Raydan Watkins Architects Cambridgeshire

Dana and Richard have been tasked with redesigning the ground floor of our house and reconfiguring the entrance area into a more efficient and welcoming front of house. Since the initial meetings, they have given us confidence in their ability to grasp what we wanted to achieve very well, we are very happy to have given them this work! The challenges of our 1957 semi-detached house consisted of the living room overlooking the smaller back garden, while the kitchen faced the much larger front garden via only one window. The front garden felt disconnected from the house and the house had effectively one single living space, a large living / dining room where the family spent all of the time. Dana and Richard have come up with a complete redesign of the ground floor, enlarging the former kitchen area, now living room and introducing large bifold doors which extended the living space onto a new outdoor terrace overlooking the front garden. Just by having this seamless connection to the front garden, our living space has significantly increased! The large rear living room has become our kitchen / dining room while carving a useful space for a small pantry / utility room and a discrete toilet. The redesign of the ground floor has created two separate spaces which makes it easier for children and adults to have their own time when needed. We have been extremely pleased by raydan watkins architects’ knowledge and attention to details, which has made the difference on the final outcome: from structural materials and major design choices (such as the high efficiency insulated underfloor heating) to smaller aspects like matching expansion joints and grout for the porcelain floor tiles, even going to great lengths in selecting matching discrete galvanised steel slot drain and manhole cover in our porcelain tiled terrace, making a world of difference. Dana and Richard have contract administered the building works, following a tender stage. They have meticulously vetted tendering builders and guided us in our final choice of builder, and proceeded with overseeing the building works until completion. They have been on top of the process for the whole 5 months of the build, liaising with the builder, never settling for second-rate results and going the extra mile on several occasions. They guided us through the process of selecting materials and products. Notable was their effort in sourcing just the right cladding for the external front wall, a challenge as we were combining multiple materials. The final choice achieves a contemporary and playful front of house while remaining sympathetic with the houses along the terrace. We could not be more pleased of the whole process as they have been professional and helpful throughout, and guided us through a major redesign of our house, which went according to the planned budget, to programme and most importantly resulted in a transformed house which we are very happy with!

We asked Dana and Richard to draw up some schemes to update our kitchen and dining room, and to take into the house a small unusable exterior courtyard that was left after a previous owner had extended the kitchen. They designed a scheme for us which has transformed the way we live in the house. When we moved in, the kitchen was small and cramped with no real space to eat in. We are keen cooks, and were frustrated by the lack of work surfaces. Previous remodelling had resulted in low ceilings, and the dining room was little more than a corridor. It was certainly not the sort of family-friendly space we wanted. Dana and Richard advised knocking the kitchen and dining spaces into one, extending out into the courtyard to the side and also pushing the sink and worktop out into the garden. They also suggested that we ran the kitchen flooring out at the same level to give us a bright, clean patio space, and creating an exterior extension to the kitchen. We have been delighted. We have space for family lunches, and the level patio means we can take one of our wheel-chair using relatives through the house and into the garden. The large, double back door, and expanse of windows makes the space so light. It is a joy to sit on summer evenings and watch the sun set, or to see the stars on a winter night. It is so light, but the clever choice of glazing means that the kitchen stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer. We have a huge central island, giving us ample working space. We simply love what they have achieved for us. In addition to a great kitchen-dining room, Dana and Richard were able to find space for a downstairs loo, and a small utility room: it is so much better to have the laundry room separate from the kitchen. We have been amazed what they have been able to achieve without eating into our little town garden by a careful and sustainable use of the space. Dana and Richard have a real eye for detail. They listened carefully to what we wanted from the building work, and came back to us with beautiful and imaginative solutions. They were patient, and helped us to see their vision and to work through the designs in detail. They worked extremely well with the kitchen company we commissioned to build and instal the kitchen itself. The contractors started on site in February 2020, just before lockdown. Throughout Dana and Richard projected managed the building work for us, instilling a calming and rational atmosphere amongst the team and acting as an effective and patient liaison between the builder and us. We were able to trust then completely, and despite the inevitable delays and complexity of working during lockdown, they managed to coordinate the builders and kitchen company to get the work done in reasonable timeframe. We are so pleased we commissioned Dana and Richard to lead our project for us.

Raydan Watkins Architects have been a brilliant team to work with throughout the entire design process; providing a creative and innovative design for us, both on time and on budget. Despite setbacks in achieving planning permission in our conservation area, Richard supported us through the re-design process to allow us to successfully gain permission and start construction. He listened carefully to our requirements, one of which was to create a third bedroom so that each of our children could have their own space. This was difficult to achieve with such a small footprint to work with, but Richard designed a layout which works perfectly for our family. Creating the large, airy kitchen/living space has been life changing for us, allowing us to live comfortably as a family of four in our previously cramped Victorian terrace. Their expertise and knowledge in designing such a practical but stylish layout for our extension shines through in the finished design which remains sympathetic to the original character of the house. We feel very lucky to have had the guidance of such a professional and caring team who really understood our needs as a family and worked hard to make them a reality for us. We have recommended them to numerous friends and colleagues, and will continue to do so!

Raydan Watkins did an excellent job helping us with the extension and renovation of our 1930's semi-detached house in Cambridge. We are extremely pleased with the results, and would highly recommend them to anyone looking to do something similar. These are the key aspects which make them stand out for us: • The transparent communication with us during the whole project (we were out of the country at the time). They have a great ability to convey all aspects of the project, covering project process, programme, design development and finalisation in close collaboration with us, detailing and specification, ensuring our moving date from Germany to the UK was enshrined in the project programme as non-negotiable • Design enhancement of our existing home to achieve a functional yet delightful space that flows and complements our way of life, ensuring daylight permeates through the house. • A lot of research and technical knowledge sharing, appeasing our concerns about many aspects that we came across during the design, development and the build. • Locating the most suitable builder for the project, ensuring best fit for the job. Also introducing a kitchen designer and installer and managing their output to meet our aspirations and requirements. • Keeping to the programme schedule and to the budget, being actively involved in sourcing products that meet the aesthetics (e.g. windows and doors) and technical requirements (e.g. ground floor finish with the best performance for our UFH) while still achieving value for money, which is especially difficult in the current troublesome supply chain market. • Sharing 3D visualisations, external and internal, to facilitate our appreciation of spatial flow, daylight, functional adjacencies, which played a major role in our familiarisation with the new spaces and helped us to make important decisions during design. • Bringing pragmatism to technical solutions such as the underfloor heating output and design, working closely with manufacturers to achieve the best solution for the specific context of our home. • Providing regular updates and pictures of progress on site and highlighting potential issues which needed a quick resolution in order to avoid impacting the overall programme. Most importantly Dana and Richard are fantastic people to work with. We would never have managed to do this project remotely ourselves. Their undivided focus and dedication throughout the last year has meant that we now have a beautiful and functional home and everybody that visits us is amazed by the transformation. Thank you!

Raydan Watkins are excellent - I could not recommend them highly enough. They worked tirelessly in our project and provided invaluable advice. They made what was an extremely daunting process, of which we really had no idea what we were doing, stress free and manageable. We have really appreciated their steady, insightful input and calming influence on the whole process.

We are working with Raydan Watkins Architects to improve the energy efficiency of our 140-year old house, and address long-standing "pain points" in how our family uses the space. Dana and Richard have taken a data-driven, thoughtful approach in recommending meaningful improvements to the house that fit within our budget and timeline. After a series of meetings with us where they listened to what we hoped to achieve with our renovation, they developed a masterplan that exceeded our expectations in terms of the potential to improve the energy efficiency of our house, to address our concerns with the layout, and to ensure that the house continues to be safe and secure for decades to come. They have since helped secure competitive quotes from builders, tradespeople and engineers so that our budget stretches as far as possible. We have been truly delighted with the service that they have provided, as well as their obvious expertise in identifying opportunities to improve energy efficiency while maintaining the overall character of house.

Camstone Construction have worked with Richard and Dana on a number of projects over several years, each of which has completed successfully to the clients’ full satisfaction. We found at Camstone Construction that raydan watkins architects’ construction documentation and drawings are very clear and coordinated, which greatly facilitate the construction process and contribute to us being able to deliver projects on programme. Both Richard and Dana are open minded and proactive regarding suggested substitutions during the build due to unforeseen events such product availability or supply chain issue and we have always been able to successfully resolve all matters that arose on each project. A trusting professional collaboration between contractor and architect is a cornerstone to successful projects and happy clients which is the ultimate aim of our services. This has proven to be the case with raydan watkins architects.

Dana and Richard were really good to work with and very responsive to any and all queries - would definitely engage again for any future work.

I found Dana and Richard helpful, always listening to my needs and then providing professional advice. The final work produced was detailed and clear, allowing the builders to work directly from the plans. The finished building is practical and elegant in spite of having to fit into a limited space. I very much enjoy using the new room, which affords the best possible outlook onto my garden. Friends and family who have visited have all been complimentary. The room was built so that I may at present use it as a sitting room, but it also has an excellent shower room alongside, so that if I need it, it can become a self contained bedroom with en suite.

Dana & Richard designed a beautiful kitchen extension for us in 2016. They were great to work with, asking us the right questions, coming up with creative ideas, delivering plans on time, and ensuring a smooth planning process. Despite the constraints of a small plot, they were able to design a stylish, yet functional extension, which has enhanced both our house and garden.

We have employed Dana Raydan and then Raydan Watkins Architects on three occasions over a period of years. The first time it was to build a major extension to our Victorian house, which gave us a dining room and conservatory. The design is splendid, especially with regards to light and ventilation. The next project was to assess and plan for insulation for the old interior part of the house so as to save on heating costs. We decided to proceed with double glazing and draft proofing. More recently we asked Raydan Watkins Architects to advise on the possibility of an extension to a property where a relative lives. On all occasions we have found Raydan Watkins Architects to be exemplary and have complete confidence that their advice is i) well-founded technically, based on extensive experience and up-to-date information; ii) carefully delivered with complete and accessible documentation; iii) completely independent and fully attuned to our needs and goals. We do not hesitate to give the highest recommendation for Raydan Watkins Architects.

We used Raydan Watkins to update a small flat attached to our house. They went carefully through our preferences and wishes, redesigned the kitchen space and living area and brought the electrics, heating and other services up to date. One key requirement was to maintain the ambience of the original, which they did - while modernising the elements that needed it. They were easy to work with, professional in approach - and remain friends, which is not always the case!