Our clients really loved their home, but it no longer quite worked for them. They were looking for an ambitious lifetime home to grow old together in; a statement piece that reflected their vision, but without breaking the bank.
They had already spoken to several architects before us, but none seemed to truly understand what they were hoping for, or the emotional connection they had to their existing home. It was clear that the dream was a design that would add modern practicality, but would not overstretch their budget.
After all, there is no point in creating a great home for retirement if the mortgage means you can no longer retire anyway! With this in mind, rather than starting from scratch, we focused on reusing existing elements and spaces, avoiding expensive structural changes, and concentrating 100% of the available budget on creating additional bright and open spaces. We created an new vaulted kitchen space at the back of the propoerty, maximising the height of the internal space, and connecting do the garden with a glass wall.
We collaborated closely with the planning department, seeking pre-application advice to ensure the design would be approved, and guided our clients through every step of the process. Our clients can finally see their forever home coming to life, and they have truly embraced the journey.
Their review is a little long for here, but hopefully this clip sums up what they had to say...
"Unlike our first architectural experience, which was all about what they could draw without realising limitations to our budget or alternative options. Charlie couldn’t have been any further different from our first experience. He has spent time and patience, pursuing our desire to get the max out of the designs. He’s been clever with design; he’s approachable, friendly and has so many solutions for the same outcome. To us, that is value you can’t put a figure on. We only have praise for Charlie's first class service. He’s gone above and beyond at times, managed our expectations, but always been willing to answer our questions and look at the viability of our “what if” questions. I know architect fees look scary, but we wouldn’t have done this process any different. His knowledge and experience really has driven the project and ensured we squeeze every penny of value out of the project.".