Process
How we work
Eight clear stages from first conversation to handover, so you always know what happens next and what it depends on.
01
Initial enquiry
Tell SHS what you are building, repairing or preparing, where the site is and roughly when you hope to start. A short call usually establishes whether the work is a good fit.
02
Plans, photos and brief
Drawings, planning references, specifications, engineer's details or simply photographs of the site all help. The more that is shared early, the more accurate the pricing.
03
Site review
A visit to look at access, ground conditions, levels, existing drainage, services, storage and working space. This is where most of the real cost drivers on a project are identified.
04
Scope clarification
Agreeing exactly what is included, what is excluded, what is provisional and what depends on information not yet available — before anyone commits.
05
Pricing
A written price broken down so you can see what you are paying for. Where an element genuinely cannot be fixed in advance, it is identified rather than buried.
06
Programme
Realistic sequencing and start dates, allowing for concrete supply, inspections, weather and any other trades working on the project.
07
Construction
Work carried out with levels set and checked, materials as specified, the site kept in order and progress reported as it happens.
08
Completion
Snagging, tidying, removal of surplus material, handover of relevant information and confirmation that inspections have been satisfied.
Straight answers
What SHS will and won't do
What you can expect
- A written price against a defined scope of works.
- Exclusions and provisional items identified rather than hidden.
- Notice when something on site changes what was priced.
- Levels set and checked properly before work is covered up.
- Independent engineering or surveying input arranged where a project needs it.
What SHS avoids
- Guessed prices given over the phone without seeing the site.
- Claiming disciplines in-house that are provided by independent specialists.
- Taking on work outside its capability just to fill a diary.
- Burying variable costs in a single lump-sum figure.
Next step
Planning a project in Cumbria?
Tell SHS what you are building, repairing or preparing. Upload photographs, drawings or plans and the project can be reviewed before a site visit is arranged.