Joinery & Carpentryin NorthamptonFirst and Second Fix by Trade

We don’t publish package prices, because no two homes are the same: the age of the house, the ground it sits on, where the drains run, what is hidden in the walls and the finish you want all change the cost. Instead, after a site survey, a professional quantity surveyor prepares your estimate from the real scope of work. That means labour, materials, structural elements and the order of work are all accounted for before you agree anything. For most projects this estimate is free, because we pay for the quantity surveyor’s time. Only for unusually large or complex schemes is a detailed estimate charged, at £250 including VAT, and we always tell you before any work on it starts.

We use the word “estimate” deliberately. Existing homes often reveal things once they are opened up, and pretending otherwise with a “fixed price” usually means the number either hides gaps or carries a large margin for risk. When something does change, we talk about it openly with you and agree the way forward together before carrying on.

Your project is divided into 4 to 7 milestones depending on its size and value. Typical examples are concrete footings complete, brickwork up to roof plate, roof covering watertight and plasterboard complete. Each milestone is something you can walk out and see for yourself. Only then is that stage invoiced. The first payment falls 72 hours before we start on site, and a small remaining balance is settled at practical completion and handover, so you are never paying far ahead of the work in front of you.

Planning permission is about what a building looks like and how it affects its surroundings. Some residential work can be carried out under permitted development rights without a full planning application, while other projects need approval from the local council. Rules differ for conservation areas, listed buildings and homes where permitted development rights have been removed by an earlier condition. If you already have approved plans, we build to them. If you don’t, we’ll talk through the options at your first consultation.

Even where planning permission isn’t needed, most structural and habitable work must meet Building Regulations. These cover structure, fire safety, insulation, ventilation and drainage. A Building Control inspector checks key stages, and on completion you receive the sign-off you’ll need when you come to sell or remortgage. Final inspection and Building Control sign-off, where applicable, are part of practical completion on every project we deliver.

If your work involves a wall shared with a neighbour, building on the boundary, or digging foundations close to a neighbour’s property, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 usually requires you to give them formal notice before work starts. It’s worth raising early, because notice periods need to run before that part of the work can begin.

Most of our customers stay in their homes throughout. Work is planned in stages so you know what is happening each week, who will be on site and what part of the house will be affected next. Reviewers regularly mention clear day-to-day updates and clean, considerate sites, the things that make living alongside a build manageable.

• Who prepares the price, and what exactly does it include?
• How much is due before work starts, and when are the stage payments?
• What insurance do you hold, and is a guarantee available?
• Who is my day-to-day contact, and how will I be kept updated?
• Do you work to structural calculations and arrange Building Control?

We’re happy to answer every one of these before you commit. Read about Rick and the team, see verified reviews, or request your estimate.

We’re based at The Beren, Blisworth Hill Business Park, just south of Northampton, and carry out joinery & carpentry across the town and the surrounding villages, from Towcester, Roade and Bugbrooke to Moulton, Brixworth, Daventry and Wellingborough. Back to the homepage or browse all services.