The Process
A clear route from first conversation to handover.
Ashecroft does not rush clients from first interest into design work. Most projects begin with the Budget Guidance Document, which establishes likely scope, investment level and fit. The Discovery call then tests the brief properly, after which Ashecroft prepares a Provisional cost proposal, carries the project through design development, formalises the fixed price contract and delivers the build under one accountable team.
The Journey
Seven stages from first conversation to handover
Budget Guidance Document
A sober first reading of likely scope, cost and fit.
A structured financial and practical briefing prepared around your project type. It sets out likely cost bands, the key variables that will move the budget, and the questions that need to be answered before a fixed-price contract can exist. There is no upfront design fee at this stage.
Outcome: Budget clarity and decision confidence
Discovery call
A focused conversation with a Project Guide about priorities, constraints and whether Ashecroft is the right route.
This is not a sales call. A Project Guide listens to what you are trying to achieve, asks about the house, the geography and the practical realities. With the financial framework understood, the Discovery call goes deeper into spatial priorities, how the household uses the ground floor, material preferences, appliance expectations, and the practical constraints of the house. This conversation shapes the design direction.
Outcome: A defined brief ready for survey and concept
Provisional cost proposal
A structured commercial route based on the agreed direction.
A chartered surveyor measures the property. The architect and kitchen designer develop initial spatial concepts based on the brief. Structural feasibility is assessed. The concept translates into a provisional cost proposal — a structured financial framework that reflects the agreed scope, specification and site conditions. This is a serious commercial document that forms the basis of the fixed-price contract.
Outcome: A clear financial commitment before contract
Design development
The stage where architecture, kitchen design, structural thinking and technical detail are resolved together.
Architecture, kitchen specification, structural detail and finishes are developed together. Planning risk is appraised where relevant. Every decision is made within the known financial envelope established by the provisional cost proposal.
Outcome: A fully resolved design ready for contract
Fixed price contract
The point at which scope, cost, programme and responsibilities are fixed clearly.
Design development completes. The agreed scope, specification, programme and responsibilities are locked into a fixed-price contract with weekly chained payment orders. The price is the price.
Outcome: Fixed-price certainty and single-point accountability
Build delivery
Construction, installation, snagging and handover under one accountable team.
The build begins with a dedicated Project Guide managing delivery, sequencing and communication. Trades are coordinated within the programme. The client is kept informed throughout.
Outcome: The project delivered as specified
Aftercare
Orderly close-out, settling-in support and a six-year structural guarantee on qualifying structural work.
Once construction is complete, a structured snagging process closes out every detail. Clients receive a clear record of what has been built and how it should be maintained. Structural work is covered by a six-year structural guarantee. The Project Guide remains the point of contact for aftercare.
Outcome: A completed project with lasting accountability
The Difference
What makes this different
Most ground-floor projects lose clarity in the handovers between designer, builder, supplier and trades. Each party works to different assumptions, different timelines and different commercial incentives. The client ends up carrying the gaps. Ashecroft closes those gaps by bringing planning, structural thinking, kitchen design and build delivery under one accountable team, with one contract, one Project Guide and one fixed price.