Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness, Service
Highly Recommend Progressive Design!
Background: We moved to Amersham in 2021 having bought a 1920s house that was habitable but required modernising in terms of asbestos removal, rewiring and insulating. In addition to that work, we wanted to extend the ground and first floors to make it a more open plan living space.
Following a tender process, we chose Progressive Design and they were excellent from start (Apr 2022) to finish (Jan 2023). In what was potentially a very stressful project in inflationary times with a young family (newborn and 3 year old), every challenge was dealt with efficiently, creatively and economically.
The main reasons for why we would recommend Progressive Design are as follows:
Dedicated Inhouse Team: this was a particular strength of the company and one that we think is quite rare having done three house renovations previously. The electrician, the plasterer, the carpenter, the foreman, sound and security, the plumber etc were all coordinated by Progressive Design. That provided focused responsibility, allowing for efficient decision making and communication. Also, the inhouse team worked very well with our kitchen, bathroom and flooring suppliers; they commented on how easy it was to work with the team.
Creativity: there was never a reaction of “not possible” and that was a reflection of the building knowledge within Progressive Design. There were many good solutions that we had not considered and they provided corrections for wrong decisions that we had made. For example, installing water softeners, creating different underfloor heating zones to economise working from home, re-working window apertures, maximising storage in eaves and understairs, sound proofing and sourcing prompt oil filled electric radiators to help our floor fitters get the house to the required temperature.
Budget and Cost Transparency: one of the reasons that we selected Progressive Design in the tender process was the detail in their quote. We were very concerned about inflation and they understood our budget constraints by pricing additional work quickly and communicated different options for us to consider. A particular cost-avoidance for us was their ability to cost up all non-perishable materials so that we had the option to purchase them as soon as possible in 2022 when inflation was ramping up.
Work Ethic: we rented a flat locally and we observed how dedicated the team were to completing our project on time. Our neighbours were very positive about the team, commenting on their hard work and how considerate they were on site.
Project Management and Communication: we had Marius as our project manager and George as our foreman. They were our main point of contacts throughout the whole project both onsite and also made themselves available via a WhatsApp group and direct mobile calls. There was also office support through Toria which was helpful for design questions and administration. We had weekly meetings which they documented and updated valuations and the project timeline. Additionally, the team worked well with building control and our engineer to meet their requirements.
Quality of Workmanship: we wanted the renovation of the house to be sympathetic to the 1920s design and the Progressive team managed to re-use and refurbish the old doors, fashion the architraves and build cabinetry to achieve this. The positive reactions from family and friends is testament to their craftsmanship.