Welcome to the FAQs page of Hindley&Co! We're here to address any questions you may have about our services.

We design extraordinary houses. Our clients tell us they are a pleasure to live in, and that their appreciation for the architecture deepens over time. Through decades of practice, we have developed project systems to make the design and build of your home smooth running, efficient, and enjoyable. We have a conservative approach to risk and a talented team who are dedicated to creating a legacy of timeless, quality architecture.

Renovations and new builds typically take 10 to 26 months, from first meeting to key handover. This is broken into stages. Design, documentation and tendering usually takes six to eight months if there is no planning permission required; allow at least three additional months if planning is required. Construction typically takes four months to 18 months depending on the size and complexity of the project.

The overall project cost will consist of the cost to build, professional fees and statutory fees. You may also choose to include landscaping, loose furniture and soft furnishings. We’ll help you calculate ballpark budget estimates for the cost of your project early in the process. As we learn more, we’ll advise you to use a cost planner for more accurate build costs. We encourage our clients to set aside a contingency sum to protect you from going over your budget. We will advise you how much you’re likely to need so you can allow for it early in your cost planning.

We break each project into discrete stages and always seek approval to proceed to the next stage, so if you decide not to proceed – for whatever reason – you’ll only be charged for work complete. We understand, life happens!

As much or as little as you wish. Some clients are happy for us to make all the decisions while they’re holidaying in Europe; others love being involved with all the details. Once we establish what kind of involvement you’d like, we’ll tailor a meeting schedule to suit you. The meeting dates and agenda will be agreed at the beginning of the Detail Design (DD) stage, so you’ll always know what is going to be covered, when, and won’t have to worry about anything getting missed.

We have clients who have worked with us entirely by zoom, from overseas. Equally, we have clients that prefer face to face meetings every time, and a lot of people like a combination of the two. We typically meet with you 2-4 times in the first stage. Next we have one half or full day on site which you can attend or not attend, as you prefer. We have a comprehensive presentation at the end of Concept Design and Design Development and then we don't need any more meetings with you until the tender review. We give you a weekly update throughout the entire process, and can be reached by email, phone or zoom at any time.

We’ll discuss the pros and cons of the available procurement methods with you so you can decide how you want the builder selection process to run. Typically, we suggest that you seek several prices by running a competitive tender, which we will manage for you. We’ll recommend builders to include on your tender list, and if you have people you’d like to include, we’ll add them, too. After the tender is run, we’ll make a recommendation based on cost, time and quality; you make the final selection.

Yes. Interior design is a strength of the practice and is therefore included in our service and fee. All the built-in joinery, interior detailing, finishes, and fitting selections are designed and documented by us (to your approval, of course). We can also select, schedule, and help procure window coverings, soft furnishings, and loose furniture as optional packages.

No. We’ll work through the kitchen and other detail areas closely with you as part of our service. We take great care to optimise work flow and to specify the most appropriate components using Blum Dynamic space principles, and we are skillful at clean detailing. On the other hand, if you have your heart set on a particular brand (like a Poliform robe, for example) we are more than happy to work with your preferred supplier.

Though not absolutely essential, we believe you’ll get the best result if the landscape is considered hand in hand with the architecture. We have a select list of landscape architects and landscape designers we work with who we can recommend if required. Ideally the builder subcontracts the landscape work, but sometimes it’s done as a separate contract. We can discuss what is best for your particular project.