In short, it depends on your project; for new builds, barn renovations or large extensions, planning permission is certainly required. You are also likely to need to consult a structural engineer and you’ll need an architect to produce drawings for you. If you would are yet to engage the services of a structural engineer or architect, we would be happy to introduce you to one of our trusted associates.

Once you have planning permission in place, and structural drawings if necessary, we will be able to provide you with a quotation for your project.

The government website states that most applications are decided within 8 weeks, but that for large or unusual projects this can take up to 13 weeks, so it’s best to apply sooner rather than later!

This also depends on your project. For work such as kitchen or bathroom installs, or any job that doesn’t require detailed drawings, these can be carried out without the input of an architect. For larger jobs such as extensions, loft or garage conversions, an architect can help with the design as well as help you though the planning process.

Anything which will change the structure of a property will likely need building control approval and you will therefore need the assistance of a structural engineer. Extensions, loft and garage conversions, the removal or modification of internal walls, removing chimney breasts - these are all examples of work that you will need to involve a structural engineer for but if in doubt please ask us!

As with any major purchase, a budget is helpful both for you, and for us to bear in mind when we are quoting for your project. We offer a very comprehensive quoting service and literally include everything and the kitchen sink! Some building companies may offer you a lower quote to begin with but then add on ‘extras’ during the building works. We won’t do that here at JMW, we aim to be as upfront and transparent about our costings as possible to allow you to manage your budget throughout the project.

This is very much project dependant; we can carry out a bathroom or kitchen renovation, including stripping out existing appliances and furniture, in as little as a week for a small space. A garage or loft conversion would likely take two to four months. Larger projects such as extensions can run from three to four months for a simple single story up to six to nine months for a two storey or more complex extensions.

For smaller work such as bathrooms or kitchen renovations, we will usually be able to start within a matter of weeks, but larger projects that are more complex require a little more coordination with other trades and we therefore would allow 6 to 8 weeks from the acceptance of your quote to us being on site.

In short, yes, we offer a turnkey service and will manage your project from start to finish. We are a specialist carpentry and building company, however we work with many skilled and trusted subcontractors who we employ to carry out ground working, plumbing, electrics, plastering and so on. We will liaise with these companies at every stage of your build and will coordinate work with them. If you have specific subcontractors that you want to do work for you, this can be arranged however it will therefore be your responsibility to make sure that they are on site when needed and any delays to the project will be down to you to rectify.

Yes, our quotes are free of charge and no obligation. We offer very comprehensive quotations for all of our projects, so you know that everything is included (even the kitchen sink!) In our experience, many builders will offer a basic quotation and you’ll end up paying for hidden extras down the line. This is not the case with JMW, we are very honest and transparent in our pricing structure and will give you a line by line quotation for every aspect of your project, materials and labour, so that you can manage your budget effectively without having to worry about unforeseen costs.

Our clients are at the heart of everything we do here at JMW. We use construction management software called Buildertrend, which you, as our client, will have lifetime access to. Here, we add daily logs with images so that you can see exactly what progress is being made on any given day. The software allows you to send us secure messages and allows for multi-way communication between you, us, any subcontractors and your architect if necessary. Your invoices will be produced via this software also and we will keep this updated with your project costs so that you feel in control at every stage.

We don’t just rely on Buildertrend; we are also contactable by the traditional methods of telephone and email and will always aim to respond to any queries you have within 24 hours. We like to make sure that we schedule in fortnightly meetings (either face to face or Zoom, whichever works best for you) so that we can talk through any issues, discuss any tweaks and ensure the project is running smoothly for everyone.

Our senior carpenters are all trained to Carpentry and Joinery NVQ Level 3; our apprentices work towards this level and are fully supervised whilst they are still training. Our senior staff also have Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) certification through the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and are First Aid trained, so you can feel assured that safety on site is a priority.

As a business, we are members of the Federation of Master Builders and are Trustmark approved - we are professionally vetted and inspected on a yearly basis which means that you can be confident that your project is in safe hands. We want to help the FMB in their campaign to introduce mandatory licensing for construction firms in the UK to help drive up the standards of work within the industry.