Welcome to Galower's building blog
Here, you'll find articles about the world of high quality building - the projects, the planning and the people.
What’s a negotiated contract in construction?
A negotiated contract in construction can be the best way of achieving a brilliant build for an appropriate cost. It’s all about finding the right building partner then working together to deliver a project that meets everyone’s needs. Trust and relationships built on mutual respect are vital – architect, property owner and builder understanding each other’s role in achieving the...
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Building a luxury home
In building a luxury home, we’re responsible for bringing to life the stunning property an architect has designed for their client. When people refer to ‘building work’, they’re often thinking about the big, messy structural aspects of construction. Shoring up the back of a house with massive steel supports, or excavating deep below a property to create new living spaces...
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A guide to building a basement
Building a basement really is an efficient and inspiring way of gaining more space. It’s a significant undertaking, however, so you need an architect whose building partner has the right skills and knowledge to create your vision safely and effectively. That’s why we’ve written this Guide To Building A Basement. Many of our projects involve renovating or building a basement,...
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What is buildability and how does it help a project run smoothly?
What is buildability? It’s a vital pre-construction stage whereby we assess the architect’s design from the perspective of physically building or renovating the property concerned. We interrogate the design, not just to make sure we understand what’s involved and that we can follow it. We also want to ensure we run the project in the most economical and efficient way possible....
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Carpentry is an important skill
The carpenter takes on a broad range of jobs on a building project. The first and last person on site, the carpenter secures it with locks and hoarding, and removes them on completion. Between these stages, they fit windows, flooring and decking, and construct cabinets, panelling and kitchens. That’s why carpentry is an important skill in our projects. The workforce...
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The reassuring luxury property builder
The reassuring luxury property builder establishes trust right from the start then continues to earn it as the project progresses. A number of elements help reassure the architect and home-owner that they’ve chosen the right builder. First and foremost, clients need to trust that their building partner knows what they’re doing. From the structural integrity right through to the finest...
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What does a financially secure construction partner look like?
What exactly does it mean to be a ‘financially secure construction partner’? Naturally, it implies you have a healthy balance sheet – as in more assets than liabilities. However, the real strength of a healthy balance sheet lies in how it supports goals such as excellent workmanship, tight scheduling and budget control; goals which just happen to be priorities for...
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Why you need a solution-led building contractor
It’s a matter of pride to Galower that we anticipate challenges, and take the unforeseen in our stride. As one of our architect clients said we “never present a problem without a viable solution”. It’s true; we’re a solution-led building contractor and we work alongside people with a similar mindset. Construction is a dynamic industry so, anticipating structural challenges and...
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