Fitzgerald Architecture

My husband and I appointed John to draw up plans for the modernisation of our family home, which had been leased for 20 years whilst we worked overseas. John immediately grasped my desire and need for openness and light to be brought into our dated home. Achieving this was not going to be simple, owing to how our house is constructed, and potential difficulty with planning permission. John is a past master when it comes to planning, and his excellent and meticulous plans sailed through the planning process. John was very creative yet had the ability to reign me in when I was becoming too "grand designs" in my ambitions! He is meticulous in detail, which from the outset was important to me, as I realised that was what I personally needed in this process. On a personal level, John was a delight to work with. He is a kind, thoughtful man, and as honest as the day is long. You won't get a salesman with John, just good old fashioned service.

We converted an upstairs landing area into a new room, with rooflights, which needed full planning permission. John did all the drawings and also submitted the application for us, including an excellent statement about how the project would fit in with the local environment. He came up with useful ideas that I had not considered. His knowledge of the local area and councils was invaluable, and as we were new to the area he also recommended some local builders (South Coast Contracting) who were outstanding. John was always punctual to meetings and answered my emails usually the same day. The whole project was completed within 5 months and we didn't need to re-submit anything because John did the job properly in the first place.

My wife and I appointed Fitzgerald Architecture to draw up plans for our project to completely renovate and remodel a bungalow we had purchased in Sway, Lymington. We contacted a number of architects to discuss the project and John Fitzgerald appeared to us to be the one we felt best understood our requirements. He was also completely transparent about what his obligations would be under the contract and also his fees, which we considered to be very reasonable. Once we had approved the final drawings, John submitted them for planning permission and sent the building contract out to tender. He was involved in interviewing potential builders and helping us decide which one to accept. Whilst the renovation was taking place, we were in rented accommodation necessitating a three hour drive to and from the property and because of that we were unable to visit the site as often as we would have wished to monitor progress. We found John’s regular weekly site visits, written reports and phone calls invaluable in flagging up various issues, e.g. where the builders had deviated from the plans without seeking prior approval. The property was also subject to two restrictive covenants, one being in favour of Network Rail which proved unbelievably protracted in obtaining the necessary permission. As well as myself, John spent time on our behalf tracking down the relevant contact within Network Rail (in itself no easy task!) and discussing the project with them. One of our most important requirements was to have a hot water underfloor heating system installed and John spoke to the technical departments of a number of suppliers on our behalf to enable us to decide on the most appropriate choice. He also liaised with various other suppliers, including our chosen kitchen supplier. During the course of the project, which ran from late December 2017 until the end of October 2018 we had various meetings at John’s office as well as on site and also numerous lengthy phone calls. We came to know John, not only as an architect, but also more as a trusted friend who was always prepared to go that extra mile for us. We trusted him to deliver and he did not disappoint, as we found him to be totally reliable and of the highest integrity. Throughout the project we encountered new obstacles on an almost daily basis, all of which John guided us through with sound advice, making himself available to us at almost any time of day. His methodical and extremely thorough professionalism gave us absolute confidence that our project was being handled to the highest standard. We were extremely pleased with the final result and considered that our decision to select the services of Fitzgerald Architecture was absolutely the right one. Undoubtedly they had gone far above and beyond their contractual obligations, and that in turn took many of the pressures of a complicated, stressful and time-consuming process from our shoulders. During the course of our project I know John was working on a number of other projects too, but to us it never felt that way. He was totally reliable and when he promised something by a certain date he always delivered; it almost felt like our project was the only one. I’m delighted to whole-heartedly recommend his services to anyone looking for a reliable and trustworthy architect.

I was looking to develop a 1950's Bungalow which comprised of typical compartmentalised rooms into a living space suited to my Mother who had recently suffered from a stroke. My first contact as a Architect was John Fitzgerald, who was local to me and I did not bother to contact any others! From outset John was the consummate professional, taking my initial basic ideas and developing these into a number of themes from which the final plan was chosen. Drawings were swiftly produced and amended until each detail was confirmed and potential issues resolved. John also liaised with the planning officers and building control; without such help the project may never have even started! He even took the time to attend the local Parish Council meeting with me, when the application was to be discussed. Throughout the project John constantly suggested small improvements as the build progressed and provided advice in respect of property fittings to ensure that the end result was suitable for my Mother. John was also ready to explain, in detail, everything that was going on as the project progressed, if asked. Overall, the finished project exceeded my expectations, transforming an old house into a fantastic modern living space.

John took our ideas for a new kitchen extension and developed the plans and proposal so that we gained planning permission without any issues. John also attended the parish council planning meeting to ensure there were no issues at this stage. With his help and guidance a specification was developed from which we were able to have a number of contractors bid, going on to select one to complete the build. Although we knew exactly what we wanted out of this project we initially had trouble engaging builders before we started working with John, due to the unusual construction methods being used. With John’s expertise, advice and attention to detail on-board the project was completed and we have been enjoying the kitchen extension for the last six months.