This beautiful late Victorian property renovation took place in February 2022 when the government had just lifted the mandatory wearing of masks.
Construction was one of the industries that had kept working for most of the period of lockdown, some restrictions has lifted, supply chains where still struggling to get fully back up to speed.
We recently met up with Rob and Jen to look back at their experiences of working with our team during that strange time and how that impacted on their renovation project.
This wonderful couple purchased this terraced property in Reading as first-time buyers over 20 years ago, and although they had made many cosmetic changes to their home, they didn’t have the budget or the time to facilitate a major internal renovation. That was until Jen was furloughed and the concept of working from home became a real possibility.
There were also several other factors which motivated the decision at that time, including a major leak in the bathroom causing some of the ceiling to come down in the kitchen, and also the need to upgrade their mains water supply. Plus the general wear and tear over many years needed a proper refresh. Jen also really wanted to have the kitchen of her dreams and had decided that it was going to be a major feature of their home.
Jen began the research in the Autumn of 2021, and began with reviewing The Federation of Master Builders, The Federation of Master Craftsman and The Little Green Book as well as social media. There were no major structural changes that were going to be made to their home and after a period of research they decided on 4 builders.
Jen loved that her home had many of the original features and wanted to work with a builder who would respect this. Both being graphic designers meant they had a very clear idea of exactly what they were looking for. This couple had prepared an extensive list of exactly what they wanted down to the exact height of the tiles in the kitchen splashback as well as creating drawings. They didn’t use an architect or designer so spearheaded all the design changes themselves.
This internal renovation included a total rewiring of the house, bringing in water directly from the mains supply, as well as a total replaster and a brand-new kitchen, new flooring downstairs and sanding the bedroom floor, a new Velux in the loft and fully reboarded, as well as a new patio area being laid in the garden. So the couple had always planned to move out and rent an Airbnb in Burfield so they would be 10 minutes away and able to make decisions quickly if needed.
We asked them both at this point to help us understand what motivated the decision to choose Elivate
- All trades under one project management
- The accuracy of the quotation
- An intuitive feeling about Mark, they felt confident in him.
The project did overrun for a combination of reasons, which although at the time were difficult to navigate, had a lot to do with elements outside of Elivate’s control at the time.
Four years on the property looks like it has only just been completed, everything is immaculate. The kitchen is most definitely a focal point with a stunning fixed window looking directly out onto the garden. Their eye for design screams out in their home, with so many of the original features merging into the newer modern elements.
We asked Rob and Jen if they would recommend Elivate and they explained that they had done so already, and they said if they ever carried out a building project again, Elivate would be their go to builder and number one choice.