Plan Smart: Why Appointing Your Full Team Early Makes All the Difference

Many building projects stall before they truly start. Not because of bad ideas but because the right people weren’t in the room early enough.

At Barefoot Architects, we know that creating a new home or development is far more than bricks and mortar. It’s a journey of ideas, decisions, and ultimately, transformation. Whether you’re dreaming of a one-of-a-kind eco-home in Totnes or unlocking potential in a Bristol plot, one truth holds steady: the earlier you bring the full team together, the better your journey will be.

The biggest mistake? Not assembling your full team from the very beginning.

Contractor early on site with the most important consultants on the team for this project — the children!

We’ve walked alongside many clients, at all stages of their project timelines. And time and again, one theme echoes: those who appoint their full team early avoid many of the common and costly pitfalls that so often disrupt a project.

Why is this so powerful?

Because architecture doesn’t exist in isolation. Planning permission, ecological surveys, structural design, energy strategy, and cost consultancy all influence one another. When your architect, planning consultant, engineer, and other key professionals collaborate from the outset, they can foresee risks, resolve constraints, and align strategies in a way that simply isn’t possible later in the process.

Early, joined-up thinking helps avoid:

• Planning delays from late-stage design changes or missed ecological issues

• Budget blowouts due to poor coordination between disciplines

• Design compromises when key experts aren’t involved early

Too often, we see projects stall because important expertise was brought in after decisions had already been made. It creates tension, friction, and sometimes even the painful need to backtrack. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

At Barefoot, we believe in investing up front to create clarity, confidence, and connection. We help our clients assemble a handpicked, experienced team not only technically capable but also aligned in values and vision. A team that listens to each other and to you.

It’s a smoother journey. It’s more cost-effective. And above all, it leads to better outcomes not just for the building, but for the people who will live and breathe within it.

So, if you’re on the cusp of a project, even if your ideas are still forming, reach out. We’re here to guide you through those early, foundational steps. With the right team in place from the beginning, the path ahead becomes clearer, the process less daunting, and the result far more joyful.

The Swannery – a derelict pub retrofitted in a youth centre and charity offices as part of the wellspring community in Easton