House Extension Professionals in Washington, Tyne & Wear

“From the outset Chris inspired confidence. Initial site visit in 4” of snow and a satnav detour didn’t put him off. Professional throughout. Communication outstanding. A unique and challenging design. Chris rescued us as I’d naively designed and financially committed to manufacture of a complex Glulam structure. Curves, unusual materials, testing terrain all added difficulty. “There will be problems we don’t yet appreciate but we will solve them” was confidence inspiring and he was true to his word. Unfazed and without any formal plans he drew up a comprehensive quotation, design and building schedule. Contrary to many building projects we, by necessity, had to make material and design decisions as the project evolved. Credit to Chris for taking this on, I am eternally grateful. Lots of conversations and shared decisions, with Chris respecting my opinion but also pointing out where things could and should be done differently. A genuine collaboration. Started 3 weeks early! Garry, Alex and Travis were a delight to have on site. Polite, respectful, punctual and hard working, each with their own skill set. Site was spotless throughout despite working through freezing temperatures, gales and eventually a summer heatwave. All sub-contractors, deliveries, plant and equipment co-ordinated without a hitch. If there were any issues, I wasn’t aware of them…..which is how it should be. Workmanship absolutely first rate. Any problems rectified as they arose: frame footing redesign, frame installed misaligned (by frame manufacturer), ancient field drain uncovered, roof rainwater management, and perhaps most challenging a flaw in the frame design with too wide rafters made creating a smooth curve particularly challenging. Chris clearly works to a mantra: if it’s not good enough for my house, it’s not good enough here. The team tolerated with good grace my efforts to muck in and graft. Must be challenging having the client on site everyday and more so wanting to get involved. The project expanded to include a new 95m heavy duty railway sleeper boundary fence, that we designed and installed, relying heavily on Alex’s joinery skills and eye for detail to manage complex changes in gradient. Finished just about on time and on budget…..with time and cost additions for the un-planned fence. Remarkable given the challenging build, the number of design unknowns at the outset, testing ground sub soil (rock!), material indecision and finding and coordinating highly specialist subcontractors…..in particular the statement roof covering. Overall a first rate service from start to finish. Chris and his team pride themselves on providing a high end service not only in the finished product but also in the client experience of the process, the latter a priceless added value. Highly recommended. I’d be very happy to discuss my experience with any potential clients.”

“We were put in touch with RAR by our builders, having had no previous experience of engaging and working with an architect. As it turned out, we could not have chosen a better firm to work with. Alastair communicated clearly through the process and was responsive to answer any queries we had. We were impressed by the attention to detail which Alastair demonstrated, and his his assistance in specifying materials. We would also commend Alastair's flexibility when a change of direction in our house renovation prompted a substantial re-working of the design drawings which had already been completed. Finally, Alastair successfully managed our Planning Application for us. We would have no hesitation in recommending RAR Architectural Services.”

“House Report: I required a second opinion on work to be carried out in a house I'm about to buy after seeing the survey report and being worried about some issues that were flagged up. I'm extremely glad I contacted David Nicholas Construction, they were very knowledgeable, went through every aspect of the survey in layman's terms, explained all work that would be needed in detail and with estimated costs. Highly recommended.”