Advice
Advice from Craig
Straight answers to the questions people ask before, during and after a build, from the founder who oversees every Madisons project.
Craig Bellamy has spent 33 years in the trade, and when you ask him a question you get a straight answer. These short films are Craig on camera, answering the questions people put to him: whether you need an architect, how long a build takes, how the payments work and what happens when you get the keys back.
Each film has its own page with a short written answer and the full transcript, so you can watch, read or both. Most run between one and three minutes. For the story behind the company, read about Craig and Madisons.
Planning and design
Before anything is priced: who designs it, what needs approving, and what adds value.
How to add value to your house
Better living space beats extra box rooms: why Craig moves the kitchen to the back.
Do I need an architect for an extension?
Only if you want one: how Madisons runs design and planning with the architects it works with.
Should planning be approved before I ask for prices?
The clean order: architect, planning, approval, engineer, then tender. Or start with design and build.
What does a structural engineer do?
How an engineer turns the architect’s drawings into steels, foundations and padstones.
Do I need to tell my neighbours?
Why a party wall surveyor protects your relationship with the people next door.
Choosing and paying a builder
How to judge a quote, how much to hold back, and how the money works.
Why we are not the cheapest quote
Why a quote that is wildly cheaper than the rest so often costs more in the end.
How do builder payment stages work?
The 5% slot deposit, 20% before the start, then stage payments agreed for your job.
During the build
How long it takes, living at home while it happens, and what you get at the end.
How long does an extension take to build?
What stretches a programme, from hidden steels and living at home to waiting on design details.
Can you live in your house during a renovation?
Yes, but when the kitchen, boiler and fuse board are in the way, it can add time and cost.
What happens at the final handover?
Warranties to register, three months of defects put right, and the 12 month visit.
Ask Craig about your own project
Tell us what you have in mind. We respond to every enquiry within 24 hours.