How we work on a villa

First contact and first estimate

You send photos of the house — every façade, the roof if it can be seen safely, every room, the fuse board, and any damp or cracks — plus the approximate built area, by email, WhatsApp or the form on this site. Tell us how the house is used and what you want to achieve. We reply with a first estimate and the questions we need answered. This step works from anywhere.

The site visit

We walk the property with you or someone you appoint: roof and terraces, façades, windows, services, damp, cracks, access, storage space and the route for debris. We note what needs an architect or building surveyor before we can plan it, and say so plainly. We also ask about community rules and anything you know about the house’s history and paperwork.

The itemised quote

The quote lists every task on its own line, measured and described, grouped by trade. Materials are marked as included — we can handle purchasing — or supplied by you. Exclusions are listed: furniture, appliances, technical projects, licence fees and anything referred to a specialist. Optional items, such as external insulation or a garden tidy-up, appear as separate lines you can accept or leave. The guarantee terms are set out in the quote, and we work with public liability insurance.

Before work starts

We go through the type of town hall notification the scope usually needs and which items may need a technician’s signature; filing is done by you or your technician. We agree access, storage, skip position and working hours with you and, where relevant, the community. Main choices of finishes are made, and items with longer lead times are ordered at the right moment.

During the works

The sequence puts the envelope and services first: roof and façade repairs, window openings, then plumbing and electrics by authorised partner installers, then masonry, plastering and ceilings, then floors, tiling, staircases and painting, and finally fittings. Each trade arrives when the previous stage is ready, and nothing is covered up before it has been checked. If something unexpected appears, we show it with photos, quote it as a separate line and do not proceed on that point without your approval.

Final clean and handover

Fittings are installed, the house is cleaned, and we walk round it with you, inside and out, against the quote. Windows, doors, taps, drains and switches are tested. Anything outstanding goes on a written list with a date. Documentation from partner installers is passed on where the work requires it. The aim is a house you can use the same day.

What we ask of you

Clear decisions, made in good time, by you or by someone you trust. Access to the house as agreed. Early notice of any dates that matter, such as arrivals or a letting season. And honesty about budget, so that we can propose a scope that fits instead of one that has to be cut back halfway. Our guide on planning a villa renovation explains how to prepare, and our villa renovation page describes the scope we cover.

How do we handle neighbours and the community?

On urbanisations and in villages, neighbours are part of the job. We respect community working hours and access rules, keep shared paths and gardens clean, plan noisy tasks for reasonable times and protect shared areas used for deliveries. Where the community has to approve part of the work, we point it out before the quote is final, so that you can raise it with the administrator, and we can split the quote so the interior can start while the outside waits for consent.

What we do not do

Being clear about limits is part of the process. We do not build new houses, extensions needing a project or pools; we do not install air-conditioning systems; we do not prepare technical projects or energy certificates, or apply for licences; and we do not remove asbestos, which requires a registered firm. When any of these come up, we say so at the visit and point you in the right direction.