Questions about BenfieldATT

This service is completely free and, with our Estimate Booklets being designed to be as useful as possible, this is a popular service with Builders, Contractors, Architects, Self-Builders and the like. Simply send us a copy of your plans by post...

Benfield ATT Free Comprehensive Estimates have been designed around endless benchmarking exercises, customer's most frequently asked questions and built upon our experience of the timber frame construction industry.

This Totally Free service simply involves you sending us your ideas, sketches or plans (as long as we have dimensions and a good indication of your specification)...and we will do the rest!

The building process is a dynamic, evolutionary animal. Whilst we cannot estimate know how long your project will take to complete (this obviously depends on your own project management), we can estimate that we can be on site between 9 and 14 weeks after you sign your Order Form, depending on the complexity of the engineering and the size of the project.

Each phase has many different parts that interact with the next or previous part. Sometimes fixing happens before framing and sometimes not - it ends up being project specific.

As our team operate a bespoke and flexible project management approach, we will always work with you to agree a delivery time and Shell Erection schedule to meet your project plan.

Whilst we appreciate that you would like to get an idea of what the building you are buying will be like, as we build to bespoke requirements it is impossible for us to have something on display to please everybody. Instead, we produce 3D computer renderings and can invite you for a guided tour of the factory at our offices in South Wales. If we have any current projects in your local area, we may also invite you to the site, although this would obviously be at the discretion of the private client.

Turnkey is often used to describe a home built on the developers land with the developers financing ready for the customer to move in. If a contractor builds a "turnkey home" they frame the structure and finish the interior. Everything is completed down to the cabinets and carpet. "Turnkey" is commonly used in the construction industry, for instance, in which it refers to the bundling of materials and labor by sub-contractors.

Variable Choice Turnkey

As Full Service Design & Build Timber Engineers, we provide a ‘Variable Turnkey” facility. The objective here is that when our clients accept the building, they “Turn the Key”, walk in and immediately start using it as they wish. This may mean that it is fully operational as an office, shop, or house, or it may mean that they can carry out additional or completion works to suit their personalised requirements, as outlined below.

Contract & Project Management Options

Where only part services are required, e.g. foundations, timber frame, roofing, windows & doors, these are usually supplied on an order and contract basis. If a ‘full build’ is required, then this is usually carried out with us acting part as contract suppliers for the timber frame kit, and acting as Project Managers for the rest of the works. Under Project Management, we secure and manage all materials and sub contract services, passing the bills to you for settlement.

Variable Turnkey Options

As explained above, our range of ‘Variable Turnkey” options give our clients the ability to choose how much of the work they want us to do for them, and how much they wish to do themselves, or engage others to do for them. This means that they can choose form the following ….

Full Turnkey “Menu”

Client’s who own land, with or without planning and other permissions:-

• provide and agree with us a brief for the building covering:-
• • Appearance, specification, capital costs,
  • Performance and running costs
• instruct us to design, obtain approvals for, and construct the building.
• This may include:
  • Topographic and geological ground surveys, plus Environmental Impact & other assessments
  • Obtaining detailed planning permission
  • Obtaining Building Regulation & other approvals
  • Obtaining any necessary licences form the authorities (e.g. road closures, moving power lines, etc.)
  • Construction Design & Management (CDM) issues
  • Health & Safety Issues
  • Waste Management Issues
  • etc.
• We build the total structure including:-
• • Site clearance and excavation
  • Laying foul and rainwater drains
  • Installing other utilities
  • Constructing foundations
  • Erecting the structural shell
  • Fitting windows & doors, external claddings, roofing, etc.
  • Fitting electrical and plumbing ‘carcasses’, insulation, lining internal walls, first fix joinery
  • 2nd fix joinery, bathrooms, kitchens, internal doors & cupboards
  • External & internal decoration
  • Laying access footpaths and driveways
  • Fitting bathrooms, kitchens and decorating the property inside and out
  • Carrying out pre-acceptance inspections with the client before handing over the keys

This completes our normal “Turnkey” service . Its availability depends on size, value and location of the property.

Yes it does.

We can certainly help with designing, specifying and building your new house.

You can have a choice of timber frame structures, e.g. stick build, Post & Beam, Traditional Green Oak (and similar), open cell panel, factory insulated panel, SIP’s, Twin-wall, or a hybrid of different types.

We can also help with preparing low cost professional sketch designs for you to discuss with the planning department. When you have secured agreement in principle, we can then draw these up and prepare the documentation for you to make the planning application (or do this for you).

After these are approved we can produce the drawings and detail for Building Regulation Approval.