Bexley House Extension Gets Ready for the Build

With the contract between the client and builder Leadway Developments Ltd now finalized. This modern terraced house rear extension in Bexley will begin the build in August 2025.

Sean Payne

Director / Architect

Project Update

With the architectural design completed, planning permission and building regulations granted. This rear house extension project in Bexley is now ready for construction.

After tendering to multiple builders as part of our architect services to the client, a price, timeline and contract has been finalized.

This will allow the client to start the build with the confidence that everything will go to plan and also that the builder has a clear system should there be issues that arise on site.

Why Selecting A Construction Contract Matters

First of all this is a disclaimer that we speak about construction contracts based on our knowledge architects and from previous experience using them only. We're not legal professionals!

That being said - Having a construction contract when choosing a builder to carry out work might sound like an unnecessary addition to some, especially when many builders provide cost breakdowns for their work and terms and conditions.

This might appear especially the case where the construction work and project is small in scope, say if it's only the interior refurbishment of a house.

It's important to state that - in my experience - if you're appointing a general contractor / builder to carry out a project that is more than a single trade (say replacing flooring, plastering, decorating etc.) you have nothing to gain and everything to lose by not using a standard form of building contract.

Off the Shelf Building Contracts For Small Projects

This is now especially the case where Joint Contracts Tribunal (normally referred to as JCT) include simple homeowner contracts that are so easy to buy and fill in.

This was the type of contract that was used on this rear extension project. As part of the service to the client, we drafted a JCT (HO/B) 2021 to form the agreement with the builder about the work.

For projects under £500k, we'll typically recommend the appropriate JCT contract for their selection of construction contracts. The JCT (HO/B) 2021 is particularly useful where the client wants to deal with the builder directly during the build without appointing a contract administrator. But on larger projects - as is recommended - professionals such as a contractor administrator are required and for good reason.

Note that the JCT (HO/B) 2021 costs £37.00 + VAT and has a simple online questionnaire format to help fill out the contract with your builder, meaning it is a negligible cost and time investment for what it provides to you.

Terraced house in Bexley modern rear extension with architect design

What About Other Construction Contracts?

Generally speaking given the vast amount of legal precedent JCT contracts have had over the decades and the make up of the organisation (intended to be a joint make up of construction professionals instead of any one discipline) it's very difficult to justify using other building contracts in their place for projects under the £500,000 build cost bracket.

That being said we have had some experience reviewing other building contracts an where they have been used on live projects.

Federation of Master Builders Contracts

The federation of master builders (FMB) provide a domestic contract for building work. A client used this form of contract about 3 years ago on the Seaside house extension.

I have since looked at the updated contract and - while not a legal professional - feel it still has the same issues it did when it was used on the above project a few years ago.

The contract suffers from missing key information of with more bias toward a builder than a JCT (FMB represents builders and trades). The language is particularly vague about completion date for the works, it demands a final payment with no retention period among other problems which can leave the client in a difficult position should a builder delay the project extensively or conduct poor quality workmanship.

This was a particular problem on the Seaside house extension, the first contractor's workmanship was very poor and the project was already 4 months delayed, in fact the contractor himself would never appear on site, instead hiring strangers to build the work poorly on site.

The client opted to terminate with the contractor, but the FMB contract gives incredibly favourable terms to prevent easy termination. This wasn't even considering damages from the contractor, which the client felt they had to effectively cut their losses on.

Bear in mind these are the most simple items within a construction contract (cost, scope and timeframe), other terms throughout the contract follow a similar form or being vague in favour of the builder or just missing.

Things may change as these contracts are scrutinized in the UK court system, however as of right now we would not recommend using FMB building contracts, particularly when JCT contracts exist and are accessible.

RIBA Domestic Building Contract

I did review the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) domestic building contracts and compared them to JCT contracts about 8 years ago.

While I cannot speak for the contracts now, they equally appear to create a bias towards the client and architect over the builder when compared to the JCT.

In both cases these contracts suffer from a lack of precedent and omissive language. The question I ask is

Why do these contracts exist in the first place if the JCT Contracts are there already?

Answer: I really don't know and cannot tell you, there may be good reasons or intentions for why these contracts were created for purchase.

That being said, in practice we have found that JCT Contracts - in our experience - are better quality contracts all around for projects under £500,000. There's a reason they are the industry standard up to this price point.

How Does The Construction Contract Relate To The Design Drawings?

It's important that the construction contract your using has the ability to make reference to what are usually referred to as Contract Documents.

This typically refers to any additional documents - including drawings, schedules, specifications, quotations etc - that you'd like to bring into the contract and form part of the agreement.

Typically there should be an area you can provide a list of your architects and structural engineers drawings (a drawing schedule) so they're considered as part of the work to be constructed.

This is important as the 'pictures says a thousand words' motto applies. It becomes far simpler to outline the requirements of your project this way compared to within a text description for example.

What Happens Next On The Project?

The build is scheduled to start on the 8th August 2025, where the groundworks and foundations for the rear extension will be the first item on the agenda to construct.

We'll be posting here about updates on the project, particularly given some of the bespoke design items involved with the projects design.

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