We offered the client a turnkey service from picking up the keys from the estate agent, applying for planning permission to handing the keys to the client on completion! A unique project…
The details
This was a stand out project for us not only as our clients hadn’t actually stepped foot into the house (they were living in Hong Kong) but they didn’t relocate to the UK until we were 6 months into the renovation. We oversaw everything for them from planning permission to engaging an architect for them.
Final comments
A real standout project for us on so many levels. We were able to draw on our trusted trades we’ve worked with over the years. Offering the client a stress free move from Hong Kong to the UK.
Client feedback
“We bought our house in Wiltshire remotely while we were still living in Hong Kong, but planning to return to the UK. We had never seen it in person due to the pandemic and hence being unable to travel, and it also needed a full renovation, so it was a bit of a risk to say the least. It was only built in 2000 but we wanted to modernise it and create more of an open-plan layout. We struggled to find the right builder that could “do it all” – we wanted someone that would help with the design, planning, build, finish and project management too, given that initially we weren’t in the same country.
We finally found The Build Bristol Group and are so glad we did – Hannah was a delight to deal with, and Dom and his entire team were incredibly hard-working, professional and helpful. We contracted them and started the renovation process before we moved back, so they were keeping us informed on progress via Zoom calls for the first few months of the work. As a small example of the team’s helpfulness – we had a vast number of deliveries over the build period, as we had to fully furnish the house almost from scratch, given we were coming from a small 2-bed apartment to a house roughly 4 times the size, and the team would help carry things in and even unpack.
BBG put us in touch with an architect who was superb, and even before we had returned to the UK or obtained planning permission, the house had been prepped for the build by BB – internal and external walls had been knocked down as needed, carpets, fixtures and fittings removed, and walls stripped. BB also put us in touch with companies they had worked with before to do the windows, doors, heating (we installed an air-source heat pump and underfloor heating), and interior and garden designers. These were all great – good to work with and wonderful results.
Obtaining planning permission took a long time, but as soon as we had that BB worked very hard to get the build done as quickly as possible. On returning to the UK we lived in Air BnB’s while we waited for the house to be ready, but eventually moved in when only the upstairs had really been finished. BB were so good in working around us – they tended to start early, worked hard all day and then always tidied up at the end of the day too. It was still a building site, but they made it as manageable as they could.
The end result was worth waiting for. I would strongly recommend BB – the quality of workmanship is outstanding, they are nice to deal with, the team are very honest and hard-working, and they are happy to go beyond the norm. It was a big, complicated project: a full renovation including new plumbing and rewiring, new lights throughout, a new heating system, underfloor heating and radiators, new windows and doors, new stairs, a new downstairs layout removing and changing various walls and doorways to create a big, open-plan kitchen-diner, and a new ceiling and floor where there was previously a double-height ceiling in the kitchen, to create an extra bedroom upstairs. There was a lot to do, but it has been done to a fantastic standard and we are incredibly happy with the end result.”
Mark, Devizes, Wiltshire. September 2023.
