Our Process: How we work together.

Building a home or renovation involves a lot of moving parts. Our role is to keep things organised, communicate clearly and make sure you always know what stage your project is at and what’s coming next.

We follow a structured process from first conversation through to handover.

1. Understanding your project.
We start by understanding what you're looking to achieve, whether you already have plans or are starting from the beginning.

This includes your site, your ideas, and your budget expectations, so we can guide the next steps properly.

You'll leave this stage with a clearer understanding of what's possible and how we would approach your project.

2. Initial Estimate
Once we understand the scope, we prepare an initial estimate based on your plans or concept design.

This provides a realistic indication of cost before any commitment to full documentation or quoting.

The aim is to ensure your design intent and budget are aligned before progressing further.

If adjustments are needed, we talk through options early so decisions are clear before moving ahead.

3. Design Collaboration (if design + build)
If your engaging us through a design and build approach, we work with a panel of trusted draftsmen and architects. Depending on the level of support you need, you can select the right designer for your project - whether that's someone to develop your concept into buildable plans, or a full architectural service covering design, documentation, and material selections.

Throughout this process, we work closely with you and your chosen designer to ensure the design is guided by construction knowledge from the outset. We provide input at key stages and issue estimates throughout the design process so budget and design remain aligned as decisions are made.

If your plans are already complete, we review the documentation and proceed with pricing based on the existing design, making recommendations where needed to align scope and budget.

4. Detailed Proposal
Once the design is finalised and aligned with budget expectations, we move into a full detailed quote proposal.

This involves:

detailed pricing from our trusted trades who understand the scope of your project
quantity take-offs based on plans and specifications
review the site and project specific requirements
clear allowances and inclusions

We spend time working through each element of the build in detail, including discussions with trades where needed, so the pricing reflects a complete and considered understanding of the project.

We then meet with you to walk through the quote, discuss options, and make any adjustments needed to align scope, expectations and budget.

5. Planning and Documentation
Once engaged, we finalise documentation, selections and approvals required to prepare for construction.

This stage ensures everything is properly resolved before building begins, reducing surprises later in the process.

We work through practical build considerations at this stage so the design, budget and construction approach are aligned.

6. Building your home
This is where your project takes shape on site.

Tom (licensed builder and owner of Cohesive) stays closely involved throughout the entire build, regularly on site, running site meetings and providing weekly updates through the client portal.

You'll always know what's happening, what's coming next and who to speak to if you have a question.

Quality is monitored throughout the build, not just at the end.

7. Completing your home
As construction comes to an end, we carry out detailed inspections to ensure everything is finished properly before handover.

Any items that need attention are documented and resolved prior to completion.

We walk you through your home so you understand everything you need before moving in.

8. Support after handover
We remain available after completion if you need support or have questions about your home.