RRA Architects

We engaged RRA for our barn conversion. Tom, ably assisted by Rhys, did an excellent job taking our brief and working with us to deliver an inspired design. Both were available when we needed them and very responsive to our many questions and requests for design tweaks. The process felt very interactive, they always took our input very seriously rather than taking an "architect knows best" position, but having said that they brought some absolutely brilliant ideas into the finished design. For us the output of the process was a set of eminently buildable plans which drew praise from multiple contractors for their completeness and clarity. Both Tom and Rhys were a pleasure to deal with on a personal level and we would certainly work with them again on future projects.

We commissioned RRA to design an extension to our Cotswold home. Dating from around 1650 the property was of traditional construction with Cotswold stone walls and stone-tiled roofs. Much of the property had good proportions, but the kitchen was small and crowded with units . Worse still, a small, single window barely revealed a fabulous view across the valley toward the sunsets in the west. RRA came out to assess the site and then produced multiple initial drawings. We went with their most ambitious project, which saw the existing utility demolished and a new wrap-around extension enveloping the existing kitchen and incorporating a new utility room off a vastly enlarged new kitchen area. A narrow roof angle posed waterproofing challenges, solved by the specification of a TECU copper roof. Rooflights at the high point and 5m of bifold doors maximised internal light and made the most of the valley views. We were delighted with RRA's services, steering us through design iterations and planning, then aiding in finding a high-quality contractor, Precision Builders of Gloucester, who were able to make an early start. It was not a straightforward project, with multiple existing floor levels to accommodate. The result has transformed the property and brought us a great new living space that has increased the footprint of the property by 40% taking full advantage of the plot and location. It looks fantastic from inside and out and has given us the home and lifestyle we always dreamed of. Huge thanks to Tom and Rebecca at RRA for creating such a great design!

I’m just starting my third building project with RRA and can’t recommend them highly enough. A fantastic small practice who have helped me from beginning to end, endlessly patient and always providing sensible guidance.

Mark and the RRA team did a fantastic job taking our ideas and turning them into a practical and economic design. The team provided valuable feedback at each stage of the process and were willing to challenge ideas that they knew would not work. They have been a pleasure to work with and I would strongly recommend them.

We instructed RRA to design our house extension earlier this year. The initial discussions and consultation with Mark Powles convinced us that we'd made a great choice with RRA and then the design and planning work by James Lovering was excellent. James and Mark listened to what we were looking for and came up with some exciting options for us to consider. After yong through planning permission, they then recommended a building firm that we ended up instructing (Precision Building) and they were excellent as well. We're absolutely delighted with the outcome and it's been a fantastic Christmas in our new space. I would recommend RRA to anyone considering a house extension.

Friendly and responsive. RRA helped us take initially ideas to a great end result.

We appointed RRA Architects due to their expertise in listed buildings. For over a decade we had a dream of building an extension onto our home which involved many complexities in terms of design and conservation issues. From the outset our architect, Oliver Smith, has guided us through this process with professionalism, excellent advice, and we are thrilled with his design input into our project. He has skilfully and successfully navigated us through some potential hurdles which would have resulted in a "compromise too far" with the various planning authorities. We could not be more delighted with the end result.

Grade II listed property extension. I have no hesitation in recommending Mark Powles and his team at RRA. From project design through to Planning Consent and final build RRA personnel were always available for advise and professional opinion.

I engaged RRA to design extensions to my bungalow. The project included remodelling the existing property including the removal of some internal walls. RRA came to site and listened to our ideas and offered suggestions and ideas, which we found very helpful and caused us to re-evaluate and improve the plans. RRA proved to be highly competent, professional and full of clever ideas. My wife and I are delighted with the end result and would recommend RRA Architects to family and friends in the knowledge that they too would be very happy with the service they recieved and we would certainly use them again with total confidence.

RRA are an inspirational group of professional architects, with innovation at the heart of what they do. They ahve great respect for their clinents views and are sympatheitc to the areas of outstanding beauty, country and 'awkwardness'! Our house is a typical Cotswold Cottage, dating from about 1803 and with a carbuncle of an addition from the 1950s in style of conservatory that is too hot in summer and freezing cold in winter! It is off a main road and in an inaccessible place. However, the team at RRA have worked closely with us to meet our brief of replacing the carbuncle with something more fitting the rural and period location! We have been delighted with their ideas and communications for interior and exterior updating. We look forward impatiently (having sat out most of COVID,when it was difficult to get things moving) to the next stage of tendering and doing!

We have worked with various architects over the years however Mark and the team at RRA are by far the most professional practice we have found. They have been involved in number of projects with us and they offer an outstanding service from planning, through the design stage to completion. Highly recommended!!!!

I have worked with Mark Powles and his team for several years and have always found them to be extremely knowledgeable and professional. They are always willing to go that extra mile to achieve client satisfaction and I would have no hesitation in recommending RRA Architects to anyone who is looking for a creative, approachable and flexible company to design their project.