Giles Architects

Having lost our house in a fire, we had neither expected nor desired to build a house. We did some research and spoke to architects before meeting with three to discuss our options. We chose Alex because he listened really carefully to our ideas and asked thoughtful questions that we would need to consider. He then produced a range of creative suggestions, all of which met the brief and were beyond what we could have hoped for. We wanted a house that would be energy efficient to run and maintain, with ASHP and solar panels whilst fitting into an AONB, yet not be a stereotypical house of the area. As the design progressed, it really felt that his terrific vision and eye for details and style were giving us the chance to build something that really suited the location and would be wonderful to live in. Alex and Jacob were always on hand to discuss and develop ideas and adaptions. Their service and commitment were beyond reasonable expectations and were a key factor in keeping to the build schedule. Alex and Jacob led us through the planning process, which was a minefield all of its own, yet they knew how to resolve planning issues and what was required at each step. Not easy when the planning officers contradict each other! Alex introduced us to a building company (Coleman Building Company) that he worked seamlessly with so that we never had any issues between builder and architect. He also introduced us to unusual materials such as iron sinewave roofing and zinc raised seam roofing with flexible solar panels attached. Alex and Jacob worked extraordinarily hard to keep within our budget and offered solutions and alternatives to keep costs under control. We have moved in now and the house is an absolute joy to live in as the layout works so well. We have also had many unsolicited compliments about the design and how well it suits the location and for its originality. We would unreservedly recommend Alex and Jacob. We lost a very precious home and they have helped us create a home that we can love and cherish again.

We were introduced to Giles Architects through recommendation. The architectural and management service provided by Alex and his team have been totally outstanding throughout our challenging New Build project. From our first initial meeting with Alex we could clearly see his passion, knowledge and enthusiasm which proved invaluable. Being in a conversation area amongst Grade 2 listed buildings with special architectural interest/history, our project needed to be designed and planned not only to best suit our requirements but also those of the planners. We were blown away by your commitment and the attention to detail shown on the amazing drawings provided. Your expertise and guidance in cleverly incorporating a basement within our build to provide an additional bedroom was exceptional. Using your Eco-friendly approach including rainwater harvesting, a partial green roof, ventilation, natural light and an air source heat pump has proven to be extremely useful and cost effective. They have been very much hands-on with communication with a friendly approach and have worked closely with all parties throughout the entire new build. We would highly recommend Giles Architect – total commitment, professional, so easy to work with and it has been an absolute pleasure working with you all. Thank you.

Giles Architects did an outstanding job of designing & gaining planning permission for a new build in Hampshire which was much larger than the existing property. Handled the planning procedure and relationship with the council very professionally resulting in planning being granted 1st time with no objections.

Excellent work leading to planning permission for alteration and extension to thatched barn in conservation area. They listened to our ideas and then added real value before submitting the successful planning permission.

We used Alex and his team to redesign the layout of our downstairs, including removing a conservatory and replacing with a modern extension. Our home is in a very strict conservation area and is an older property. Alex and Rachel really took the time to understand the locality and what we wanted to create a design we loved and more importantly that got through planning! I highly recommend Giles Architects.

Alex and Rachel immediately understood our vision and working with Giles Architects was efficient and enjoyable. I would recommend using them again.

Before embarking on our house extension and renovation project, we spoke to several local architects. What really set Alex and Rachel aside from the others was their genuine interest in listening to and understanding our needs and constraints for the project. Others were more interested in telling us what needed to be done, with honestly bland intended designs, which would remove the personal connection we wanted with any design. Alex and Rachel not only incorporated all of our ambitions into the initial design, but thanks to their knowledge and creativity they surpassed expectations by further managing to incorporate our “if only” wishful additions. Their final design was also able to nail the brief of being sympathetic to local architecture, whilst still bringing in very modern and impressive features which are very impressive to any visitor. These features were not overly ambitious from a cost perspective, which is something architects can be guilty of. Overall a very enjoyable experience throughout, whereby we actually felt like we were a part of the team designing our lovely home. We really couldn’t be happier with the service received.

We really enjoyed works with Alex and his team. From the outset he understood our dream and was able to transform it from ideas to a workable plan which has the wow factor! He was quick in his response both with the designs and also the planning process. Thank you Giles Architects, we will certainly be recommending you.

Giles Architects have been fantastic since our initial meeting to project completion. At our first meeting Alex listened tentatively to what we were hoping to achieve and we were amazed when we received their proposal the following day at how much of the detail we had spoken about was included in that. It was this attention to detail that made us choose Giles Architects to design our new home. We had several designs drawn up that covered different floor plans and exterior looks. These also gave us options when it came to the budget. They took on board our ideas but also gave us lots of fresh ones and made us look at the project in a new light several times. This was extremely helpful, as like most people, this was a process that was new to us. We never felt that we were having anything imposed on us however and everything was collaborative. Once we had a strong idea of which direction we wanted to go in, Alex suggested that we should submit a Preplanning Application as our property is in the South Downs and and the planning office there are notoriously fickle. I cannot speak highly enough about the document that Alex put together for this. In fact, on our first meeting with the South Downs planning officer she commented that it was extremely rare for them to receive a Design and Access statement of such high quality and it had in fact made her job so much easier. This put us on a great footing with the planning office and throughout the whole process of the planning and build stages, Alex's rapport with the planning office was excellent and undoubtedly helped us achieve what we required. Throughout the build Giles Architects were always accessible and worked very well with the contractor and engineers involved. They were adaptable when they had to be but never lost sight of the final goal and always showed the greatest interest in achieving the best home they could for us. As you can probably tell, we could not recommend Giles Architects highly enough.

We used Alex to do our drawings for an extension, kitchen, lounge, dining room combined, absolutely brilliant results.

We were delighted with the service we had from Giles architects. Alex understood our brief perfectly and as a result we have a house that we are delighted with. Most importantly he was incredibly supportive and found new solutions for us when complications occurred with the build, and in particular with our difficult builders!

Giles Architects really listened to our needs and cleverly resolved a number of layout issues, vastly improving flow and giving us more usable space without the need to extend. Their design respects and enhances our period home while reimagining the layout for modern family living. We now have wonderful open spaces for cooking, dining and relaxing, with much more light, fantastic views of the garden and easier access.