Jonathan Braddick - RIBA Chartered Architect Devon
01395 265768

1.Do You Have Any Tips on How I Can Control My Budget?

Agree all the details up front, by having a set of detailed Tender drawings and a detailed written specification produced and use these in conjunction with a JCT Contract. 

The more details that you can tie down the better. A set of detailed drawings will illustrate these decisions in a way that can be quantified. This will leave less opportunity for unforeseen extra costs to creep in at a later date. 

Your choice of fittings and finishes is key to the final costs. The costs of a luxury fit-out can be 5-10 times the cost of a basic or budget fit-out. Contrary to popular belief the choice of fittings is often the most influential issue to affect the cost of a building project. Do not make out of sequence changes, as last minute design changes are a sure fire way of loosing control over your budget and timescales. Many design decisions are inextricably linked with many others. One minor change can result in the need to make many other changes, all of which will result in additional costs (and delay).