How We Think
No juggling architects, quantity surveyors and separate contractors. With OPB you get one plan, one budget and one accountable team — from the first conversation to the final coat of paint.
The problem with the usual way
Most extension projects go wrong in the gaps between people
Hire an architect, then find a builder, then hope they agree. It’s the standard route — and it’s where budgets blow out, timelines slip and stress builds. When something’s unclear on site, the architect blames the builder and the builder blames the drawings. You’re left in the middle.
Budgets that drift
Designs drawn without a builder’s input often can’t be built for the money you were quoted.
Finger-pointing on site
When designer and builder are separate, every problem becomes someone else’s fault.
A finish that disappoints
Detail gets lost in translation, and the end result rarely matches the vision you started with.
The OPB way
The thinking comes first, the building follows
Because the same company designs your space and then builds it, the drawings are grounded in what is actually buildable and affordable. The design team, the commercial team and the operations team all see the project long before anyone breaks ground, so the intent behind every detail is understood by the people who will deliver it.
The result is a smoother build, a budget that holds, and a finish that lives up to the vision you started with.
How it works
Six stages — and four of them come before the build
Construction is the visible part, but it is the last part. Everything that decides whether a project lands on budget and on brief happens in the four stages before it.
The conversation
An honest conversation with our design team about how you live, what is not working, and whether building is the right answer at all.
Feasibility & survey
We measure the house and establish the constraints — structure, drainage, light, planning — before a single line is drawn.
Design
Layout options developed and tested against real family life, and checked for buildability as they are drawn rather than months later.
Costing & programme
Our commercial team prices the finished design in detail and agrees a clear scope and programme. No provisional guesses left to settle mid-build.
Build
Our operations team runs the site, sequencing every trade so each is ready for the next — building something they helped shape.
Finish & handover
Every detail seen through to the last coat of paint, and a home handed back ready to live in.
Important Conversations
The thinking, in full
The same questions come up on every project. We have written the honest answers down — worth reading before you commit to anything.
Refurbishment
5 Signs It’s Time to Refurbish Rather Than Move House
Thinking about moving house because it feels too small? Here are five signs a refurbishment or extension might solve the problem for far less than the cost — and stress — of moving.
Read it →
Planning Permission
Planning Permission for Extensions: What Wirral Homeowners Need to Know
A plain-English guide to permitted development rights and planning permission for house extensions in Wirral, Cheshire and beyond.
Read it →
Design & Build
Design & Build vs Traditional Contracting: Which Is Right for Your Project?
Design & build vs traditional contracting — what the difference actually means for your budget, timeline and stress levels.
Read it →The whole team made what could have been a stressful process genuinely enjoyable — we now have exactly the family kitchen we always wanted.
Free guide
The Homeowner’s Guide to Planning an Extension
Budgets, timescales, planning permission and the questions to ask before you commit — everything we wish every homeowner knew before starting. Free, no jargon.
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Ready to start?
Book a conversation
A relaxed, no-obligation conversation about your home, your budget and what is realistic. In person at our Heswall office, or over a call.
Get in touch
Start with a conversation
Tell us what is not working about your home and we will arrange a no-obligation conversation with the design team.