We received a personal recommendation to use Excellence and we weren't disappointed. Their price was competitive and the delivery was professional and as you would expect from an established company with a proper team. They always responded to our concerns quickly and have been back since completion to look at a few minor issues so we have found that they are trustworthy with good customer services. The only slight issue is more of a general bit of advice to anyone undertaking a project - ensure you ask all of the questions and understand the full potential implications of the answers. Sometimes we were asked to make decisions about elements of the build with little in the way of advice being given as to the best approach or the implications of our decision. This has led to a couple of small issues which, with hindsight, could have been avoided with proactive advice from the Excellence Team as well as clearer view in our own mind about the final look and feel of the building so, if you are not using them to draw up the plans, ensure you have a very clear idea of what you want and, when asked questions during the build, make sure you fully understand the implications of your decision. That said, Paul and Nadine always took feedback onboard and reacted accordingly so, given some of the terrible experiences we have seen with other builders, we would definitely recommend Excellence. We love the finished extension and are left confident in their ongoing support should any issues arise. In short, we would definitely use Excellence again.
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind & honest review Pete. This is much appreciated.
We are thrilled that you love your new extension and grateful that you felt we delivered an excellent level of service, including quality workmanship.
Thank you for your invaluable advice to other home improvers. I think it is an excellent point.
As a long-standing Design, Build & Project Management business, who purposely provide a full concept to completion service, we are continually working to help homeowners understand the importance and benefits of engaging a principal contractor, such as ourselves, at the very beginning of their home improvement journey. This allows continuity from beginning to end, which ensures all design elements are correctly explored & explained prior to execution.
Unfortunately, we are too frequently approached by clients who engage a third-party Architect first, with the hope to use their drawings to tender for build costs. Unfortunately, these plans can sometimes fail to reflect the client’s lifestyle goals, don’t maximise the properties true space potential or even work in practice, due to onsite restraints. Every home and plot of land are unique, with their own unique construction needs, which 2D drawings can’t always capture or anticipate. This can also sometimes lead to the Architectural plans actually being above and beyond the clients actual build budget.
Structural Engineers can also sometimes overengineer designs, which may not reflect the most up to date, time efficient or cost-effective build solutions available, which also impact and neglect the clients desired budget.
Our bespoke and purpose-built methodology allows us, as the principal contractor, to be involved in every aspect of our client’s lifestyle aspirations, architectural design and structural engineering, from the very beginning, helping to ensure what is designed is time and cost efficient, maximising the clients budget and the build success.
We are sorry that you felt we didn’t fully understand the clarification you required to make informed decisions, on your third-party design. We will always take every client experience seriously and value this important feedback. We will continue to look at how we can better prepare clients for their onward build journey and how that works in practice.