Garden Office, Open Plan

• See photos of work

Customer reference for Renovation and Building Solutions as told to pickapro by Melissa Holden from Whitehall, Dublin 9 on 03-Feb-2011

When was the work done?
Peter has done work for us on two occasions, the first was in 2006 and the other time was in 2008 or 2009.

What was involved?
The first job involved the fact that I work as a book keeper from home and I wanted to have a structure built in the back garden that I could use as an office. We also have a dog who had a problem of getting out of the garden so we needed something done to close her in. Lastly, we needed a utility room for the washer, dryer and freezer.

Peter built what looks like a little house out the back. The front of the structure leading to the office is two big doors so the whole structure is full of light. To the left of the office is a separate utility room and at the back is a separate 6 x 5 ft area for the dog with a drain so we can clean it out. Peter put a lot of detailed work in to get things the way we wanted.

The guy from the planning office said it was one of the best outdoor buildings he had seen and photographed it! He said it looked like an extension to the house because it had been done up the same way. I was delighted because he's out and about and sees a lot of these types of structures.

The second bit of work Peter did for us happened a couple of years later when I had a baby. We needed extra space and we had a separate dining room that we hardly used. We decided to take down the wall separating the dining room and kitchen and turn it into a large, open plan room. Peter also put down a wooden floor and it looks brilliant.

The baby now has room to move about and everyone who comes into the house and sees the changes are impressed. One of our neighbours who had seen our new room went and had the same thing done in their house.

How did you choose Renovation and Building Solutions?
Word of mouth. Peter was recommended to my husband by someone who had used him before.

Had you definite ideas in mind before you talked to Peter Downey?
Not at all. I knew that I needed to incorporate the office, utility room and an area for the dog inside, but I had no idea how it could be done. We needed to have it all completed within a certain size so as to stay within our planning permission. Another consideration Peter needed to deal with was the fact that we don't have a large garden but we still wanted to have a bit of space left outside when everything was completed. It wasn't a simple task.

Did Peter introduce new ideas?
He did, yes. Peter recommended that we keep the structure in line with the house and try to stay with a similar look, right down to the dashing to match our house. My first thought had been to go with wood but we trusted Peter and it turned out perfect. When Peter makes suggestions, it's to give you options and alternatives, it's not in your face.

How did the project run?
Excellent. The guys doing the work would just come in, do the job and keep going. It was like you actually had to tell them to stop working! That really impressed me. I just knew the job would get done and that I would be happy with it. They were also reliable, worked clean and nothing was ever tracked through the house.

What was the biggest benefit to you of using Renovation and Building Solutions?
Peter really listens and is easy to talk to. I think it's because he's a family man himself and he understands the concerns women have when workmen are in the house. He can see things from our point of view with regards to concerns about disruption and mess because he lives with that point of view himself. Not only is he good at putting minds at rest but he's really concerned with doing what the customer wants. He listened to what I needed the structure to accomplish even though it wasn't a straightforward job.

One last thing that I would like to point out is that Peter will go out of his way to make sure that things are clear and understood. For instance, I can't make sense of a two dimensional plan drawn on paper. When I wasn't able to picture in my head what the open plan between the dining room and kitchen would look like, Peter took me to a house he did similar work on to show me.

What's your favourite part now?
I don't have one favourite part of the work because it was all excellent and we're very happy with it. The best part of the two projects was that Peter treated the inside of my house and the outside the same. That really meant a lot to me. The same amount of care was put into both jobs.

Would you recommend Renovation and Building Solutions to others?
I definitely would. 110% I would recommend Peter.

Any tips for other people?
Get someone who's been recommended to you. That's how we got Peter and it worked out very well.