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Use this at the planning stage.
This guide helps you prepare questions and information. Project designs, ground conditions and any required approvals need to be confirmed by the relevant professionals.
Start with the work you need
Separate site preparation, foundations, below-ground drainage, floor construction and any external works. An extension with a short drainage connection is a different package from a new plot requiring access, service routes and substantial level changes. List the work by stage and identify what the main builder or another contractor is providing. A clear boundary is more useful than a single rate with no stated inclusions.
Why two similar sites can cost differently
Access width, vehicle turning, space to stockpile material and distance from the working area to the collection point affect how the work is organised. Existing structures and services can create additional coordination. Ground information may also change the design or the temporary arrangements. Send photographs of the route into the site, rather than just the area to be built on.
- Current architectural and structural drawings
- Site postcode, access width and photographs
- Known drainage and service information
- Target dates and any occupied areas
Quantities are one part of the allowance
Excavation volume, concrete volume and estimated spoil weight give a useful starting point. Our calculators let you enter dimensions and adjust assumptions, but do not know the labour, plant, haulage or disposal arrangements for your site. If you enter your own rate, label what that rate covers. Keep allowances for different operations separate so they can be reviewed without double counting.
Turn an estimate into a quotation
Ask which drawing revision has been priced, which quantities remain provisional, how changes will be agreed and whether items such as pumping, testing, reinstatement and VAT are included. Provide the same brief to each contractor. LG can review the actual groundworks package once the available drawings, location and site details are understood. The first enquiry can identify what still needs to be resolved.