Self-Build Success

Lisa regularly works with self builders and property developers. Below is a question and answer session with one of Lisa's self builder clients:

Why did you choose Lisa Melvin as your designer?We first met Lisa in October / November 2008 just as we’d secured the purchase of our perfect plot of land on which we were going to build a house we’d been talking about for many years. Our experience of houses in Germany played a large part in the house design and we initially thought that we might have to source various products outside of the UK. Having visited the Gallery Showroom at Melbros to simply discuss kitchens and bathrooms, it very quickly became apparent that Lisa’s experience of house building and house design was going to be very useful. Furthermore, we soon learned that Melbros was willing to offer more than the average builders’ merchants; the extensive product range and breadth of services were a deciding factor in choosing Lisa to help us design the kitchens and bathrooms in our new house and also supply all the products that we might need. Lisa came across as very personable and easy to talk to and it wasn’t long before we realized that Lisa was going to be a valuable part of our building adventure.

What sets Lisa Melvin apart from other designers?We found that Lisa showed a willingness to work with us and for us. She works hard at offering just the right products and will always try to find suppliers for new and innovative products. The breadth and depth of her experience is what set her apart from other suppliers and we would say that Lisa offers a unique service that others will find hard to emulate.

How many projects have you now commissioned Lisa to work on?After completing our self-build project in 2009 in a speedy six months, we have now just embarked on another bigger project to build three more houses, each of which should reflect the clean, modern design that Lisa helped us to achieve on the first house.

How did Lisa interpret your brief? Did she meet your exact requirements? Did she present you with unique ideas that you hadn’t considered? 

Lisa was very good at interpreting our design brief. She was able to offer a range of products that would suit a particular situation. She also offered us alternative design ideas and the end result was always based on discussion. Lisa never tried to push us into a particular direction, but her wide range of experiences in house building, house development and design means that she often has the optimum solution. We had quite specific views on certain elements of the kitchen design and Lisa took these and further optimized them such that we think we now have the perfect kitchen design. In fact, our next three houses will feature more or less the same kitchen design.

  

Did you face any obstacles? How did Lisa help you to overcome these?

No building process would be complete without an obstacle or two. However, with Lisa’s help, no obstacle was too great. Scheduling orders and deliveries is always tricky and when our stair manufacturer told us our stairs would not be available to fit just a week before we were to move in, Lisa initially tried to negotiate directly with them. When this proved fruitless, she managed to arrange for the Melbros joinery shop to produce the stairs, exactly as we had ordered them, within a few days. 

For more information about full project management & design services offered for property developers, self build projects and architects contact Lisa Melvin Design.