Working with us · 5 May 2026 · 7 min read
Commissioning a home: what actually happens, stage by stage
From the first site visit to the last snag list — the sequence we follow, what we need from you at each point, and roughly how long each stage takes.
Building a house is the largest project most families ever manage, and the part that causes the most stress is rarely the design — it is not knowing what happens next. This is the sequence we work to, and what we will ask of you at each stage.
1. Enquiry and site visit
We start with a conversation about the site, the family, and the budget range. Then we visit. Bring whatever documentation you have — plot papers, a survey drawing, any local building rules you have been given. We come away with photographs, levels, and a feel for the approach.
2. Brief and feasibility
We write the brief down and test it against the plot: how much built-up area the site sensibly carries, where the entrance wants to be, whether the accommodation you have described fits the budget you have described. This is the honest stage. It is much cheaper to change your mind here than after the foundation.
3. Concept design
Plans, sections, and enough three-dimensional work for you to understand the spaces — not a beauty contest of renders. We expect two or three rounds of revision here and we plan for them.
4. Developed design and approvals
The design is fixed, structure and services are coordinated, and drawings go in for the statutory approvals your panchayat or municipal body requires. Timelines here depend on the authority, not on us, so we start early.
5. Working drawings and tender
Construction drawings, schedules, and material specifications. With these you can get comparable quotes from contractors instead of guesses. We help you read the quotes.
6. Construction and site supervision
Regular site visits, decisions made against drawings rather than in conversation, and a written record of every change. The interiors run alongside so that joinery and services are set out before the walls close up.
7. Handover
A snag list, defect rectification, and the drawings and warranties handed to you as a set. Keep them. The next person to work on the house will thank you.
If you are at the start of this and want to talk it through, send us the plot details and a rough brief. We read every enquiry ourselves.
