A defects dispute.
The work doesn't match what was contracted. We produce the technical scope of works documents and the photographic evidence the conversation will need.
When a build has stopped, slowed or gone sideways.
Project recovery is the work we do when a build is no longer running the way it should. The reasons vary. The builder has become insolvent and the site is sitting still. A dispute has escalated and the trust between client and builder has gone. The work doesn't match what was contracted, and someone needs to write down what is actually owed and what is actually defective. Insurance claims have been triggered and the household needs an independent technical voice in the conversation rather than relying on the loss adjuster's read alone.
It is, by nature, less calm work than the front-of-project advice we usually do. It is also some of the most important work in the business, because the cost of getting it wrong is so much higher than the cost of getting it right.
Most of the work falls into one of three shapes. The first call usually tells us which one you're in.
The work doesn't match what was contracted. We produce the technical scope of works documents and the photographic evidence the conversation will need.
We work alongside whichever assessor and insurer is in the picture and provide the independent build-side technical input the household needs in the file.
We work with the household, the trustee or administrator and any incoming builder to scope and price the completion work properly.
The first piece of work is always a stocktake. What was contracted, what's been built, what's been paid, what's been signed off, what's missing.
The first piece of work is always a stocktake. What was contracted, what's been built, what's been paid, what's been signed off, what's missing, what's defective and where the project is sitting on the calendar. We come back to you with a written read on the position. From there the work depends on what the situation needs.
Where the situation involves a defects dispute, we produce the technical scope of works documents and the photographic evidence the conversation will need. Where the situation involves an insurance claim, we work alongside whichever assessor and insurer is in the picture and provide the independent build-side technical input. Where the situation involves an insolvent builder, we work with the household, the trustee or administrator and any incoming builder to scope and price the completion work properly. In all of these, the household has someone in their corner whose job is to read the construction picture, in plain language, and make decisions easier rather than harder.
Our fees come from our clients and are agreed in writing before any paid work begins. In recovery situations the scope is harder to predict than it is on a clean engagement, so we usually work in defined stages with a fixed fee on each one, rather than a single number for the whole job. That keeps the cost manageable for the household and lets us stop, reassess and rescope when the situation changes underneath the work.
We also act for households where another professional, often a lawyer, has recommended an independent technical voice in the file. We can work alongside legal teams, insurers and assessors as required.
The earlier the better. Most recovery work is more useful in the weeks the situation is still fluid than in the months after it has hardened into a formal dispute. If you're already in a position where everyone is sending letters, we can still help, but the conversations earlier in the timeline are usually the more useful ones.
If you're not sure whether the situation has gone far enough to need help, a 15-minute call is the place to start. We'll work through where the project sits and what the right next step looks like. If we're not the right people for the job, we'll point you somewhere that is.
The first call takes about fifteen minutes. Tell us what's happening with the build, where you are now and what's already been said in writing.