David Aldrich

We secured the services of David for a full house renovation and extension during which he provided design and project management services for us. During the design phase, David listened to what we needed and provided lots of different suggestions to enable us to make the most of the space we had available. David had a thorough knowledge of different finishes available and suppliers we could use. He has a real eye for detail and was able to point out lots of things we would’ve missed if he had not been supporting us. During the project management phase of the work, David worked with our Builder to ensure that plans were followed correctly. Though he was working remotely, he was always available via phone calls, zoom and e-mail. He was also able to visit at least once a fortnight, to keep an eye on what was going on. We have been very pleased with the finished result, and enjoyed living in our renovated property.

We’re so glad we had David on board to design and project manage our kitchen extension and side return build. He brought tons of experience and good ideas to the kitchen design, making sure that our vision and ideas translated into a really practical and well thought-out kitchen. Seeing the design come to life with VR was a really helpful part of the process. He went to great lengths to source materials that suited our needs at decent prices. David was fastidious on detail, and worked closely with our builder to keep the project on track, right until the end. He listened to feedback, was considered and thoughtful, went the extra mile to find solutions and was very nice to work with. We’re thrilled with the final result.

This larger sized project on our ground floor flat followed, with a break of a just a few months, the remodel of the main bedroom and bathroom of our son's small West London maisonette, see trustedtrader review posted on 31/01/2024 "What you want in a designer-architect". We went through David’s usual design process to see what could be done with our 720 square foot flat. By repositioning the washer/dryer and fridge we reconfigured the existing bathroom and were able to add an ensuite bathroom. Slightly to my surprise the ensuite was fairly gracious and not at all pinched, as such add ons often are, kudos to David. The second alteration involved extending the mini entry hall so that a new coat/shoe cupboard had room underneath for folding electric bikes with a bench in front of the cupboard to sit on. The general contractor selected for the job noted that not just the kitchen to living room floors were 2-3 inches out of level but the other parts of the flat had similar issues. We followed his advice and had a new level concrete floor installed which removed any guesswork from all the downstream wardrobe and cabinetry measurements. The cost was just over £1000 - for a brand new level floor that seemed very reasonable. Because we moved and added some walls, the lease required us to retain a structural engineer to provide a structural report and also have the work checked by a surveyor. David ensured this was a low stress and professional process, and it was approved by the Resident’s Association. It is worth noting that the general contractor and his team did work of an unusually high standard. One of David’s jobs is to check all the little details and ensure they are done right, but for this remodel Karoly’s guys almost always worked to a higher standard than we’d have asked for. Several times they suggested significant improvements to our design. As mentioned in my other review, I’ve done quite a large number of remodels over the last 40 years ranging from the above bed/bath remodel to a new build 5000 square foot house in Kent, and this contractor and his team did the best work I’ve come across. Their plumbing and electrical sub contractors were also good and unusually they could have made bespoke cupboards and other pieces that were not only of excellent quality, but at a cost comparable to trade prices for similar sizes pieces, but which in the latter case would have required further work to make them fit the space, if indeed it was possible. In summary, we are very happy with how our remodel has turned out, and do genuinely feel fortunate that we found David Aldrich Designs, and can recommend him to undertake larger scale remodeling projects.

I count myself incredibly fortunate to have found David Aldrich to manage the renovation of my flat. From the beginning, he listened to my design preferences, took my budget limitations into account, and came up with a plan that was perfectly tailored to my requirements. As the project got underway, he used his extensive knowledge and contacts to source good quality materials at an affordable cost, and worked methodically through every design detail, finding innovative yet practical solutions to any problems that arose. On the numerous occasions when I changed my mind about some aspect of the design, he gave excellent advice on the best way forward. The result is the transformation of my flat into a pleasant living space that makes efficient use of space, and is aesthetically pleasing. I would most definitely recommend David to anyone who needs a knowledgeable, experienced designer / project manager for their renovations.

We worked with David Aldrich to do a complete bathroom and bedroom remodel for our son’s small London flat. As other reviewers have noted David has excellent experience, knowledge, contacts, and creative problem solving ability and is a pleasure to work with. He undertook the design, sourcing, and project management phases and our son now has pleasant, well functioning rooms at a cost he could afford. David had general contractors he worked with previously make bids for the project. In my experience this is standard practice for any experienced designer or architect but nonetheless such quotes can come in much higher than expected. For David’s contractors we thought the bids were correctly priced - not being ripped off at this stage is perhaps the biggest cost issue. It’s also worth pointing out that having a good interaction with the general contractor is important and this is pretty much assured with David’s recommendations. We found David to be fully sensitive to cost issues and presented good options so the cost to quality trade off worked for us. Cost savings on cabinetry is part of his package - in our project scope for this was limited but was achieved by buying the wardrobes from trade with contractor construction. In the past over the years I’ve done 7 significant remodels (yes, ridiculous but I’m quite old now) and working with David rates equal first (along with one architect - an old friend who has now passed on). Very much recommended.

I was trying to create a new family kitchen in a country property in a room made by knocking two together. I knew elements of what I wanted but I was really struggling with a combination sales-y kitchen shops, all my ideas, clippings from magazines and an utter lack of time to try and put together all my ideas. A friend recommended David and he was a life saver. He listened, he was practical, he helped pull all my ideas together, he was calm, he was both efficient and patient. He handled all the measurements and the layout, he got in competitive quotes for me, he helped on pricing managements he managed suppliers for me and coordination with trades. I recommend David Aldrich extremely highly.

David designed and managed my kitchen revamping. He worked with me to think about my particular needs, big and small when designing the kitchen. He was creative in finding ways for my kitchen to work best for me and the results were truely life changing. I am now able to be independent in the kitchen despite being a wheelchair user. Works were completed on time and stress free as David coordinated everything from tradespeople to deliveries of appliances. David was also hugely helpful with making sure the snagging list was sorted and the plumber fixed an issue post-works. Fantastically skilled, helpful and thorough

David was an invaluable aid in our bathroom and closet room full refurbishment project. He was priceless to the design process ensuring optimal results. He sourced excellent hardware suppliers and a very good high quality friendly builder. I would not hesitate to recommend his services.

David is an extremely patient man. We changed our minds several times over the months he was designing our kitchen, and he accepted each change with patience. He is experienced and knowledgeable about the products and services involved in kitchen construction. Importantly, David engaged kitchen constructers who were very pleasant to work with and very skilled. He introduced us to suppliers of most of the kitchen components. David project managed the work, and the result exceeded our expectations. I would recommend his services to anyone. It was a positive experience for us. Robert & Diana Owen

David has been instrumental in providing drawings and specifications for both interior work (kitchen, wardrobes) for my manufacturer as well outside work including garden design, block paving for forecourt and providing quantities for obtaining quotations and ordering. He is both efficient with good time scales and he is trustworthy. He has often come up with ideas that had not thought of which enhance design, save money or makes sure have the correct specification on intricate quotes.

Project: Side return extension, kitchen (re)design, ensuite bathroom conversion, window replacement and general upgrading of entire house. David's role: Design (inc. VR demo), product sourcing/procurement and project management Feedback: David went above and beyond with this project, helping us at every stage and through the significant complications created by Covid-19. His knowledge and experience was evident throughout, identifying potential problems and pitfalls of different design considerations. The VR demo was extremely useful to visualise the final design, particularly for a project with such significant changes. David was very hands-on (e.g. going to kitchen and tiles shops) and managed the communication with multiple contractors. In respect to budget, David helped us to balance the inevitable trade-offs that come up in any project. Overall, we would highly recommend David for his design and project management services.

David designed and managed the conversion of two rooms to a kitchen-diner and the creation of a library out of an unused space in a unique listed building. He listened to our needs and gave us even more than we had hoped. He provided clear and useful drawings, 3D designs and plans for us and for the various tradesmen. His skill in cabinet design is excellent and the kitchen units and the library/ study cupboards and shelving are ingenious and of the highest quality. He managed the project with care and attention to detail and advised on lighting, sourcing items and colours/finish. He was always collaborative and the results are both elegant and practical, still lovely over a year later..