About Us
Registered architects andbuilders under one roof,from first sketch to keys
SMART Developments LTD designs and builds homes, extensions and commercial spaces across Surrey, London and the Home Counties. You deal with one company and one point of contact for the design, the planning application, the technical drawings and the build, so nothing is lost in the gap between an architect and a builder.
Free design visit at your property · No obligation · Speak to Luke Spencer directly
- ARB
- Registered architecture in-house, not outsourced
- £5m / £10m / £1m
- Public liability, employers' liability and professional indemnity cover
- JCT
- Contract on every construction project, with a 12-month defects period
- 5.0
- Average rating across 19 verified Google reviews
- One team
- Design and build under a single point of contact
Our Story
Built around the handoverthat usually goes wrong
Most residential projects fail at the same point: the moment a set of drawings leaves the architect and lands with a builder who was not in the room when the decisions were made. Details get re-interpreted, costs move, and the homeowner ends up mediating between two companies who each blame the other. SMART Developments LTD exists to remove that handover entirely.
We help homeowners who want more usable space in the property they already own, private clients building a home from the ground up, property developers who need a design-and-build partner who can price realistically, and commercial occupiers working to a lease date. Around three quarters of our work is planning and architectural drawings, including for clients who intend to build with someone else, with the rest being full design-and-build contracts we take all the way to handover.
We work from Ashford in Middlesex, which puts Surrey, West and South London, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Kent within a comfortable working radius. That matters more than it sounds: local knowledge of how a particular council treats Green Belt volume, conservation area frontages or side-return glazing is what keeps applications out of trouble.
Our experience runs from Grade II listed refurbishment, most recently a listed scheme in Notting Hill, through whole-house renovations, basements, loft conversions and open-plan kitchen extensions, to ground-up new builds and commercial fit-outs for offices, restaurants, retail units and schools. On the commercial side we have provided architectural services for clients including KIER, ARUP, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defence, Public Health England, Aeris, Relation.
Who we help
Homeowners, private new-build clients, property developers and commercial occupiers who want one company accountable for both design and delivery.
What we specialise in
Architecture and planning drawings, extensions, loft and kitchen conversions, whole-house and period refurbishment, new builds and commercial fit-out.
Depth of experience
Grade II listed work, JCT-administered contracts, NHBC and LABC warranted new builds, and architectural services for commercial clients including KIER, ARUP and government bodies.
Where we work
Surrey, Greater London, West and South London, Middlesex, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Kent, run from our Ashford office.
Mission & Standards
A clear price, a writtencontract and one numberto call
Our standard is simple: you should always know who is responsible, what has been built, and what it has cost. Every commitment below applies to every project we take on, whether it is a single set of planning drawings or a twelve-month build.
ARB-registered architecture, kept in-house
The drawings that go to your council are produced by our own registered architecture team, not bought in from a third party. That means the person who designed the scheme is still reachable when building control asks a question six months later.
A JCT contract on every construction project
Construction work runs under a JCT contract, so the scope, the payment mechanism and the responsibilities of both sides are written down before anyone lifts a tool. A 12-month defects period is included as standard.
Valuation-based payments, not guesswork
The project is valued monthly, or every couple of weeks on faster jobs, and staged payments follow that valuation. You always know what has been built for what you have paid. Payment is by bank transfer; we do not offer finance.
Warranties on new build work
Ground-up homes are handed over with an NHBC or LABC structural warranty, so the structure is covered long after our defects period has closed.
Insurance sized for the work we take on
£5m public liability, £10m employers' liability and £1m professional indemnity: the last of those covering the design advice as well as the building work.
A free design visit before any fee
Wherever possible we come to the property in person for the first design meeting, at no cost and with no obligation, so the advice you get is based on the actual building rather than a phone description.
Our Team
Who you are actuallydealing with
A small, directly employed core team, supported by the same subcontract trades on every job. That is what makes a single point of contact possible from first sketch to handover.
Two directors
Luke Spencer and Ricky lead the company. Luke also holds a degree in architecture, and clients deal with a director rather than a call centre.
In-house architect
Adam Shah is our full-time, ARB registered architect, working from the same office as the people who run the construction side.
Office and site staff
One member of office staff handles day-to-day admin and finance, and three employed staff carry out general building works and labour.
Regular subcontract teams
Electricians, plumbers and gas engineers are subcontracted, but to the same trusted teams we use job after job rather than ad hoc hires.
Structural engineering partner
Structural engineering is not in-house. We coordinate directly with a trusted partner firm, so you never have to manage that relationship yourself.
How We Work
Five stages, one company,no gaps in between
- 01
Free design visit
We come to the property in person, walk the space with you, and talk through what is realistic on that plot, that roof or that lease before any fee is discussed.
- 02
Concept design
Our ARB-registered architecture team draws the scheme in-house, tests the options against your budget and agrees a design you are happy to submit.
- 03
Planning and building regulations
We prepare and submit the application to your local authority, handle officer queries, and follow it with the building regulations and technical package.
- 04
Build under JCT contract
Directly employed building staff and long-standing subcontract teams carry out the works, with the project valued monthly and staged payments following that valuation.
- 05
Handover and defects period
You get sign-off, the completed drawings and a 12-month defects period as standard. New builds are handed over with an NHBC or LABC structural warranty.
What We Do
Design and build,or design on its own
Architecture is available entirely on its own, and if you already have a builder, we can still provide on-site assistance and administer the JCT contract on your behalf.
Talk to the person who will run your project.
Every enquiry goes to our own team, not a call centre. Book a free design visit and we will tell you what is realistic on your property before you commit to anything.