On 29 Feb 2012 at 1:17pm sasha long wrote:
I'm looking to extend/renovate my house.
Would be very helpful if anyone out there could recommended a good architect. It would be nice to have a recommendation from someone who has had work done and are pleased with the design and service.
Thanks
On 29 Feb 2012 at 1:33pm Commuter wrote:
My Dad is an architect and is very experienced with around 30 years in the business. He is based in Hove and he has done quite a few properties in Lewes and surrounding areas. His number is 01273 724810.
On 29 Feb 2012 at 1:36pm sasha long wrote:
thanks does he have a website?
On 29 Feb 2012 at 1:54pm Matt Kent wrote:
Give Bryan Graham of Graham-Watts Partnership a call on 01273 749870
I know him personally and comes highly recommended from a fellow architect.
Website should be linked below. Cheers - Matt
Check it out here »
On 29 Feb 2012 at 2:21pm Paul Newman wrote:
I`d be careful if I were you Sasha, if ex Green, but still unsound ,Matt Kent is his friend you `ll end up in a hut on stilts made of dried banna skins and chewed oatmea.
Ok call them but the second they use the word 'sustainable 'be prepared to jump in your vast 4 by 4 and leave them coughing ina fog of unnneccesarry exhaust fumes.
Best of luck 
On 29 Feb 2012 at 3:17pm Southover Queen wrote:
Gosh, you're funny Paul.
On 29 Feb 2012 at 3:19pm Designer wrote:
You need to be very careful with architects. They love experimenting and trying out their own pet likes at your expense, and are usually far more concerned with architectural theory and movements than what sort of environments you want your family to live with day in, day out. And never trust one who hasn't designed their own home, as that is often a salutory lesson for them in terms of thinking through real details and living with the consequences of their ideas. Hope this helps.
On 29 Feb 2012 at 3:57pm middleclassandabitsmug wrote:
Got my house designed by Andrew Goodwin. Very satisfied indeed.
Mackellar Schwerdt Architects
The Old Library
Albion Street
Lewes
East Sussex, BN7 2ND
t: 01273 480608
f: 01273 480688
e: [email protected]
Andrew Goodwin
e: [email protected]
On 29 Feb 2012 at 6:30pm Matt Kent wrote:
Dear Sasha, please don't be put off by Paul Newmans comments.
Please do give Bryan a call as he is exceptionally experienced. Cheers - Matt
On 29 Feb 2012 at 6:52pm Southover Queen wrote:
I'd say speak to at least two or three and ask to see work they've done previously.
Also, if you've got a very clear idea of what you want doing, you might not need a full service architect. In fact, if you're working on an old house, or one with structural problems, you might do better to contact a firm of surveyors who specialise in renovations - they do exist and I think they're worth considering. (And when you're rewiring, get the electricians to run co-axial and ethernet cabling alongside, so that you have wired broadband and television feeds in every room - my tip of the week!)
On 29 Feb 2012 at 7:48pm expat two wrote:
I agree with SQ, Newman's comment is possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life, he really is a card eh? No seriously, my sides are splitting, I can barely breathe. You see, ...*ggfffppt*... Matt Kent used to be Green Party, so...*hmmmmfff*...everyone he knows must be like one of those silly hippy characatures - because (and here's the funniest bit) all green party members are. Geddit???!!?? Its just brilliant!
'dried banna skins and chewed oatmea' (sic & sic) indeed. Webbo, is there a funniest post of the year award or something? This man's comic genius needs to be recognised. That's even better than the 'Nazi's were Socialists' thing.
On 29 Feb 2012 at 8:51pm Lewes wrote:
I've used the Graham-Watts Partnership recommended by Matt Kent (although mostly dealing with the other partner - Bob Watts). Really good guys but not cheap. Also a bit 'old school' with hand drawn plans etc. I would be very happy to use them again though and much better than other architect that I used who was a bit of a disaster!
On 29 Feb 2012 at 8:54pm Lewes wrote:
P.S. - he didn't try to persuade me to build something 'sustainable' or provide the drawings on recycled toilet roll!!
On 1 Mar 2012 at 12:21am Dave wrote:
In my opinion the most important thing about designing a home is to create a hub. In my house my kitchen is the centre of the house and of our home. It's a space my family come together and interact socially and creatively.
I had architects in to design it and their ideas in the main were not about creating a home but creating a house.
Neil Way and Steve Bower from Axiom did my place and did exactly what I wanted with a lot of input. I recommend the whole heartedly
On 1 Mar 2012 at 9:04am Paul Newman wrote:
Oh ho , so I have been "critiqued" have I .....Well thanks for that Ex pat. To return the compliment, when the supplies of ponderous adolescent SAR- KARZ- UM run low, then you may be the prettiest princess at the comedy ball . Until that day, you remain a bog standard shrieking spotty twerp on the internet. Sorry if trod on you sad little dream.
And ffs its caricature; if you are going to do all that tedious (sic) stuff
PS I was only kidding, natch ,I have no doubt Mr. Kents chum is brilliant.
On 1 Mar 2012 at 12:10pm Mr Forks wrote:
PN you really are an irrelevant, old fashioned, over the hill buffer, just like the party you love so much! Oh and you're about as funny as the thought of 4 years of Tory rule *shudder*!
On 1 Mar 2012 at 12:59pm sasha long wrote:
Well thanks very much for all the comments. Would be very keen to have some recommendations for any small scale extensions too. Not really going to be building a house from scratch Thanks
On 1 Mar 2012 at 1:55pm Southover Queen wrote:
Sasha, I'd be more than happy to recommend my builder. If you have a good idea of what you want then that might be the place to start. You can contact me at [email protected] (not my real name, just in case you were wondering everyone!) and I'll put you in touch.
On 1 Mar 2012 at 8:41pm expat two wrote:
Oh dear oh dear Paul, did I hurt your feelings again?
Consider me suitably told off, absolutely contrite and painfully hurt by very pointed insults. Well, you could, had they come from someone who didnâ??t think the Nazis were socialists. Or that a drive for accuracy in the media amounts to â??stalinist censorshipâ??. Or that the assaulting of police officers and driving drunk are admirable qualities. Or thatâ?¦. well, you get the picture - I donâ??t value your opinion of anything very much, so why on Earth would I value your opinion of me? In fact, given your La La Land views, your opprobrium is something I ought to strive for. Mission accomplished.
However, in the spirit of your apology (accepted), I will indeed lay off for a bit and give you some advice instead:
Get off the swings and stop the childish stereotyping and patronising hectoring of those that donâ??t share your.. er.. â??visionâ??. Instead, try adopting a strategy of polite but well thought-out reasoned argument rather than your dull and bullish rhetoric. Iâ??ve noticed a marked fall off of right-of-center posts on this forum, and I put it down to your embarrassing them away. Seriously son, youâ??re making clowns out of the whole lot of you. It might sound like harsh criticism but I know youâ??re short enough and ugly enough to take it on the chin and learn from it. Are you going to prove me wrong?
On 2 Mar 2012 at 6:03am Paul Newman wrote:
...is he gone yet ...? .. well that was truly weird. ..
Sasha - Donâ??t be tempted by the "Three Little Pigs Consultancy ", the build quality is variable and the choice of materials idiosyncratic. Personally I recommend the Kings Church Visions", team. They work according to biblical principles and gave me sound advice on avoiding sand as a foundation .( we plumped for rock)
On 2 Mar 2012 at 9:16am Big and Bouncy wrote:
What PN needs is a good seeing to...
On 2 Mar 2012 at 11:23am cat in the hat wrote:
I've heard good things about roger beasley. He designed the new building in the railway land.
On 2 Mar 2012 at 11:41am Designer wrote:
Each to their own opinion, cat. in mine, that building demonstrates everything that's so seriously average these days about 'contemporary civic architecture' in the provinces.
On 2 Mar 2012 at 12:22pm Mr Forks wrote:
The Linklater Pavillion is a really bland design, so much more could've been done with that site!
On 2 Mar 2012 at 4:52pm cat in the hat wrote:
Have any of you actually been inside and had a real look at what the building can do? There was meaning behind the design and they were also working towards a tight budget.
On 2 Mar 2012 at 11:06pm designer wrote:
Of course I have! The interior is equally as awful as the structure and external finish. Every poor architect will blame the budget, in the same way a poor craftsman will blame his tools.
On 4 Mar 2012 at 5:44pm RICS wrote:
If the extension is to be fairly straight forward then try either a Building Surveyor or a Structural Engineer. Both will provide a buildable solution to your need to extend and probably a lot cheaper.
Our house came with architectural drawings that were verging on the comical - the mad man wanted to run steels down from attic to ground floor causing damage and upheaval and unsightly boxing in all rooms. As a Surveyor I redid his drawings and the Structural Engineer designed the 4 steels - 2 either side of the staircase, 1 along the ridge and 1 connecting them. Simples!
However, if you want a design with cedar cladding, whacky glazing and an expensive price tag then go down the Acrchitect route...
surveyor - try Clifford Dann or Leo Horsfield
structural engineer - thy HT Partnership
On 11 May 2015 at 1:30pm Harriet Long wrote:
Hi,
Matthew worked with us for six months on renovating our house and providing guidance on all architectural and interior design matters relating to a very extensive refurbishment we undertook during 2014. He offered first-rate advice on new floor layouts, construction works, bespoke carpentry pieces, and colour schemes and lighting. The refurbishment involved a complete redesign of the interior, and the addition of a 40m2 glass-roofed side return extension.
We were very impressed with the results, and are very pleased to recommend both Matthew and www.SigmaLondon.com.
thanks