Build Team

I used Build Team's design service to draw up the plans for my kitchen extension and loft conversion. I was really impressed with the level of service provided by John McNally. He was responsive, communicated clearly and smoothly managed the whole process from start to finish. As a novice renovator I felt like I was in a safe pair of hands. I will be using Build Team for the construction phase but that work has not started. I'll post a second review when the work is complete.

We developed our ground floor planning proposal with John from Build Team and they have been great to work with. The house open days to show their previous work helped bring ideas to life and they have us the support needed to wrap up the designs. We are looking forward to working together in the build stage.

We were extremely pleased with the level of service received from Build Team. The Build Team representative really understood what we wanted to get out of our project, was very responsive, made excellent suggestions and produced a really good set of plans. Would definitely recommend.

The Design team was responsible, effective in getting the planning application approved and reasonably priced.

We used Build Team’s design service for the design of our ground floor extension and loft conversion planning. The team were super responsive and friendly. Santa, our architect, was very knowledgeable and suggested lots of ideas. The process through planning permission was so smooth and granted within 8 weeks. Given the in depth knowledge of our design we are hoping to use Build Team for the build too but are still in negotiations.

Excellent work so far. Listened and considered what we were looking for and then successfully obtained planning permission. They are prompt and informative and keep us up to date with clear advice about what actions we need to take.

I appointed David (Head of Design from The Build Team) to apply for planning permission to convert a house into 2 flats. He has been fantastic throughout the whole process, right from our first meeting where he came prepared with ideas and suggestions. He has come up with solutions whenever there were any obstacles and successfully got the planning permission granted. I have already recommended David to others and am happy to continue recommending him and working him. Ash

We undertook the design phase with Build Team for a complete ground floor redesign. The service was first rate from start to finish. Our designer John was always contactable, highly responsive, flexible, open to our ideas and listened very well to what we were seeking to achieve (and we kept changing our minds!!). But where appropriate and when stuck on which decision to make, John also advised and guided us with skill and expertise bringing his own creative ideas to help us achieve a design we were delighted with. We would highly recommend this service to anyone seeking to undertake a significant building (re)design for their home. M&A, NW London.

Having recently received approval for planning and a call for next steps with Build Team, their service has been very responsive and professional. We have been updated throughout the process and all our questions answered. We are very happy with the design layout since it was not what we would have even considered the proposed design had it not been for David's expertise and design.

We've just received our approved planning applications and have been really pleased with the service from our lead architect David Abimbola. We received useful tips and ideas during the design stages, and he took the time to listen to what we wanted and ensured it was presented to maximise our chances of approval. Very pleased with the outcome.

After looking at other design and build companies we were impressed at the integrated service offered by Build Team so decided to commission them for our ground floor wraparound kitchen extension. We have just completed the design stage to date and have been very impressed at the quality of their work. Our lead architect, John, took us through each stage with expertise and a listening ear. He was good at explaining various structural nuances and working with us to refine the design so we felt in complete control. We were invited to attend an open house at a recently completed project, which was very helpful as it had a number of similarities with our own. A number of team members were there and it was good to be able to talk things through. We have already had an initial online meeting with Mark, Build Director, who explained the second part of the process and answered all our questions. We have also taken up the options for interior design, party wall and landscape design support.

We really enjoyed working with Build Team's architectural designer, Nisha, on the design service for our SE London wrap around extension. Nisha was super friendly, thorough, and responsive, and made us feel really comfortable and confident approaching a big project (for us anyway!). No question or request was too small, and we felt really supported through the entire design process. I would thoroughly recommend working with the Design Team and Nisha in particular.

I have been very impressed with the architect assigned to me (Steven) who recommended a variation to the roof of my single storey extension to increase the chance of being granted planning permission without delay. His recommendation will also bring more light into the extension which was one of my main objectives. He has been very quick to respond to my queries and has given clear advice on all the various steps required prior to the build. The structural drawings and calculations provided for the Planning Officer and to tender the build contract are excellent. Steven provided a successful outcome with Planning as I received notification on their target date that planning permission had been granted. Steven has also offered his assistance with any queries on the structural design that might evolve during the build. I have received an excellent service from Steven and the rest of the Build Team who support him.

My partner and I chose Build Team to design our ground floor extension and so far we’ve been very impressed. The whole design team are friendly, professional and make a complicated process feel easy. In particular, John McNalley, the architectural designer supporting us, is knowledgeable, creative and an excellent communicator. Tess Ingle, our landscape designer, and David Abimbola, Head of Design, are also excellent at what they do and a pleasure to work with. We are very happy with our extension (and garden) design, which has been granted planning permission. We’ve also appointed a contractor through Build Team. A good experience overall and I would highly recommend.

David and his team were very diligent in designing our new extension and explained everything clearly step by step. They were easily contacted throughout the planning process and could show us examples of their work, helping us visualise what our extension could look like

We had a really positive experience with Build Team supporting us through the design stage of our build. We had David supporting us who was great and really knowledgeable, and was happy to pick up the phone and guide us through any part of the process. This is our first build, so we felt really supported and that the Build Team staff were very responsive to our many queries along the way.

We used Build team for the design service so far and Steven Davidson has been super helpful, very knowledgeable and has made the process very easy for us to follow

Build Team's architects designed our ground floor extension and provided the design and structural plans. We've had a very positive experience working with them. The build hasn't started yet - we've decided to go with a separate contractor - but have found our architect, Nisha, to be extremely helpful and efficient, making adjustments, explaining things and providing advice as we have moved through the process to this point. She has also liaised with the structural engineer for us and processed the planning application smoothly and successfully. Even though we didn't go with Build Team to complete our build, Mark who heads up the Build Team has been very helpful and willing to answer my extensive questions. I would certainly recommend Build Team's architectural/design/structural engineering services according to our experience up to this point.

Build Team was outstanding in our design and planning phase of our Project. All our planning applications were approved by the Council without any objections. Steven Davidson, the Senior Archictectural Designer, was particularly meticulous and clinical in his advices, consultations and recommendations. He was always available to talk or email and was reachable at all times. His design perspectives were innovative and conform to the design standards. Build Team offers excellent services.

We engaged Build Team to design our kitchen extension and we have been very happy with the service provided. Throughout the design service they were happy to accommodate many changes to our plans and worked with us to create a design that we were very happy with. As well as the design service, they also guided us through the planning application and the party wall process with minimal stress. Overall we were very pleased with Build Team's design service and would definitely recommend!

Had a really positive experience with Build Team supporting us through the design stage of our build. Steven and the team were very supportive and knowledgeable. Communication was also really good! This is our first build, so we felt really guided and supported.

We are very happy with the service we received from Build Team, working with head of design David. He is informative, knowledgeable, patient and available to explain things to us throughout the project. His approach to setting expectations and meeting them was also appreciated and we've gone on to happily recommend Build Team and David to our close friends and family who are undertaking their own projects. We would highly recommend Build Team, especially if this is the first project you are doing of this nature, as they help to guide you through the project and are very supportive.

Build team designed, project managed and built my kitchen extension. I’m really pleased with it, it is so light and airy. Many thanks to the people behind the scenes who I never met but who were working away to make my hopes a reality. The whole process was made easier with the help of my project manager,Juliana who made sure I was ml informed at every step & gave recommendations where needed. Work was signed off & certified along with visits from the building inspector. The contractors worked so hard, even when temperatures soared to crazy heights last summer. Their foreman, Gabriel & was easy to work with & was able to explain his methods in layman’s terms. Overall it has been an amazing experience to see my tired old terrace transformed into a beautiful home once more. My advice to anyone contemplating a build like this? Do it! but make sure you have funds set aside for unexpected expenses.

We engaged Build Team to design our loft conversion and ground floor extension. We have been extremely satisfied with the quality of their service. Like many design and build companies, they created the drawings, and helped us get through planning permission successfully. But what really stood out was the quality of the service they provided after the fact. A few months after we had the completed drawings and had paid, we ran into an issue with our build. Build Team created an entirely new set of drawings for us, which solved the problem, and got us back through planning permission. There's just a reality that building projects are complex and things go wrong. Build Team helped us solve our issues in a way that I doubt many other design and build companies would be prepared to do. Highly recommend.

The team have been responsive, flexible and accommodating throughout - and when I compared prices they are also value for money as well.

We hired the Build Team to design a loft conversion and ground floor side return extension. They having taken care of everything from design plans to planning application and serving party wall notices. They have been extremely proactive and efficient, explaining each step clearly as well as being very quick to get back to us if we had any questions.Our Architect came up with great ideas to utilise space and showed us around other projects the company have designed and built. They have taken all the stress out of the project so far.

To be honest, our experience with this company was very mixed. We were planning a ground floor extension and were very keen to work with one company that could take care of both the design and build phases of the project. First impressions of Design/Build Team were very good; the website and marketing material looked good, the designers we originally met with seemed knowledgeable and professional and they sent an estimate through for the cost of the build very promptly. We were also invited to an open house to look at one of their recently completed projects. Based on the very competitive estimate and good first impressions we decided to go ahead and chose the fast track design bundle, which was the most comprehensive package that was offered. Things started to go downhill when we were told that the build estimate we had been given was unrealistic and the actual cost would be at least double, which was obviously a bit of a red flag. This made us reconsider whether we would use them for the build phase as well as the design, and we started looking at online reviews, a lot of which weren’t very flattering. A fairly common theme was problems during the build and it came to light that they don’t actually have their own building contractors; they provide a quote for the work and then sub-contract it out, so there is no real guarantee of quality. Based on this we decided to look elsewhere for a builder and just used Design Team for the planning stage. The design process was fairly straightforward. It took some time as we changed our minds a lot about certain things, so that was on us, but at the same time I don’t feel we had huge amounts of help in doing the designs. I probably expected a bit too much and assumed we would be presented with loads of ideas and options, but this didn’t really happen. Having said that, our designer was very knowledgeable about building regulations and things like that, which did have some impact on decisions we made. Once the planning application was submitted it was approved first time without any questions and ahead of our allocated decision date, so that was very positive. Part of our package was help with party wall agreements, which we thought it would be good to pay for to take the stress out of the situation. In hindsight we actually ended up doing most of the work ourselves as both our adjoining neighbours rent out their properties and this seemed to complicate matters, so in that particular instance I feel like we paid for a service we didn’t receive. Serving party wall notice is also actually very simple, so if we ever need to do the same in the future it is definitely something we would do ourselves. More generally, throughout the whole process there seems to be a lot of up-selling and hidden costs. We were lead to believe we were getting a premium package, only to find out that if we wanted certain things there would be an additional charge. At times it also felt like we were being encouraged to do things that we didn’t need to: an example is that we were told that we should get a schedule of condition drawn up for one of our neighbours who had consented without asking for one, their reason being that Buildings Control might take issue if there wasn’t one in place. We would have had to pay Design Team for this, but when we spoke to Buildings Control they said that party wall agreements are nothing to do with them and would have no impact on them signing off on any of the work. There were also occasions when we were steered towards using third parties such as surveyors that they recommended. Instinctually it felt like they might be getting commission from these thirds parties which was their incentive for doing this, but we were assured this wasn’t the case. I understand that they are a business and the aim is to make money, but they could still do this whilst being more transparent with their costs and level of service. One thing that has been very good is the level of response we are getting from them now that they have completed the work we paid them for. Our builder and Buildings Control officer have had questions about the plans which we have had to go back to Design Team on, and they have been very happy to answer any questions that we have had and help in any way they can. There are lots of negative reviews for this company online (and plenty of good ones) and our experience was certainly nowhere near bad as other people seem to have had, there were also some positive elements to the process, but given what we know now unfortunately we would not use them again for any similar projects in the future.

Can’t recommend Design Team (and particularly Steven) more highly. They worked very closely with us to design our project. Really impressed by the time given to answer our questions and meet with us to discuss the design. Steven was always happy to answer questions and rework parts of the project. We are very happy with our final design and they made the planning process completely seamless. Many thanks!

I was thoroughly impressed with Build Team's professionalism and quality of service. Their method of keeping me up to date with every step of the project made me feel secure, especially as this is my first project of this size. They explained each part of the process so that I was well informed and I trusted that their advice was always in my best interest. Fantastic company, highly recommended.

We hired the Build Team to undertake the first phase of our project (design) and have been very happy with the results and level of service. After shopping around for a couple of weeks and meeting with various companies we decided to engage the Design Team as it enabled us to complete the first phase of our project without commiting from the offset with that one company. The architect we were assigned was very amiable and took on board all of our wants and needs. The team also helped ensure that our planning application was approved in record time, helping us push the boundaries when it came to gaining approval from the local authority with our designs. We'd happily recommend the Design Team, who are capable in taking on a variety of projects from simple house extension designs to more complex and time intensive work (which ours proved to be in parts).

We hired Build Team to design an extension for our ground floor flat. Their design advice was very helpful and professional throughout, and we have a design that we’re very happy with. The planning process went smoothly and successfully, and so did the detailed design stage.

My wife and I selected Build Team to manage the design and planning permission of our ground floor flat side return extension in SW London. Our architect, David, was excellent - extremely knowledgeable and always took the time to answer our questions in detail. Together, we landed a great design and were granted planning permission in February 2018. We are now using Build Team to help us manage the Party Wall process and will seriously consider using them for the construction stage, which we are now tendering. So, a very good experience overall and I would not hesitate to recommend their services. One thing worth mentioning is the house tours they offer - a great way to kick the tires on the quality of their work and meet the team.

Throughout the process of creating structural drawings, Build Team have been consumate professionals. We have found their communication and the speed of their work particualrly impressive - we certainly felt like a priority whenever we were dealing with them. They consistently stuck to their deadlines (E.g. When they explained that the turnaround would be within 7 days, it always was). Similarly, they were also always more than happy to answer our questions, both in person and in face-to-face meetings. I would certainly recommend them to anyone who needs this kind of work done for them!

I am very happy to have found a company like Build Team to design and build my rear extension. It really takes away a lot of stress to have a one-stop-shop for my whole building project. David really listened to our needs and designed a great space that I am so excited about. The staff are very friendly and professional and I feel very safe in their hands.

Build Team have just completed the design phase of my kitchen side return extension project and we have planning permission. I'm very happy with my final plans and the whole process. My designer was very professional, courteous and helpful. He kept me informed throughout the process, gave good advice and listened to my ideas and concerns.