Building construction from foundation to handover
New buildings, extensions and structural work — substructure, superstructure, roof, services and finishes — delivered under one contract with one programme.
What this covers
Building construction is the core of the company: taking a plot from bush and setting-out to a building that can be occupied. That includes the substructure (excavation, blinding, footing, foundation blockwork, filling and oversite), the superstructure (columns, beams, blockwork, lintels), the roof, and everything that makes the building usable — openings, services first fix, finishes and external works.
- Residential: bungalows, two-storey houses, duplexes, extensions, boys' quarters and gate houses
- Small commercial and institutional: shops, offices, classrooms, halls, staff quarters
- Design and build, where we provide design input and engineering solutions alongside construction
- Construction to a consultant's drawings, with the queries raised in writing before they cost money
- Supervision of trades where the client has already appointed specialists
- Structural repairs and remedial building work arising from failed construction
How a building job runs on our sites
Setting out
Corners established to the drawing and checked, levels transferred from a fixed datum. A building set out wrong cannot be built right.
Substructure
Excavation to the required depth, blinding, reinforced footing, foundation blockwork, then filling in layers with water and compaction — not tipped in and walked on.
Superstructure
Columns and beams cast to design, blockwork to line and level, lintels and ring beams in place before the roof load arrives.
Roof, services, finishes
Roofing and rainwater goods, then electrical and plumbing first fix before plastering, then second fix, screeding, tiling, joinery and painting.
What changes the price
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Ground conditions | Soft or filled ground, high water table or rock changes the foundation and can be the largest single unknown in a quote. |
| Access and storage | A plot a lorry cannot reach means materials carried by hand and more breakage. |
| Level of finish | The same house can carry a very different price in tiles, sanitary ware, doors, windows, ceiling and paint. |
| Roof form and span | Long spans, hips and complex roofs cost more in material and in labour time than a simple gable. |
| Power and water on site | Generator running cost and water carting are real, recurring site costs. |
| Approvals and statutory fees | Planning and building approvals are usually paid by the client; we can advise, but we are not a substitute for the approving authority. |
How we handle variations
Every change to the scope — a bigger room, a different tile, a window moved — is written down, priced and agreed before it is built. That is not bureaucracy; it is the only way a client can know what a project will cost before the final invoice arrives. Where a client has engaged a quantity surveyor, variations run through that surveyor, and we are content with that arrangement.
If your drawings have not been through a quantity surveyor, we will build from them, but we will say so when something looks under-specified. Building an under-drawn detail is how clients end up paying twice.
Building construction, asked plainly
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can you build while we live on site? | Sometimes, with the work sequenced so the household keeps water, power and a safe route. It is cheaper but slower, and we will say honestly which parts are not safe to occupy through. |
| How long does a three-bedroom bungalow take? | It depends on design, ground and funding continuity. We give a programme in weeks with the offer — for reference, our two-bedroom bungalow in District 543 ran eight weeks. |
| Do you handle the building approval? | We prepare and submit what the authority asks for and follow it up, but the approval is issued to the owner and the fees are the owner's. |
| Who pays for water and power on site? | Normally the contract carries them as running costs, shown as a line in the offer, so you can see them rather than discover them. |
Ready to build on your plot?
Send the drawings, or invite us to the site. We will come back with a priced scope, a materials specification and a programme in weeks.
Replies are sent by WhatsApp. Every message to info@peterch.org is read — include a working number and we will come back to you the same working day.