone is willing to stick around when the situation gets out of control.

“Always be hiring”

“Always be hiring” is a nugget of wisdom I’ve stumbled upon on various occasions. It’s one I feel has merit and is indeed a notion that we model in our recruitment policy. In essence, it involves searching for that superstar team even when you don’t need them. In practice it means never being left short of quality. This is a great approach when you face the added layer of difficulty of ensuring that subcontractors adopt your company culture and embrace your values as their own.

There is a notion that subcontractors don’t care about your clients as much as you do. There is an element of truth here. In industry’s were subcontractor’s are far removed from the client, then the concern lessens as long as they pump out quality work. In construction (whether for residential or commercial clients), where subcontractor’s can be a stone’s throw away from a client at any given time, culture adoption becomes vastly more important.

Subcontractor’s must be a natural extension to the contractor’s business. Their behaviour and character should reflect a contractor’s values at all times. In practice, this means hiring people who in reality do share your values rather than pay lip service to them. Otherwise on projects spanning months, the facade will eventually break down.

As opposed to having your own in-house teams that can be gradually recruited on the basis of technical skills as well as character traits that match your vision and values, subcontractor’s have their own individuals which may or may not be a good fit for your company and the image you want to project. Finding technically proficient subcontractors who embrace your values and hold their individual workers accountable for setting and maintaining a certain standard is incredibly tough. It’s far too easy to hire someone on the back of a recommendation or an internet search, with no reference checks and trusting their word that they’ll get the job done.

A company’s job is to produce cheerleader customers who are referenceable post-build and who will evangelise on your behalf. It’s the best sales force you could hope to have and if subcontractors take on a percentage of your workload, that should be at the forefront of their mind.

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