Our studio

RIBA Work Stage 1 Preparation and Brief

The questions get a little more personal at this point, and if we haven’t met you already, we definitely want to meet you now – along with your partner/family/dog/colleagues/customers (depending on the project, obviously).

You can draw up a wish-list as long as you like and tell us all about your must-haves, nice-to-haves, and most-definitely-nots. We soak it all up and still want to know more.

We explore your site. If it’s your existing house and garden, we investigate every nook, cranny and irritating detail. If the site is a muddy field, we’re just as interested – pacing up and down in our wellies, breathing in the air, absorbing our surroundings, and working out where the sun rises and where it sets. 

We bounce ideas around with you, and throw out some figures too. What might be possible? How much is it likely to cost? How long might it take? Together we agree on a way forward and begin to hatch a plan.

Oh, and one more thing: we help you commission a 'measured survey' which gives us the millimetre-perfect plans we need to be able to get on with being creative. We suggest a surveyor, explain the process (and the cost), and then on the day you just need to let them in.

RIBA Work Stage 2 Concept Design

We love this stage, and you will too. We start sketching furiously and giving shape – on screen and on paper – to the ideas we’ve discussed. 

On the one hand we’re drawing on our experience of every project we’ve worked on. On the other, we’re leaving all that behind and coming at your project completely fresh, thinking far outside of any box and focusing entirely on you.

We feel our way around different concepts with 2D drawings, 3D drawings and models (out of cardboard and anything else that helps conjure up our vision). We think about how the spaces will feel, put together mood boards, and even come up with ideas for furniture.

Right now, everything’s more than a little rough around the edges and very much up for discussion (and there’ll be a lot of that). But your positive, enthusiastic reactions at this point are usually enough to tell us we’re hitting the right notes and firmly on the right track.

It’s not all mood boards and slicing up bits of cardboard, though. We think about time and cost issues, about sustainability, and about health and safety. If we need to test the water with the local Planning department, we do that too.

RIBA Work Stage 3 Spatial Coordination - Part 1 (3A)

Getting everything ready for planning is an exciting time – for us and for you. The rough sketches we’ve assembled so far need to start doing some real heavy lifting, so we get our heads down and drill down to the detail, making sure everything is as functional as it is beautiful. And we might bring a planning consultant on board for that extra bit of expertise, especially if it's a particularly sensitive site.

It’s also the moment to make sure we’ve got anything extra the planners might need – Listed Building consent or a bat survey, for example – and to put together the Design and Access Statement. That’s the most important document of all, and while it might not sound inspiring, it does need to inspire confidence in the planners and show that we’ve looked at your project from every angle. 

But it’s not just the planners who are on our minds. We need to think about your neighbours too. We’ll give you everything you need to talk them through our plans, and we’ll happily answer any questions or worries they might have. Anything to get us off to a good start.

RIBA Work Stage 3 Spatial Coordination - Part 2 (3B)

Once your planning application is as perfect as it'll ever be, we click 'Submit' and breathe a collective sigh of relief.

But while this might signal a chance for you to get on with life and put your focus back on other things, we're still very much on duty.

We're keeping all lines of communication open – working with the planning consultant (if we've brought one on board), picking up on any questions or concerns the planners might have, smoothing out any wrinkles, and doing whatever we can to get your application over the line.

RIBA Work Stage 4 Technical Design - Part 1 (4A)

With planning approval now sorted, we pull together all the technical information, coordinate the specialist input from consultants, and assemble a ‘tender package’. You can think of this as a very thorough instruction manual, and it gives a builder everything they need to know to price up and then build the project. It has all the specifications for materials, all the technical drawings, and a ‘schedule of works’, which is basically a long and very detailed to-do list for the project.

By nailing all of these things now, we avoid unexpected costs, unforeseen delays and other not-so-pleasant surprises during the build.

The technical drawings, along with quite a bit of explanatory detail, also go to Building Control, who’ll be keeping an eye on building works. If the Planning department has specified certain conditions, we bring these into the equation too.

But we can’t forge ahead with the technical stuff while ignoring the softer stuff. It’s all part of one cohesive, choreographed vision. So, at the same time as specifying the building envelope (which at its most basic keeps the heat in and the water out), we’re talking to you about the finer points of the building. We’re turning materials over in our hands, weighing up textures and contemplating colours. And while one eye is on plumbing and electrics, the other is on interior design, lighting and bespoke joinery.

RIBA Work Stage 4 Technical Design - Part 2 (4B)

We send out the tender package to a shortlist of potential builders so that they can understand exactly what’s involved and give us an accurate price. 

Once we’ve got the quotes back, we go through them together with you, weighing each one against the others. But picking a favourite isn’t all about price. We like to work with people we trust, people who care about doing a beautiful job. Our weighing-up process takes all that into account too.

Then we prepare a building contract for you and your chosen builder to sign.

RIBA Work Stage 5 Construction

At last we’re on site. We keep a close eye on the contract and on what’s happening, making sure everyone – and everything – is on the same page. We check on progress and on quality, keep track of cost, oversee health and safety, and certify payments to the builder.

We visit the site and give you regular updates, explaining what’s going on in frequent progress meetings, and through written reports, photographs and impromptu conversations.

We’re your ‘contract administrators’ as well as your architect, and you can think of us as the go-between, answering questions from all sides and keeping everyone moving in the same direction.

We can’t promise that real life won’t throw up the odd problem, but we can promise that we’ll jump to attention with the first hint of something unforeseen. We’re here to shoulder the stress, keep the big picture in mind and ensure that every element is true to the design.

When the builder gets to the end of the schedule of works, with everything ticked off to our satisfaction, we give you a ‘practical completion’ certificate. The builder, meanwhile, gets sign-off from Building Control.

Then the builder moves out and you move in.

RIBA Work Stage 6 Handover and Close out

You’re in, but for a year or so it’s not unusual for the odd thing to need sorting or fine-tuning – snagging, as it’s known. We’re still here for you, and we work with the builder to resolve any loose ends. 

Once those loose ends are dealt with we issue a final certificate, which is another step on from the earlier ‘practical completion’ certificate. Now you can pay the builder’s last invoice and sit back, safe in the knowledge that everything’s just as it should be.

RIBA Work Stage 7 In use

It’s time for you to get on with the business of enjoying what we’ve created together. 

But don’t forget us. We hope you’ll invite us over some time for dinner or even cocktails. We’d love to see your new spaces in action and hear you talk about anything – or everything – you particularly love about them.

And because we’re as geeky as we are creative and sociable, we’ll evaluate your building’s performance. Doing that helps us understand the impact of our work, keeps us learning, and means we can check your building is keeping you warm and comfortable, in just the way we intended.

It’s not just about finding someone who has a good track record on similar projects, but of course it’s always useful to see what they’ve done. Our past projects are here.

It’s more about finding someone who shares your aspirations and your values. If you want to get a good sense of what’s important to us at George & James, have a look at Our mission. 

Once you’re confident that you’re a good fit on paper, it’s time to start a conversation. Think about whether you want to work with them. Do they listen? Do they ask questions? Do they take your worries on board and give you the reassurance you’re looking for? Do they explain how they work without resorting to jargon or whitewashing the process? If you’ll be working with members of their team, can you talk to them too?

You’ll be working closely with each other for a while, so you need to enjoy their company. In the end, it’s probably your heart, rather than your head, that will make the decision for you.

You can see some of the lovely things our clients say about us here.

For us, just like for you, it’s mostly about being a good fit. If you care about good design and about how a building makes you feel (as opposed to simply how many bedrooms it has and what the value is), we’re likely to see eye to eye. And if you’re hoping for something out of the ordinary, that’s a great starting point too. 

We take on all sorts of different projects – new homes and old homes, interior refurbishments and transformative extensions. And we’re always interested in working with independent businesses and community groups who want to improve their shops, workspaces or workshops, yoga studios and other spaces. So it’s less about the ‘what’ and more about the ‘who’.

Most of our projects have budgets over £150K. Below this amount, the sums just won’t add up for you or for us (unless you’d just like us to develop a design and get planning permission, in which case it’s worth seeing if we can help). We’re always honest about the costs upfront. We won’t underestimate the costs to get the job and then give you a nasty surprise. That wouldn’t be good for you, and it wouldn’t be good for us.

Yes, we worry too, and we take our responsibilities very seriously. We don’t call ourselves ‘eco-architects’, and we’re actually a little wary of the label – all designers have this responsibility and it should be part of the way every one of us thinks, lives and works.

We’re always looking for opportunities to create better performing, more sustainable buildings. And sustainability isn’t just about lowering your heating bill. It’s about what goes into a building (its embodied carbon) as well as the energy the building needs to function well (its carbon footprint).

It makes sense to reuse and repurpose rather than start from scratch, so if we can put to good use what’s already there, we will. And when we’re choosing new materials we ask our suppliers difficult questions: where did this come from, what went into making it, and how did it get here? 

Then we’ll be looking for ways to make the most of a building’s orientation. If we can welcome in the winter sun and hold onto the heat it leaves behind, you’ll be blessed with a warm, bright space that lifts the spirits in the depths of winter. If we can provide well-positioned windows and natural shade, you’ll thank us on the hottest summer days. We get all of that right, and then – if it’s needed – we put in place the most appropriate renewable technologies to do the rest.

If all of this strikes a chord, then let’s talk. And if you have very particular environmental aims or are keen to try something new, that’s an even better reason to put our heads together and start a conversation.

No, and yes. In other words, it’s completely up to you. 

We love being involved from start to finish: coming up with ideas, working out what’s possible, taking the designs through the planning process (including listed building consent), doing the detailed drawings, and overseeing construction.

We’ll help you find a good builder, act as contract administrators, and be there to hold your hand (in the reassuring, supportive sense of the phrase) at every stage. Just as importantly, we can design bespoke joinery for you, find the perfect people to make it, and design the interiors – down to every last, beautiful detail.

We’ll still want to talk things through with you and share the excitement of each part of the build. But you won’t wake up at night worrying about the window measurements not being quite right, or the electrician not turning up.

On the other hand, you might be excited about going it alone once we’ve developed the design and got planning approval, and that’s possible too. (And we’ll still be cheering you on, but from afar.) 

Or you might want to take it one step at a time. We can test out ideas with you, establish whether they’re feasible and affordable, and then you can decide whether to take it further.

You can see more about how we work – and the different stages – on our Services page.

We can’t tell you exactly how much we charge without first finding out about your project. If we could we’d be trying to fit you inside a box, which isn’t how we work. But, to give you a ballpark figure, our typical fees range from 8 to 15% of construction costs.

It all depends on the size and complexity of your project, and how involved we are. And it’s not always worked out as a percentage. It could be a fixed fee, a time-charge fee, or a percentage fee – depending on your project and how we can give you the most value.

All we can say for certain is that good design – and good project management – really is worth its weight in gold. We save you time, money and worry. We get the design right before construction starts on site, which means a streamlined process, no costly changes, no time wasted, much less risk, and a happy builder.

And that’s just the start – good design is something you’ll appreciate every day, and for years to come.

It’s difficult to say until we know more. But we’ll be happy to show you examples of our past projects and give you an idea of the figures involved. That should give you a bit of context as well as the reality check you might be looking for.

And there’s one thing that we can say right away: it’s as important for you to be honest with us about your budget as it is for us to be upfront with you about costs. If we all know where we stand, we can keep our feet firmly on the ground while dreaming big and aiming high.

Then, once you’ve talked us through your own aspirations as well as your budget, we’ll be able to work out exactly what’s possible for you.

We’ll explain the different things – and people – you’ll need to factor in: planning application fees, building control fees, a structural engineer, maybe a party-wall surveyor, and of course construction costs, which will vary depending on the site, location, design and level of specification.

We can even drill down to the cost of furniture (both built-in and free-standing), curtains, blinds, landscaping, and all those other things that make a place both liveable and functional. You may not be ready to think about them right now, but we know they’re a crucial part of getting you to the finish line.

Here’s another question which is almost impossible to answer. A small and relatively simple – but still beautiful! – extension might take 12 months from start to finish. A new-build house could take around two years. But sometimes the planning process can cause delays, and sometimes the perfect builder isn’t available for another few months (but is definitely worth waiting for). 

We don’t cut corners, so you’ll need to allow time for the project to run its right and proper course. We’ll provide you with a programme at the start of the project, and we’ll constantly be measuring this against how things are progressing in real time. Our job is to build flexibility into the schedule, anticipate issues that might lead to delays, and keep a close eye on any hold-ups. 

You’ll need to allow time on a day-to-day level, too. Creating a bespoke building that fits you like a beautiful, comfortable glove is a collaborative process, and we need you as much as you need us. We’ll be asking questions, running things by you, and coming to the right decisions together. We know that takes time, but we also know that it’s time worth spending.

We don’t have a specific design style, and we come to your project with an open mind. It’s all about getting to know you, getting to know your site (its hidden quirks as well as its clear potential), and understanding the context. We talk more about this in Our mission. 

Just one caveat: we admit to being drawn to spaces that are timeless and understated, functional yet beautiful. So if you’re after a mansion with excessive ornament and a good deal of bling, we’re probably not the architects for you. We like buildings that make the most of light and air – buildings that make you feel good.