Concept 8 Architects

We used Mufajel and his team for our extensive renovation of a 1950s detached property. As our first project, we met with a number of architects and instantly knew upon meeting, that Concept 8 were the right company for us. Our initial impression was that they are extremely thorough but also offered creative solutions which took into consideration our vision for the house and criteria of symmetry and speed of the project. The team offered solutions that we would not have considered and the end product is a house without compromises. We really enjoyed the meetings at their Weybridge office and always walked away with the comfort of knowing the project was on track. We particularly enjoyed the VR presentation of how the house would look and being able to walk inside the property and understand the space and flow. Concept 8 created an extensive tender pack which was vital during the build and saved money and time on site. They also helped with the tender process and offered a network of builders they had worked with before. Overall we've really enjoyed working with Mufajel and his team and would throughly recommend them. They are always available to discuss any queries and their portfolio only helps showcase the quality of their work.

We were first time builders - Concept 8 designed, took us through the planning process, tendering and project managed the refurbishment of our home. You only realise after a project that you needed a project partner that would support you through the process. They were a fantastic team to deal with from the start - pushed us out of our comfort zone with the plans for our house and were with us every step of the way. Our project was led by Chris and Oscar. We extended the rear of the property, remodeled the interiors and into the loft but together with this we took our house back to first fix. We replaced all the ceilings, wiring, plumbing etc over a year long build (taking a slight lockdown delay into account). We asked C8 to project manage the build for us as we realised that we were completely out of our depth with the scale of our build. Their professional advice, support and guidance over the whole period was invaluable! They met with us and the builder on site on a regular basis, managed our expectations as well as the payment schedule and kept us on track with any additions made over the months. Chris was contactable at all times and responded promptly to any concerns or questions we had or with suggestions when he felt that we were perhaps making the wrong decisions. We appreciated his eye for detail and honesty as he has the benefit of many years of experience. We've now moved in, we're finally in our forever home and love every aspect of our open plan family area and outdoor patio with angled louvre to make the most of the afternoon sun. We could never have imagined the house as it is now without Concept 8 and would highly recommend their team for both design and project management.

My family and I had been living in our house for around 25yrs and thought it was about time we gave it a serious revamp to make it more suitable for the modern day whilst keeping some traditional aspects too. We wanted to go for a complete knock down and rebuild so we wanted to make sure we found a reliable and professional architect to help us create our new home and at the same time understanding our needs. I had met with 5 architects and in the end chose to work with Concept Eight as we felt their ideas, past projects and general understanding towards the project suited us very well. The project was headed up by Mufajel and throughout the project we had a strong team at Concept Eight to keep an eye on things. Emma was instrumental at the very early stages of the project to capture our ideas and create various styles/options for us to tinker with and the outcome has been spectacular. Louisa and Chris were my main points of contact during the application and build phases and really helped to keep things in check and definitely something we would never have been able to do on our own. We also decided to make use of Concept Eight's full Interior services to come up with an interior design and furniture/accessories to suit the build and ready for us on day one. Louisa was heading this up on our project and has created something really special to compliment the style of the house. At the start and throughout the project our key priorities were coming up with clever designs and solutions to suit our budget, having a sensible build duration and having a good level of openness on fees. We feel Concept Eight did a great job with this and helped us manage the whole process from the very beginning.We are very happy we trusted in Mufajel and his team to come up with our dream home.

Fantastic and exceptional firm of architects that helped us deliver our dream house. Mufajel provided invaluable advice and always went the extra mile throughout the whole of the construction project. Highly recommended, we could not have done it without him and his firm. Big thanks to Concept Eight!

We purchased our sad, compact, dilapidated bungalow as a renovation project with a view to transforming it into a modern, comfortable living space. Mufajel and his team at Concept 8, specifically Megan, provided us with a bold, visionary, cutting edge design for our project far beyond our expectations of what could be accomplished in such a relatively small space. As a result we now live in a superb contemporary space which truly has the wow factor - it actually uplifts our spirits every day! We would never have achieved the end result without the innovative design, ongoing support through the planning process and the reassurance and encouragement throughout the build itself. We couldn't be happier with our new home and are very grateful to Concept 8 for helping us achieve this.

We purchased our house, a renovation project, with a view of modernising and extending. Having initially consulted with a few design/build companies, we decided to take the plunge and explore the full architectural route. Having not embarked upon such a project before the initial meeting with Mufajel challenged us to think beyond our brief and really consider what was important to us as a family and how we planned to use our space. In short, I am delighted we chose to go with Concept Eight. Mufajel, Chris and the team have shown such professionalism and have been a pleasure to work with. The design process was carefully considered, through multiple stages, and to be honest we found the whole evolution a really enjoyable experience. The eventual scheme exceeded our brief and has given us much more than we initially thought possible. Chris ably supported us though every stage of the planning application and subsequent tender process, offering plenty of reassurance and guidance along the way. We are now two thirds of the way through what has so far been a seamless build and cannot wait to admire the finished article. We would not hesitate to highly recommend Concept Eight.

We purchased a beautiful but tired and un-modernised period property with a view that we would look to undertake a full renovation. After being recommended Concept Eight by a few local friends and having seen the great work they had done we got in touch with Mufajel. We did speak with a few other local firms but decided they were best suited for our project brief, bringing expertise and enthusiasm to our vision. We met with Mufajel and the wider team who listened to our brief and undertook a thorough design process to offer us numerous options for consideration. We loved the set up at their studio where were presented several ideas, talked through the benefits of each option and what we liked and disliked. Each option was different from the other and it allowed us to fully explore the potential of the house. We were excited by many of the different options to modernize the house and give it the feel that we were after. The options were drawn up in plan as well as mocked up in 3D which really helped us understand the spaces better. We are really pleased with the end result, our home has been transformed and the original Victorian dark and cellular spaces are now transformed and successfully blend period styling with contemporary spaces. The rooms are bright and well designed, retaining the beautiful features but creating a more contemporary living space. The kitchen extension has entirely changed the feel of the house and is now great for entertaining. We were really pleased to get a local firm who had the design capabilities to really explore all the options, be inspiring and present them in a way that was easy to understand. The team at Concept Eight made the process of designing our home a really enjoyable one. If you are looking for a local architectural firm which focuses on the quality that good design brings to your home transformation...then they should be the first port of call! A super team and we are thrilled with the results. We are now working again with them on our attic refurbishment.

We used Concept 8 to completely renovate our house. They were very professional with their approach to the design, planning and dealing with suppliers and the local council. We had several meetings through the design stage as they were keen for us to obtain the correct living space for our needs .Once on site we met every two weeks to monitor the progress, including monthly valuations. Concept 8 managed the entire project through to snagging and handover. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Concept 8.

We were very impressed by the expertise and professionalism of Concept 8 and would recommend them without reservation. The extension to our home has transformed our kitchen and it still has a wow factor two years later!

Highly recommend Concept 8!! After discussing our project with various architects we choose Concept 8 for a demolition and new build in 2016. From the onset Mufajel and his team were fantastic help, they were patient and helped us understand all aspects of our build with regards to costs, design, regulations, suppliers, etc. Through our initial brief Mufajel was able to design and incorporate our ideas while adding excellent designs features of his own, they assisted us with planning application and introduced us to various professionals and suppliers in the industry. Mufajel and his team also produced a tender package for our project which become the basis of our contractual negotiations and was a great asset allowing us to project manage ourselves. With such a big project it was so important to have an experienced team that you get along with and are always on hand to help you and Concept 8 were just that throughout the whole process from design to completion. Thank you Concept 8!

We used Concept 8 for : design, planning submission, tendering and project management. From the first meeting with Mufajel to the final push to get the project over the finish line we couldn't be happier with Mufajel, Mark and the Concept 8 team. We had a clear idea of how we wanted to transform our Victorian detached house and the team at Concept 8 helped us nurture that idea, put it into detailed drawings, lead us to a suitable contractor and ultimately got our dream house built. Key points for us: Always flexible for meetings and happy to work around our commitments. All costs were very transparent from the start, we appreciated the easy-to-understand break down and potential for a 'pic-n-mix' service. Mufajel and Mark were highly professional at all times both dealing with us and the contractor but all the time personable. Very understanding and happy to answer our many questions and emails promptly. Always met deadlines and were happy to challenge contractors if things weren't going to plan. The project management stage is where Concept 8 really made the difference in our project. Mark Watson was our day to day contact and unfortunately for him my contact was mostly daily! His professional manner, enthusiastic attitude and eye for detail meant our sometimes tardy contractors were handled carefully but firmly enough to ensure the project ran as smoothly as possible and in budget. We have since recommended Concept 8 to friends and wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

In short I would highly recommend them. Most importantly we are exceptionally pleased with the final result and the new beautiful living spaces we have. Project: Complete rework and extension of the ground floor of a 5 bedroom detached house, plus rear exterior living space. We used concept 8 for design, planning submission, tendering and project management. Things we liked about Concept 8 as architects - Taking time to ask us lots of questions about how we use the space, what we do in the day, the evening, where we like to sit and why, how often we have guests and what we do, what the children do etc. This went on for a while before even drawing the first ideas, and very beneficial. In contrast other architects have tended to latch not the first thing that you say even if it ultimately leads you the wrong way. - Willing to try a few different arrangements. We went through a whole cycle, actually ending up back where we started with their first idea. The process made us more confident that the choices (which are expensive to correct later) were the right ones. - If you don't know what you want, for example the space is awkward and you can't see what to do, then they are willing to suggest something (often very creative). A lot of others seemed hesitant to do this, which is a shame because it is one of the main reasons for hiring the experience of an architect. In our case we had two old and intrusive beams that we needed to work into the design, with great success. - Pushes the process along, e.g. for planning, for tender, and importantly also us if we are taking time to decide, which stops it dragging. Hence you need to commit to make time to go through the plans he makes in detail (right down to thinking about what light switches where control what), they were very good at taking the feedback and producing a better iteration. Things we like about Concept 8 in the tender process - Kept it all super compact and tight. For example arranged a day when all the contractors came around on 2 hour slots that they had pre-arranged. Then kept up the press on contractors to return their costings. - In depth meeting and discussions with the 2 contractors that made it to the short list. - Very detailed pack of drawings and specifications. I'd advise setting aside time to really go through these and ensure everything you want is captured as they are invaluable. Things we like about Concept 8 as project managers - Will do all the admin, talking to people, arranging dates, ordering items, minuteing meetings, keeping track of finances etc. - Won't shirk on challenging the contractor or a supplier on things on our behalf. In they stepped in to resolve a dispute between the structural engineer and contractor that arose mid build, which could have ended nasty. - Their experience was useful in the weekly walk rounds with the contractor where they could point things out, challenge decisions or make suggestions, all of which made the build better and smoother. Cost wise they are not the cheapest you can find, but I think you do get a better service for that extra, and for us it was worth it.