Moxy & Co Studio

I hired Moxy & Co for the renovation and extension of my Victorian house in west London. Hannah Darby was commissioned to deal with the design, the plans, the required permissions and equally importantly, the project management. Moxy’s website states: “The practice covers the entire project arc - from concept and design, through construction, and onwards ..” Sadly for me, Ms Darby’s project management, despite her incorporating into her costing 32 weekly site visits for the duration of the build, was less than successful. The design had a few glaring errors; lack of attention to sound proofing between floors (wooden floors uncarpeted need more than loft wool between them) and the layout of the drains, especially the omission of access to the manhole the extension was built over. More than inconvenient when the drains flooded due to a blockage from the builders' rubbish. But it was the absence of attention to essentials during the build that led to the issues caused by careless and sub-standard workmanship, as well as poor and incorrect materials - this most evident in the (new) roof, which at my own cost, had to be virtually replaced just 16 months after moving in. Ms Darby was responsible for signing off each stage of the work for payment. I am therefore perplexed that the work was not better checked before the valuations were issued. Since moving in, the blocked drains flooded my new kitchen, rainwater ingress damaged internal walls, all three bathrooms have leaked through to the ceilings of the rooms below, a roof skylight needed refitting as badly done and dripping and it soon became evident that the new roof was faulty (stains on the ceiling of the top room, stained wallpaper and flashing around the external parapets peeling off – the roof was eventually replaced by professional accredited roofers who I found myself, receiving no advice from Ms Darby after six months of asking/waiting for help/advice – I have a 3 page report on their findings) I discovered after the issues began, that both the builder and Ms Darby had been involved in a much bigger project than mine at the same time as my build. I had no foreman on site, so it would seem the men were virtually left to their own devices. Indeed, I rarely saw the builder there unless by arrangement. Yet at our weekly meetings, I had assumed that Ms Darby was noting the standard of the works she was surveying. This cannot have been the case, as there would not have been such a high number of serious problems later on. Her Houzz page states: "I ensure the builders actually deliver.." I reached out for her support afterwards, but she responded by terminating our contract. I believe I was poorly served by Moxy & Co. Client Care is essential when things go wrong and in my case, it was severely lacking. I was entitled to a better service in the first place and the final response has been dismissive and unprofessional.