Frequently asked questions

The Budget Guidance Document is Ashecroft’s first structured reading of likely scope, cost and fit. It sets out the probable investment band of the project, the decisions most likely to move the budget and the practical issues that need to be understood before a fixed price contract can exist. It is not a brochure and it is not a commitment. It is clarity.

Kitchen-only transformations typically start from £40,000. Projects involving extensions or structural reconfiguration including the kitchen usually begin around £100,000. Full ground-floor transformations typically start from £150,000 and can extend beyond £250,000 depending on scope, specification and site conditions. The Budget Guidance Document exists to give you a grounded financial framework before design commitments are made.

Once design development is complete and scope is agreed, the project moves to a fixed-price contract. This records what is being built, the total cost, the payment structure and how change orders and variations are handled if they arise. The price is the price. Weekly chained payment orders make progress and spend visible throughout the build.

The initial conversation and the Budget Guidance Document carry no fee. If you choose to proceed to survey and concept development, a design engagement fee applies. This is clearly communicated before any commitment and is credited against the final contract value.

A Discovery call is a focused conversation with a Project Guide about the house, the brief, the likely scale of intervention and whether Ashecroft is the right route. It is candid and specific. Where the fit is strong, we explain the next stage clearly. Where it is not, we say so directly.

From first conversation to handover, most projects run between six and twelve months depending on scope, planning requirements and build complexity. The process is structured to avoid rushing into design before cost and feasibility are properly understood.

It depends on the property, the scale of change and the local authority. Ashecroft has an embedded planning consultant who assesses risk early. Many kitchen and ground-floor projects fall within permitted development, but extensions, structural changes and alterations to listed or conservation-area properties often require formal planning input. We handle this within the process rather than leaving it to the client.

Once snagging is closed out, clients move into aftercare with a clear record of what has been built and how it should be maintained. Structural work is covered by a six-year structural guarantee.

Ashecroft handles bespoke kitchens, kitchen extensions, structural reconfiguration and full ground-floor transformation where the work needs to be designed and delivered as one coherent piece of work. The model is usually the right fit for projects from £80,000 upwards, particularly where the kitchen sits inside a wider architectural brief rather than a simple replacement exercise.

Yes. Kitchen-only transformations, including layout refinement, kitchen design, installation, flooring, lighting and finishes, are part of the offer. However, even in a kitchen-only project, Ashecroft coordinates the full scope under one team rather than leaving the client to manage separate trades.

Yes. Extensions, structural knock-throughs, orangeries, glazed roofs and full ground-floor reconfigurations are all within scope. The embedded team includes an architect, structural engineer and planning consultant, so the design and delivery of structural work is coordinated from the outset.

Ashecroft is an authorised Laura Ashley Kitchens dealer. The Laura Ashley collection sits within our offer as a product option, specified where it suits the house and the brief. Ashecroft is the design-and-build business. Laura Ashley is the kitchen product range inside it.

The Laura Ashley Kitchens collection is our primary kitchen range. It covers ten styles from timeless in-frame to quiet contemporary, finished in twenty-two heritage painted colours. For the vast majority of projects, the range accommodates the brief. If a project requires something outside the Laura Ashley collection, we will discuss this during the design process.

We serve Surrey, South and West London and selected areas of the Home Counties from our Dorking design studio. If you are unsure whether your project falls within our service geography, ask us directly. A Project Guide will give you a clear answer.

The design studio in Dorking, Surrey opens Summer 2026. In the meantime, Discovery Calls and initial conversations can take place by phone, video or at a convenient location.

Your single point of contact from first conversation to handover. Project Guides manage client communication, decision coordination and progress tracking. They ensure you always know what is happening, what is coming next and who is responsible.