Avis Appleton & Associates Ltd

Marc was initially recommended to us by a family friend who had worked with him on a number of previous occasions and only given us positive reports. When we first met Marc he was very willing to listen to our ideas and took the time to understand what we were trying to create with our build rather than imposing his ideas. From this he was able to create drawings that were very similar to our thoughts, while also adding his own experience and flair where we were not so experienced. Due to the difficulties associated with lambeth council, planning did take a little but Marc gave us constant feedback and by the end of it we were able to maximise the amount of extra space we were able to use by submitting two separate applications (one under planning and the other under permitted development). Once the plans were approved, Marc was able to recommend a number of builders that he had used in the past and although we met with some others builders for the tender process, his recommendations were clearly the best that we had seen. In addition they showed the greatest desire to win the work and once we had chosen one of them they told us they always enjoyed working with Marc. Marc was meticulous in preparing the detailed drawings for the builders and therefore we did not have to change much during the build because we all understood the detail at the outset. In addition, while we were going through the build Marc often suggested slight tweaks to the design that has made our house a lot better and were things that we just didn't think of due to our inexperience. March then project managed our build with the builders and our confidence in him was so high that we actually lived abroad for the first 3 and a half months of the 8 month project. During this time while we were away he gave clear notes on the meetings and provided us with photo updates so that we were always clear with the progress and if any problems had occurred. He also communicated to us well in advance of any decisions that needed to be made so that we could have the time to look at a number of options and choose the best one for us. When we returned we had weekly meetings on site with Marc and the builders and Marc took clear and detailed notes of our discussions at each one, ensuring that all decision were noted and that neither party could disputer a decision had been made. This clear communication helped us to have a great relationship with our builders and made sure that everyone understood what the requirements were. Overall Marc was great to work with and his calm demeanor meant that no decision seemed to stressful. He was a great wealth of knowledge in regards to the whole process, which was extremely useful to us as we had not done a project on this scale before. I would recommend working with Marc completely and his help with us was hugely appreciated.

We have worked with Tom and his team for 2 projects in our house . The 1st one was completed 2 years ago and was an open plan on the ground floor. The most recent one was the extension of the basement used now as a kitchen /dining room . He helped us with the layout of the space and had some great ideas which we would never have considered. Tom put us in touch with a contractor who was able to carry out the work and he could also meet our budget. Tom was a pleasure to work with . . We are very happy with his services and we would not hesitate to recommend him.

We have worked with Marc Avis and staff for over 10years on various project ranging from £100k-£1M. Drawings and information provided always clear and easily interpreted. On the whole, a very good architectural practice from design through to project management.