First consultation
What a first consultation sorts out.
We work through what you want, where the land stands, how the money for a home divides up, and what to confirm next. The content and the order change with your situation.
On the day
About two hours is the rough guide. It moves either way depending on what comes up and what you want to ask; we do not cut things off by the clock.
First 30 minutes or so
What is inconvenient where you live now, how you want to live next, and what made you start thinking about building.
Next 30 minutes or so
The land, the regulations and site conditions behind it, and what the building will need. If you have not found land yet, we go through what to look at when you do.
Another 30 minutes or so
How the total divides: not only the building work, but ancillary works, landscaping, design and permit fees, and other costs.
To finish
We settle what to confirm next and in what order, and finish there. Nothing has to be decided on the day.
What we bring out
- Photographs and drawings of houses we have built
- A table setting out the categories that make up a total
- Samples of plaster, timber and other interior materials
- How the work runs from design to handover, and roughly how long it takes
These are for looking at together on the day. What we can leave with you depends on what the conversation covers.
How we talk about the total
Comparing the price of the building work alone tells you nothing about what the whole thing costs. We lay out the categories — ancillary works, landscaping, design and permits, other costs — so that the figures being compared cover the same ground.
Figures differ with the plan and the contract. What we show at a first meeting is the structure of the cost and how we think about it, not a quotation.
How we set out a total, in detailSeeing a house
We also arrange chances to see houses we have actually built. There is no permanent show house, so this takes the form of completion viewings held with the owners' consent, or a visit to a site under construction.
Whether and when a visit is possible depends on the construction schedule and the owners' circumstances. Tell us you are interested and we will be in touch when there is something to see.
Before you come
What it costs
There is no charge for a first consultation. If any cost arises before a design contract, we explain what it is and how much, in writing, beforehand.
No pressure to sign
We will not ask you to sign or apply on the day. Take it home, think it over, and compare us with others.
Who comes
The whole family does not have to come. On your own is fine, and so are children. We can also meet online.
Mortgage pre-approval
You do not need pre-approval before the first meeting. When it becomes necessary, and how it works, is explained when we go through the money.
Getting in touch
We work mainly in Sakai City, across southern Osaka and Osaka Prefecture. About an hour by car from our office is one rough guide; for areas beyond that we confirm the use, the scale and our construction capacity, and answer case by case.