Architects Wandsworth

We are able to achieve the best results for you by carefully listening to your needs and using our experience to guide you. Our combined architectural education in the office spans over 40 years – and many more in practice. The vast majority of our projects are full-service, meaning we take a project from inception to finish and manage everything throughout. It has been this way for nearly 20 years, underlining our proven experience of delivering high-quality architectural projects.

Aside from our passion and dedication to achieving the best solution, what differentiates us is our high standards when it comes to designing, detailing and providing the Contractor with all of the information they need to build the project as per our designs. We constantly hear from Contractors that the level and quality of information they receive from us is ‘next to none’.

We produce a range of detailed drawings and specifications because we want to ensure that what is designed and what you are expecting to see is built to a very high standard. These are designs that both last and look good, as well as abide by the set budget.

We also ensure we provide as much information as possible at tender stage, once everything is agreed, which allows the Contractor to provide as fixed a price as possible. This means that compromises on site can be avoided, as everyone is aware of the design and the price right at the outset. There are no nasty surprises due to a lack of information and detail – this is an approach we bring to each stage of the project.

Scheme design

At the outset, after we have carried out a measured building survey, our architects in Wandsworth spend time considering all of the options and possibilities to produce design schemes in response to your brief and the composition of the site. We design to meet, and go beyond, your brief. We love designing and take the time to explore and develop different options, working as a team in the office to discuss our ideas for each project.

We treat every project as unique and design specifically for you and your project. We are first and foremost, designers and as such we pride ourselves on planning and creating individual projects tailored to our individual clients. This is the only way to ensure that we get the best solution for you. We are not interested in a ‘copy and paste’ of another project in order to 'get the job done' – we are only as good as our last project and we want it to be the best we can possibly do.

We will present you with as many options that we think are viable; providing you with what you want and what is possible to achieve your expectations within the budget. To make this clearer, we produce plans and 3D images/walkthrough models that clearly explain our ideas and designs to you. We then work with you to discuss these and develop them into a scheme that you love and want to proceed with.

3D Modelling and design tools

Our investment in state-of-the-art 3D design tools and drawing packages have enabled us to get our ideas and designs across to our clients. We understand that plans, sections and technical drawings can be difficult to understand and that they do not convey how a space is going to feel. We therefore model projects in 3D – allowing us to help clients understand our schemes and know what the end result will truly look like.

This proves incredibly helpful for us and our clients as it allows for better discussion and clarity throughout. It also presents us with the opportunity to consider details and find solutions that may previously (with less sophisticated packages) have been overlooked until the Contractor was on site.

This system also allows you to walk around the 3D model and make sure that you are happy with everything way before the project gets onto site. Our architects in Wandsworth can show how materials work together, how lighting in the space will work, even how it will feel walking around your new home. This is all done with the aim of allowing you to understand the project as a whole. This, again, means that there will be no ‘surprises’ on site and no compromises.

Our services and involvement

We ideally like to be involved in every aspect of a project, as we believe that this leads to a better and coordinated result – we are involved from start to finish on the majority of our projects. That said, we can also be flexible with our service and can carry out feasibility studies or work on, or up to, certain stages only.

We endeavour to treat each project on an individual basis and will tailor our service to suit the requirements of a particular project – as we understand that one service does not fit all. Regardless of the project type, we believe architecture is not just about ‘building a structure’ but creating spaces that make you feel a certain way and are able to affect your life in a positive way. This involves the interiors too.

With your interiors, we are able to design fitted and freestanding furniture as required and also get involved with specifying carpets and curtains, and can coordinate their manufacture and installation. Similarly, we work closely with joinery companies to design and install completely bespoke kitchens on many of our projects.

When we design a scheme at concept stage, we design the space as a whole and to understand how it could all work together. Aside from the design, we will coordinate all other consultants (engineers, party wall surveyors, building control etc) involved in the project throughout – as we act as the lead consultants.

We know how important it is to manage the budget

Delivering a successful project means delivering a well-designed project on time and in budget. We know how important it is to manage a budget and to avoid having to suddenly cut costs on site whilst the Contractor wants to get on with the build, meaning that compromises have to be mad. None of us want to get to that stage. Nor do we want the disappointment for our clients, of the tenders coming back at a much higher cost than expected.

This is why we work closely with a Quantity Surveyor at several stages of a project. As residential architects in Wandsworth we can advise on what a project is likely to cost from our experience. However, it should be noted that architects are not trained or qualified in this area, therefore we work with a Quantity Surveyor who knows the current market rates and prices tenders for local builders to provide a price benchmark, as well as helping to advise on costs at a very early stage in the project. We often get initial schemes priced with an approximate figure that will better help you to decide on which way to progress.

Once we have a scheme agreed, we can provide a detailed specification quickly for the Quantity Surveyor (alongside our drawings and 3D renders) for them to price and give a good indication of how much the final scheme will cost to build. This allows us to get an indication of the price and a clear cost breakdown per item at the concept stage – often before we have even got to the planning stage. This then means we can properly consider any alterations that need to be made to the scope or the design in order to meet the budget. Again, this means that we don't have to make compromises further down the line and we all avoid the disappointment of having spent a lot of time developing a scheme only to find that it’s over budget. We can then use this as a benchmark for the tender prices we get back from Contractors.

Successful outcome at planning

We have worked in many local authorities across London and further afield to successfully gain planning permission, even on the most difficult of projects. From our 20 years of industry experience, we know how to approach the planning system and how to negotiate the planning maze.

We know the planning guidelines and criteria for the all of the Boroughs we work in – which is what the planners will check any scheme against to decide if it does or doesn't comply with their regulations.

With our knowledge and experience, we pride ourselves on achieving a successful outcome at the planning stage and will produce all of the drawings and written documents required and submit the planning application on your behalf – managing all of the communication with the planners.

We often submit a pre-planning application as part of a feasibility study in order to assess the likelihood that development would be acceptable in principal on a specific site or with a specific brief in mind. We will advise on whether we think this is a good idea at the beginning of a project –in order to omit the risk of developing a scheme too far if there is a chance that planning permission could be refused.

Ensuring we get a competitive tender

After we have spent time developing the design, details and specification of the project closely with you, we will send a very concise and detailed package out to three or more Contractors for pricing.

Like with all the consultants (Structural Engineers, Party Wall Surveyors, Building Control etc) we will go out to local Contractors who we have worked with successfully in the past and who we know have completed jobs to a high standard. We are also open to working with Contractors you may want to work with, or have worked with before. Like all new Contractors, we will take the time to visit their sites and check their work and make sure we are happy that they can deliver.

Going out to three or more Contractors and using the price given by the QS as a guide means that we can ensure a competitive tender. Our architects in Wandsworth will always spend time going through the tenders to make sure that they can be compared like-for-like and are complete. This allows you to be confident that everything we have agreed is in line with what the project has been priced for, and that we have a clear price breakdown to enable us to manage the costs on site should you wish to make any variations on site.

Managing the construction process

We usually provide a full service on all of our projects, meaning that we manage everything from start to finish – from the initial meeting to set out what you want, right through to when we hand over the completed project to you.

Once we have agreed on a Contractor and contract sum following tender, we manage everything on site, acting as the Contract Administrator and fairly administering the contract, carrying out monthly valuations and managing all variations on site by issuing instructions and updated information to the Contractor.

We will visit the site every week (often more, as and when required) to meet the Contractor to keep track of progress, inspect the works and discuss/resolve any details, etc. We keep in close contact with the Contractor and team on site to make sure that we are happy with how things are progressing and are readily available to go to the site if they request our presence in between.

We are happy to meet clients on site to keep them updated on the build. Likewise, we are able to successfully deliver projects if our clients are overseas – having worked with clients based in the Far East, South Africa, Australia and the United States, we have much experience of upholding long-distance communication to suit our clients’ individual and specific requirements.

In order to keep firm control of the budget and all variations, we will provide details and request a price from the Contractor as soon as a variation is raised or requested. Only once this is agreed with the client will we issue an instruction to the Contractor to proceed and send updated construction information as required.

Traditionally during the construction process it is left to the Contractor to request details/further information and then present a price for any variations. Our proactive approach means that our architects in Wandsworth are in complete control of the project scope and project costs at all times – ensuring that there are indeed no ‘surprises’ at the end of the project. It also gives us time to properly consider any client-requested variations.

Our architectural service fees

We charge a percentage of the contract value, excluding VAT and other consultant fees where we are providing a full service. How we work out our architectural service fees has evolved over our many years of experience and allows us to be competitive, whilst covering our costs for the time we put in. Our fees will always be set out, explained clearly and agreed with you before we proceed.

We always assess each project on an individual basis to allow us to provide a quote that fairly reflects the demands of the project, as well as the services and input that you require. We usually work on a project from start to finish – however, we are also able to (and often do) carry out feasibility studies and likewise, are more than happy to work up to a certain stage only. Our fees will be structured in a suitable way to reflect this, are competitive and will be agreed with you at the beginning of the project. Ultimately, what we charge is in line with the RIBA recommendations for residential projects.

To quote famous architect David Chipperfield 'the difference between good and bad architecture is the time you spend on it'. We strongly believe this to be the case. We know we put the time and effort in to achieve successful projects – which also allows the process to be enjoyable and rewarding for you too.

Despite our fees being competitive and realistic, we are aware that there will be architects out there who charge less. However, we know that this corresponds to a less-thorough service and unfortunately, more often than not, a less than satisfactory outcome. We have worked with many clients over the years who have come to us for help fixing a project, having started out with a different company. We know that our fees are what we need to charge to give the service that is required for a successful outcome – and over time, the savings you will make in not having to treat any issues further down the line, will make our fees extremely cost-effective. The best investments are ones that can pay themselves back, time and again.

The most important indication of the value of our architectural service is that we get many repeat clients and have attained the large majority of our work over the years through word-of-mouth and recommendations from our happy clients.

Finally, we are transparent at all times with our fees and if we are required to carry out any work in addition to our agreed services, we would always agree a fee for this prior to proceeding with the work.

So what are you waiting for? Contact our architects in Wandsworth to start your journey to achieving the best, most cost-effective building project for your property.

Start your London architectural project with us

Please get in touch with us to discuss your project and start the process towards achieving your wonderful new home – give us a call on 020 8704 0804 or e-mail info@quartetarchitecture.com. We look forward to hearing from you.