Frequently Asked Questions

Your price is fixed before we start and covers everything in the drawings and schedule of works — labour, materials, plant, waste removal and site protection. Because we price the full scope in detail up front, you won't receive surprise invoices: the figure only changes if you instruct a change yourself, and we agree that with you in writing first. We'll walk you through exactly what is and isn't included before you sign anything.

No large cash deposits, and never full payment in advance. Work is invoiced in agreed stages against completed, inspected milestones, so you only ever pay for work that has actually been done. We are fully VAT-registered and everything is properly invoiced — if a builder ever asks for cash to "save the VAT", that's a sign to walk away.

Yes. We hold comprehensive public liability and employer's liability insurance, and we're happy to share certificates before you commit. We're accredited by the Federation of Master Builders and Government-endorsed TrustMark, alongside our wider industry accreditations — all independently vetted, so you can verify us rather than take our word for it.

Every project carries our workmanship guarantee, and structural work is covered by a 10-year structural warranty — one of the longest offered by any London builder. The structural warranty is insurance-backed, so your protection holds even in the unlikely event we ceased trading. We also return within 14 days of completion to clear any snags, no quibble.

Nasty surprises behind walls are rare because we survey properly before pricing — but if something genuinely unforeseen appears, we stop, show you the issue with photos, and agree any cost or time impact before carrying on. The same applies if you change your mind: every variation is quoted and approved in writing first, so the budget stays in your control.

Our core trades, structural work and project management are handled in-house, which removes the coordination gaps that cause most delays and disputes. Where we use specialists — certain mechanical or electrical works, for example — they're long-standing, vetted and accredited partners who answer to your SH Enterprise project manager. You always deal with one team and one point of responsibility.

You'll have one dedicated project manager from start to finish, backed by weekly photo updates and a live project dashboard. Whether you visit site daily or you're managing from overseas, you'll always know what's been done, what's next, and exactly where the programme stands.

Yes. On a Design & Build basis we manage the lot — planning applications, lawful development certificates, building control, party wall notices and structural drawings — coordinating architects and engineers under one contract. If you already have a design team, we'll build to their drawings and liaise with them directly instead.

Tell us early and we'll put it right — your project manager is your first port of call, and we have a clear, written complaints procedure if you ever need it. Most issues are resolved on site within days; what matters to us is that you'd recommend us at the end, which is where most of our work comes from.

Yes — an initial consultation, site visit and written quotation are free and without obligation. You'll receive a clear, itemised fixed-price proposal and an honest view of your options, timescales and budget before you decide whether to proceed.

Often not. Many single-storey rear extensions and loft conversions fall under Permitted Development and need only a Lawful Development Certificate rather than a full application. We assess your specific property and tell you where you stand before you spend a penny on fees — and where planning is required, such as in a conservation area, we prepare and manage the application for you.

In most cases, yes. We work in occupied homes regularly, sequencing the job to keep a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom usable wherever possible, with dust-exclusion zones and agreed working hours. For a full whole-house refurbishment it's sometimes quicker and far less stressful to move out for part of the programme — we'll give you an honest recommendation either way.

As a guide: loft conversions usually run 8–12 weeks, kitchen extensions 10–16 weeks, and a full house refurbishment 12–24 weeks, depending on size and specification. You'll receive a detailed programme with milestones before we start, and weekly updates against it so there are no guessing games.

Yes. On a Design & Build basis we coordinate the whole professional team — including our in-house structural engineers, architects, planning and party wall notices — so you have a single point of responsibility. If you already have an architect, we're just as happy to build to their drawings and work alongside your team.

Absolutely. We can run it as a fully managed package — guiding you through layouts, materials, tiling, joinery and fittings to suit your taste and budget — or simply build to your designer's brief and your own selections. Either way, we'll be straight with you about what looks good, what lasts, and where your money is best spent.

Yes — overnight, weekend and bank-holiday working is core to our commercial service, scheduled around your trading hours so customers and staff barely notice the works. Dust control, security and protection are maintained to the same standard whatever time we're on site.

A Cat A fit-out brings a bare shell up to a functional base — raised floors, ceilings and mechanical and electrical services, but nothing tenant-specific. A Cat B fit-out then turns that into your branded workplace: partitions, meeting rooms, kitchens, breakout space and AV. We deliver both, and can run them concurrently to compress your programme and budget.

We work in hoarded, access-controlled zones with dust suppression and, where needed, negative-pressure extraction, scheduling noisy works and deliveries for off-peak times. For shopfronts and customer-facing spaces we can install fully enclosed, branded hoardings so your premises stay presentable and you keep trading throughout.

Yes. Licence-to-alter applications, method-statement approvals and out-of-hours access permissions are handled within our pre-construction programme, and we deal directly with your landlord and managing agent so you're not stuck in the middle.

Yes — CDM coordination, fire strategy, building control sign-off and full O&M manuals are produced and handed over at practical completion as standard, not chased afterwards. You receive a compliant space and a complete documentation pack, ready for occupation and for your insurers.

We work under standard JCT contracts — principally JCT Design & Build 2016 and JCT Minor Works — plus bespoke development agreements where your funder requires them. We're comfortable with novation of professional appointments and with the step-in and retention provisions lenders expect, so your finance package stays intact.

Yes. Collateral warranties and third-party rights for funders, purchasers and tenants are a standard contract deliverable — giving them direct recourse that survives even after the main contract completes or if circumstances change. Our professional indemnity cover is held at a level appropriate to the contract value and includes design liability under Design & Build.

We build the Golden Thread from the first design review rather than reconstructing it at the end — every design change, material substitution and inspection logged in a structured digital record aligned to the Building Safety Regulator's requirements. Gateway submissions are prepared by our in-house team as a contract deliverable, protecting your programme and drawdown schedule.

Yes. Monthly cost reports, cash-flow forecasts, drawdown schedules and QS-ready valuations are produced as standard and formatted for monitoring-surveyor review, and we attend lender inspections as part of the service. We've worked on an open-book basis alongside bridging lenders, development-finance institutions and high-street banks.

Our development projects typically run from around £500K to £5M+ in construction value — from multi-unit conversions and HMOs to small new-build schemes, delivered to NHBC standards. We assess each scheme on its merits and are honest about where our experience is strongest before you commit.

Retention follows your contract — usually a small percentage of each valuation held back to practical completion, with the balance released after the defects period once any snagging is cleared. It's a standard funder protection, and we price for it openly from the start so there are no surprises in the cash flow.