Dream to Delivery

Duo aims to reduce headaches and be kinder on the wallet when it comes to taking the leap and transforming your living space

In a first for the Suffolk area, Architectural Technologist Zoe Reeve-Jones MCIAT has joined forces with Project Manager Libby Wilson-Smith to make remodelling, extending or building a home less stressful.

“Our partnership offers a start-to-finish process that no one else provides,” says Libby, who has managed local projects for over 20 years.  “It’s concept to completion, with an all-in cost.”

“After completing the design and planning permissions, clients would often ask me which builder they should use,” says Zoe, whose business Let’s Design Architecture Limited is a CIAT-chartered practice offering a complete range of architectural services, to which she now adds project management. “Libby is very knowledgeable when it comes to hiring in the tradespersons.  I’d worked effectively with her on previous projects and I trust her professionalism, so now we’ve teamed up officially”.

Trying to coordinate your own building works is a well-known nightmare. Having a job and family to juggle only adds to the difficulties. “With a trustworthy project manager who is part of the team and has been familiar with the job from the design stage, you can streamline the process and avoid unexpected cost overruns” says Zoe.

Another reason for making the link-up official was the challenge of finding competitive quotes for parts of the job where additional professional input was needed, and which each the other can now provide. “It was impossible for me to find viable estimates, for example, on building regulation full plans and planning condition drawings,” says Libby.  “Together, we are a cost-effective, timely, one-stop shop.”

The pair has some advice for those considering taking the plunge and transforming their home: “The interpretation of an architectural plan is not always the same for the client as it is for us,” explains Zoe. “So work out your ‘must-haves’ at the beginning, but be aware that it’s easier to visualise as you go along — you take down a wall and everything looks different. You should feel comfortable telling us that you’ve had a new idea about how you want to use the space.”

“Stay flexible,” adds Libby. “We know the main plan, then as you feel your way through, we can take advantage of new possibilities that present themselves.”

Zoe works on the new home design, extensions and new internal layouts to create a better flow meeting client needs, adding value to the property. She will apply for the relevant permissions on behalf of the client. Following successful consents, Libby then puts the project out to tender, schedules and monitors on-site activity and sequences works for an on-time, on-budget completion.