Value for money and how to assess it.

Cheapness of service doers not always represent best value.  Likewise expensive does not always represent a quality service.

VALUE FOR MONEY (BEST VALUE)

CHP will not be the cheapest. There are other agents who operate differently who will likely have a lower fee structure but they will usually just do the minimal amount of work to satisfy the requirements of the Local Authority. You will likely receive a set of drawings that may not be suitable as the contract documents for your builder or for use in a competitive tender without further enhancement. Unless the client has the technical and managerial expertise of building projects then you are not advised to obtain minimalist drawings with no Specification Manual.

CHP's philosophy is to assume that the client could be saddled with an unscrupulous builder who will win the contract on a very cheap price and then exploit deficiencies within the documents claiming multiple extras on the job. This fact alone, in my opinion, accounts for the majority of complaints from building owners. Therefore, without a good set of concise documents, the client can be exposed to extensive extra costs and very limited protection.

CHP does not claim to close all the loopholes but a good effort is made to ensure that your final builder will not be in a position to deliberately seek extensive additional costs.

CHP is, however, considered to be competitive when compared to some of the High Street type operations offering professional building design services where usually a percentage fee scale is the norm. The client is advised to seek alternative quotations for verification.