At Astrain Scheldt, we are devoted to helping our clients successfully navigate the world of construction to create their dream home. We offer a personalised approach, where the strength of our expertise is applied at every stage – from initial conception, through to the intricate details of a project.
Our Expertise
We are well versed in reviving properties and delivering the joyful and elegant design that our clients love. We are experts in sensitively, yet ambitiously, renovating and extending heritage properties, with each project telling the story of its client.
We offer a full service, guiding our clients from concept designs all the way through to construction and completion. We are highly experienced in obtaining planning and listed building consent in sensitive conservation areas, challenging local constraints, championing our clients’ design ambitions - and arriving at the best architectural solutions for both client and context. Our expertise and services include, yet are not limited to:
• Bespoke Residential Design
• Heritage & Conservation
• Listed Building Consent
• Full Planning Process
• Retrofit & Renovation
• Sustainability & Renewables
• Technical Design
• Licence to Alter
• Construction Management
• Project Administration
• Interior Design
Our Design Approach
Our collaborative approach begins with understanding each client’s story - how they use their homes and what inspires them. Through a bespoke narrative and contextual research, our design values and initial concepts are applied to your personalised brief, as we embark on our thoroughly explorative design process.
We investigate spatial and material solutions through a combination of hand sketches, digital drawings and 3D models - carefully analysing each option to test the best response to the design brief. Our comprehensive design process has proven to be the most efficient way of solving the most complex of spatial challenges, often arriving at a simple, efficient and elegant solution to your brief.
This rigorous approach is carried into the technical design and construction stages - where meticulous material selection and beautifully crafted details add to creating the right atmosphere for each space we design.
“I would emphasise their passion for details: fixtures, fittings; as well as small details or the larger ones. They explore all the options and variations extensively. There is an obsessive care for detail, which is obvious throughout.”
— The Pryors Apartment Client
To get started, drop us a line to get in touch and arrange a free initial consultation on your project.
Our Phases of Work
Through blending our expertise and bespoke design approach with the RIBA plan of work, we have carefully crafted our design process. Below are the chronological steps we take to help our clients deliver their projects:
Concept Design
We’ll work with you to help define your vision, research your property and its context and translate it into a personalised brief. We will respond to this brief with our concept design work, where we develop various design options to discuss with you at the end of stage workshop.
Phase 1
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It all starts with getting to know you and your property, with a first meeting on site which translates into a written brief that considers how your budget may be utilised in the most effective way. We will co-ordinate measured surveys on your behalf which will form the basis for our drawings and models. Combined with our own reference imagery, this information forms an Initial Briefing Pack.
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The first design-based exercise will be an exploration of the spatial arrangement of the project, considering which configurations best respond to your brief. We will present a range of proposed layouts to you, each accompanied by reference imagery to help you visualise them. The preferred layout may end up being a combination of the presented options, which is then further developed in the next stage.
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Alongside the spatial layouts, we also work rigorously in three dimensions – where we develop visuals to help you decide which options meet your requirements best. Following this, a range of materials will be tested which work with the style and character of the project. We find that this rigorous process ensures the best possible outcome at planning stage.
Planning & Approvals
Our thorough planning and historic research process allows us to understand the parameters set out by local and national planning policy. We produce a strong set of information to submit to the Local Authority, to give you the best chance of securing the necessary approvals for your project.
Technical Design
We believe that the key to any project lies in successfully translating the design concept into the technical design stage, through beautifully crafted details and meticulous material selection. Critically, we will co-ordinate information with the wider design team to ensure that our design ambition comes to life. We will meet with you at key moments throughout this stage, to ensure full alignment with your vision - before providing the full set of detailed information which can be accurately priced by building contractors.
Phase 2
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Here we co-ordinate the information we have developed so far for the project with the necessary design consultants. An Approved Building Inspector will be appointed at this stage for obtaining Building Regulation approval, and a structural engineer will prepare their scheme and calculations for this purpose. It is at this point that we can begin to engage with building contractors to obtain outline costings and timescales. If your project requires Party Wall agreements or a License to Alter, it is at this stage that we would also coordinate the additional information required.
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We will test and develop the finer details of the project throughout this stage, presenting a variety of design solutions to you. By the end of this stage, you should be able to understand what each part of your project will look like and how it all comes together. We will work with our extensive range of suppliers and manufacturers to provide a complete set of design specifications. The full detailed set of information produced at this stage can be priced accurately and then taken forward for construction by the preferred tendering contractor. This will form the basis of the agreement for the building contract.
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The full detailed set of information will then be priced accurately by your shortlist of tendering contractors. We will co-ordinate this process, respond to any contractor queries, and attend initial meetings with contractors as required. As part of this stage, we will review each of the tender returns and produce an analysis of the material received. This exercise will conclude with a set of comparable quotations and timelines for the proposed works.
Phase 3
Construction
We will apply our construction management experience and expertise to ensure the appointed contractor delivers the project vision as designed in the contract information. We will closely monitor quality and costs via site visits and daily correspondence with the contractor. We also ensure a quick turn around of detailed solutions if challenges are encountered along the way, and frequent communication with both you and the contractor.
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We take a proactive role in guiding and co-ordinating the project design team through the construction process. This includes holding regular on-site design team meetings to ensure the project stays on track and evolves seamlessly. Our collaborative approach and expertise enables us to address any challenges that arise, offering creative and effective solutions with our clients’ best interests at heart. We take pride in this role, overseeing the craftsmanship and quality of the build and ensuring every detail aligns with our vision. Our hands-on involvement ensures that standards and regulations are not just met, but consistently exceeded - delivering the exceptional results we expect from all our projects.
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With our professional accreditations, we are strongly positioned to guide your project through the procurement process with confidence - ensuring it is secured under a trusted building contract. Taking on the role of Contract Administrator, we act as the key collaborator between all parties involved, safeguarding the integrity of the project and ensuring it’s delivered exactly as agreed. We rely on the proven framework of the RIBA building contracts and their tested terms and conditions to formalise the agreement and bring clarity to every stage. By managing this process, we ensure any changes to the scope of work are handled fairly and transparently, and that payments for construction work are only certified once we have thoroughly verified everything on-site. It’s about maintaining balance, trust, and integrity throughout the entire journey.
Handover & Completion
Wrapping up the project with your building contractor and handing over the keys for your new home. We’ll be on hand to guide this transition to make certain that you’re able to start enjoying the benefits from day one.
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As the construction phase draws to a close, we’ll issue a Practical Completion Certificate. This certificate signifies the start of the rectification period, where any minor snags or imperfections are carefully documented as you begin to settle in and make the space your own. Throughout this time, we will manage the process to ensure any necessary corrections are promptly addressed. We’ll also work closely with the contractor to schedule and oversee these final touches, ensuring full client satisfaction before the project is considered complete.
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Our final step is to conduct a thorough site inspection, ensuring that all issues identified during the rectification period have been resolved. Once everything is in order, we’ll issue the Final Completion Certificate, formally closing the building contract with the main contractor and releasing any final retentions. We take immense pride in our completed projects and will document the project with a professional photoshoot. You can choose to be as involved as you like - whether it’s to sit back and admire the finished work or feature in the shoot itself!
