Regional and Location Problems
Performing construction work in London or any other city can lead to problems many smaller or less experienced companies would miss or fail to notify you of. If unforeseen not only can it increase the costs, it can also lead to time wastage and even legal issues. A lot of the time, you will not find out until after you have signed a contract and paid the deposit.
However, this should not put you off your ideal loft conversion, extension, conservatory or refurbishment. With Marble Construction, the high value we put on communication with the customer makes sure we notify and talk through potential problems before they have occurred and before you have committed.
These problems are listed below:-
- If there is only one entrance point into a flat.
- If your house or flat is on a double yellow line or on a red route.
- If there is a bus shelter and/or bus stop outside the property.
- If your house is on or below a parade of shops.
- If there are no parking bays out side your property.
These problems are explained in more detail below:-
Access to your property
Moving all building materials, waste, machinery and people through one combined entrance and exit delays the building process, reduces your ability to live in the property during construction and will increase the cost for you due to these delays. With many builders, this is a hidden charge that you will only become aware of once construction starts. We suggest you take this into account in any quote which does not include this charge as standard. However, we make sure to inform you if this is the case before you pay or sign anything.
We do our best to avoid any accidental breakages or damage along the route of entrance and exit, but if any occurs, we will put it right at our own expense. However, we do suggest budgeting for the redecoration of the entrance and exit route for after construction due to the inevitable deterioration of carpets and surfaces from dust and increased use.
Double Yellow Lines, Red Routes and Bus Stops
Regulations governing when and where cranes can operate outside your property are the most common restriction because they can restrict the flow of traffic outside your house. Therefore your local authority may suggest you start your loft conversion on a Saturday or Sunday. If this problem is not discussed with you by your local builder or loft company, it will certainly be classed as an “additional extra” and in turn could well become a big problem between you and the company you have already chosen to go ahead with.
These extra costs (between £600 and £3500 on average) can sometimes spiral out of control and if you don’t pay their costs you could find other builders walking off the job, leaving it half finished or even removing what they have already built. At Marble Construction we write a full, detailed quotation specifying all the potential problems and a plan about what we intend to do about them.
An alternative to using a crane is an electronic winch attached to the scaffolding. The downsides are that it takes twice as long to lift everything and many companies charge extra for this. However we Guarantee not to charge you any extra for using a winch instead of a crane.
Property On or Above Shops
Extra regulations apply if the public have to be able to walk in a construction area. The scaffolding will have to be wire netted, have a scaffolding alarm installed and will need to be specifically designed so the general public can walk safely underneath the building site while your loft is being converted. Marble Construction will take care of all of these problems and will oversee all the necessary correspondence with your local authority. The additional scaffolding costs would already have been discussed and the additional scaffolding costs were overlooked by us, it will not be you that foots the bill.
Skip Permits
If there is nowhere for your skip to go outside your property but there is a side road nearby, we will apply for a skip permit form your local council. However, if there are yellow lines on this side road there are unfortunately costs that we will need to discuss with you before you proceed with us.
With other companies, the problem of additional costs could be overlooked or not even spotted in the first place. This means that as soon as they go to start your loft or extension, you have already paid your deposit but they will then ask for more money for the skip permits. Council fees payable to your local council can be as much as £200 + per week for a permit on a busy road. Marble Construction are the experts in developing properties and if a problem like this arises and we have overlooked it, we will absorb this cost – simple!