Home / Overseeing the build
RIBA Stages 4–6
A building contract protects everyone on the job.
A building contract is how you keep control of your programme and your budget. It sets out the price, the dates, how you pay and how any changes are agreed. JCT contracts are written to be fair to both you and your builder. As a matter of good practice, we advise one on every project.
Where projects go wrong
Paperwork feels like a waste of time, until something goes wrong.
It usually comes down to one of these four.
On most jobs, everything runs smoothly and the contract stays in the drawer. But when something does go wrong, the paperwork becomes the most important part of the project. By then, it's too late to write it.
A quote is not a contract
A quote gives you a price, but it doesn't set the terms. That leaves you and your builder without a clear answer when you need one.
Payments not linked to the work
Payments agreed up front in stages are a best guess. If the work moves faster or slower, the payments stop matching the work, which isn't fair on either side.
No one independent to ask
Without someone independent to check the work and agree what's due, small questions can turn into disagreements. The chartered architect running the contract inspects the work on site visits, answers questions on site, and follows the contract, not either side, which is fair to both of you.
Changes not written down
Changes agreed on site happen all the time. Documenting each one and pricing it straight away saves a difficult conversation at the end.
What we put in place
A contract, a certificate, and a competent person in the middle.
How it works, step by step.
A JCT building contract, the most widely used standard building contract in the UK, writes down the price, the dates, how payments work, how changes are priced and how defects are put right, and both sides sign up to it. We act as Contract Administrator: we check the work, certify what's been done, and payments follow.
The right contract for the size of job
JCT publishes contracts for jobs of different sizes, from a small extension to a large build. We choose the one that fits, fill in the details, and talk you and your builder through the key terms before anyone signs.
Paid on certificate, for work done
After each site inspection we certify the value of the work done, and payment follows the certificate. A small part of each payment is held back until the end, as the contract sets out. Both sides know what is due and when.
Changes in writing, valued before they happen
Every change goes through us as a written instruction and, wherever possible, is priced and agreed before the work is done. The builder is paid fairly for the extra, and you can see the cost before you decide.
Defects made good
We certify when the work is complete. After that, the contract sets a period in which the builder puts right any defects that appear, and the money held back is paid once they're fixed.
Builders we know
We invite prices from builders we know and trust, or from your own builder, all on the same drawings and specification, so the prices compare like with like. The contract isn't a sign of distrust: it's the paperwork that lets a good builder and a good client get on with the job. How tendering works →
One rule on site: any changes are instructed through us. That keeps every change on record against the contract, and your builder always knows which instruction to follow.
How it is priced
Part of our full service, or quoted on its own.
If you've appointed us for the full service, RIBA Stages 0–7 on a percentage fee, contract administration is already included. If not, we quote it as a separate fee: a fixed fee or a rolling monthly fee, depending on the project, agreed with you in writing before work starts on site.
Get in touch
Talk to us about your build.
Whether your design is ready, you have planning approval, or you've already found a builder, we can put the contract in place and run it for you.
Send us your drawings, your planning decision if you have one, and when you'd like to start. We'll get back to you within one working day.
- Emailinfo@dzpstudio.co.uk
- Phone07508 382877
- StudioLondon & Essex
- HoursMon–Fri 09:00–17:00
Sat 09:00–12:00