“We are delighted with the result. It’s achieved exactly what we wanted and at every stage, we could see their pride in the job they were doing.”
Using Careful Project Management to Create an Annex
It was attending a friend’s party more than 20 years ago and admiring recent work done on their home that introduced John and Anne Talman to Hall Brothers – and to meet Philip and Janet Hall who were at the same event.
“I remember asking our host who had carried out their refurbishment, which looked very good, and hearing the news that the people behind it were in the same room,” says John. “We went over and started chatting – that was the start of our relationship with Hall Brothers.
“We wanted to build a two-storey annex to add value to our property In East Bergholt, as well as future-proof our home for our old age. The idea was to add an open plan kitchen, eating area and living room on the ground floor, with a bedroom and shower room upstairs. This could be used for visiting house guests who would have their own facilities and then possibly in old age, we could have live-in help that would enable us to continue living in our own home.
“It was a big job that needed careful project management and after talking it through, we felt completely confident that Hall Brothers could do it for us. The carpentry elements of the extension would be carried out by them; other ‘specialist’ areas such as underfloor heating would be subcontracted out.
“I had some basic drawings which we were able to use as a starting point and following our discussions, detailed plans were produced. There were some elements of the project that needed meticulous attention to detail such as matching the brickwork with the existing house, which was achieved very successfully. We were delighted that Philip and Richard approached everything as though it was their own home.
“Throughout the nine months of the project, all elements were carefully managed by Hall Brothers, including keeping our neighbours informed. As it was an annex, we were able to continue living in the current house with a separate access which limited the disruption day-to-day.
“We are delighted with the result. It’s achieved exactly what we wanted and at every stage, we could see their pride in the job they were doing. What a happy discovery that we met at that party all those years ago – and in addition to the excellent standard of craftsmanship, they are such pleasant people to deal with too.”
