Julian Taylor Architects Ltd

I have a 200 yr old Georgian farmhouse that is grade II listed, Julian Taylor Architects, have helped with design and planning process that is required for achieving listed building consent and planning permission. This has included all aspects of work from the details of lime mortar selection - to satisfy listed building consent - through to the design of a 3-bay timber/stone garage that is in-keeping with the listed building. The quality of the work and advice provided by Julian is of a high standard. Julian keeps you regularly informed from the start of the project right through to final planning permission. Julian is extremely good at explaining quite complex issues and describing things that are unfamiliar to those who have no experience in dealing with planners, builders, or the intricacies of a listed building. I would have no hesitation in recommending Julian Taylor Architects.

In 2007 we put our house on the market because it did not provide all that we wanted. However as we looked at potential new properties none came up that provided the amazing views that we currently enjoy or the space that we wanted within our budget (we were prepared to invest a further £100K plus). So we decided to explore the possibilities of making improvements to this house which had a downstairs bathroom, an l-shaped kitchen and a corridor for a hall. We approached three architects to come up with proposals for major changes to the layout. Julian Taylor was in a class by himself compared to the other two - he has flair. innovative ideas and good taste. We ended up making structural alterations to every room in the house along with a new extension which provides a modern kitchen and cloakroom, We now have a large hall with plenty of cupboard space, all three reception rooms have more space and the bathroom is upstairs. Whilst the project took much longer than anticipated (the fault of the builders) it came in on budget. As a postscript I subsequently introduced Julian to my golf club as a potential architect for redeveloping the clubhouse. He has been appointed as the architect for the project ( a cost of £900K plus) which now awaits funding.

We used Julian Taylor Architects for our annex, (a one bed, one bath and studio/office) in the garden of our house. The first thing Julian suggested was the at the building should be situated in a different position than that i had planned, this turned out to be a much better solution, so he certainly added value right from the off. The firm are clearly professional in terms of the planning application process which can be quite tricky with listed building and conservation area complications. We decided to use both the structural engineers and the builders suggested by the architect and have been very pleased with the result. I certainly found it helpful that Julian was available at short notice if anything needed his attention on site or the builders required some assistance.

We chose Julian because he was local to us and we liked the look of the work show-cased on his website. We were not disappointed - he quickly understood what we wanted and made suggestions for the work that we liked very much (thanks for our wonderful roof-light). Equally when we suggested things which were not in the remit (wall-height bi-folding doors rather than usual door-height and the glass splash-back rather than the usual tile variety) he was enthusiastic about our choices and made them happen. We were just about on budget because Julian was extremely flexible regarding his plans vs how we wanted to change things as we saw how the work was progressing. We like to think that we gained a friend as well as a professional and competent architect.

Julian has been very helpful in obtaining planning permission and arranging buidlers' tenders for the renovation of our listed thatched cottage. He clearly has extensive knowledge of the local planning process and key decision makers involed, simplifying the whole process immensely. His designs for the cottage are very sympathetic to the character and age of the building and we are very much looking forward to seeing the finished result.