Emily’s light-filled Kensal side return and rear extension

Michal’s skills and pro project management made this extension a breeze 

Thomas

Reno expert

Michal

Pager

Emily

Homeowner

Project brief

When looking to get on the property ladder we knew we wanted a project and a space to put our stamp on. So we started looking at ground floor flats that needed doing up and had the potential to extend. As soon as we walked into this one we had a good feeling about it – the alleyway was perfect for a side return extension, and I had an idea of a floorplan almost instantly. 

After we exchanged we got to work on getting planning permission pretty much immediately! I automatically thought we’d need an architect, but I also knew the layout I wanted, and the main things we wanted to achieve, which were more space and light. So friends introduced me to the concept of an architectural technologist. I approached a few online, gave them a floorplan and a sketch of my ideas and they turned it around within a few days. It was really quick and straightforward. Our technologist connected us to a structural engineer and party wall surveyor, so when we came to The Page we just needed a builder. 

Before we discovered The Page, we had already met with builders that we’d found online, through Trustpilot, via signs up in the neighbourhood… we’d ended up talking to about 10 people and it was so disheartening that we couldn’t find someone who felt right. When Thomas introduced us to Michal, it was a straightforward decision the minute we met him. When I was showing him around the flat, it was clear that side returns were his bread and butter, he started offering advice on how to do things right off the bat, and most importantly, I got the feeling that he was excited about the project.

“My Pager Michal managed us so well and the project so well. He gave us a very detail-oriented spreadsheet with jobs, tasks and big ticket items going in week by week, alongside a payment schedule, and we just worked our way through that, which worked really nicely. We didn’t have any big hold-ups as he gave me clear countdowns for when I needed to order things like tiles or our kitchen cabinets, and then he managed the orders of the bigger elements like the bifold doors and windows. As he was the point of contact for these big ticket items he could easily shift things around if there were delays, which was really beneficial. Michal’s communication style is second to none; he’s so approachable and easy to talk to. He was so good at keeping in contact via WhatsApp, he never had a problem with picking up the phone and calling me if an issue arose or when he needed materials from me. I never felt any ask was too big or too much of a problem, and I really appreciated that openness between us. My favourite part has to be the kitchen, it’s incredibly open – Michal nailed the windows and the amount of light that we get in here is just amazing. It’s quite dark in the rest of the flat, so just having this bright space that leads into the garden, is just such a treat. ”

Emily

Michal’s project review

Emily was very well prepared. She knew what she wanted and we’d prepared the payment plan in advance, so everything ran nice and smoothly. There were some things missed by the structural engineer which were easily sorted out by us due to our experience. We see so many similar plans that these details are easy to spot for us now. We had the architect’s drawings and we modified them a bit on site, but they were very good. Emily used many of the suppliers that I recommended and have relationships with, which made the process very easy.

I’m always trying to build like I would build my own place, so I’m always on-site and on the tools so I can keep an eye on the little details. Seeing it completely finished now is amazing.