Buildburo. Local builder in London's Chelsea, Kensington & Westminster

Main Contractor, Local Builder for renovation & refurbishment of luxury residential property in West London's Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster

020 7352 1092

Professional interior design transforms your home

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Professional interior design has an enormous impact and transforms your property into a stunning home after your renovation project has been completed. The attraction of using professional interior designers is strong and often more affordable than you might think. You’ll be able to take advantage of their significant expertise, get hold of materials, furniture and wall paper that normal people cannot find or get access to, including the latest cutting edge home design and technology. Professional interior designers know the latest trends, designer furniture trends and often attend international design fairs. They offer you plenty of advice on how to create a look that is in line with your vision and fits your lifestyle.

Aesthetics are a huge part renovation. For many home owners in London, changing the aesthetics and interiors of a property is the biggest motivation for embarking on a refurbishment project in the first place. Other motivators for refurbishment include structural or environmental concerns. The aesthetics of home renovation are determined by your interior designer and can be incorporated early in the architectural design stage of your renovation.

It is important to take the advice of your interior designer on board, but that does not mean you should approach your project without very clear ideas about how you want your finished property to look. You will have some particular personal preferences, some may be strong, others you will be willing to take advice on. When your refurbishment is complete, you will want your renovation to accommodate your tastes, so don’t be shy about sharing these with your interior designer so they are working on a colour palette and a design that you will be happy with once the transformation is complete.

Professional interior design saves time for stunning looks

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Most renovation projects have an intense but exciting period of interior design at the end. The interior design stage of a renovation is often the most exciting, because it is where the project really beings to take shape and come together. Until you get to the interior design stage of refurbishment project, it is often difficult to visualise how the finished project will look.

Of course, plans for interior design and renovation should be drawn up as soon as the project is under way so the finishing touches (which make a world of difference) can be applied as soon as building work ends. This is your chance to get really creative and take the opportunity to work with experienced and professional interior designers.

London is fairly renowned the world over for professional interior designers, mainly because the city has such rich source of creative talent, but also because designers and refurbishment companies have so much experience when it comes to renovating stunning residential properties in London.

Working with professional interior designers will transform your home in London, create a superb space to entertain and a look that is both striking and beautiful that you will enjoy and be proud of. It is also a really fun, positive and enjoyable experience. Your interior designer will do all the legwork, spend hours matching colours, wallpaper, fabrics and finishes with furniture, fireplaces and mirrors. This allows you to have complete control over your renovation project. Most attractive of all, you have excellent professional advice and save time, hours and hours of travelling around shops, (some will have a sample and others won’t) trying to match the right tone, of the right fabric, with the right furniture to create the look you want.

Renovate Georgian property in London for comfort and energy-efficiency

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London’s architecture is widely recognised as being among the best in the world and a great many of the city’s properties are fine examples of London’s heritage. The vast majority of houses found in London’s Chelsea, Kensington and Westminster are Georgian in origin. Whilst these properties are stunning inside and out, they are not always the most efficient for modern living.

Significant steps forward have been made with construction materials and architectural design since these London properties were built. As such, many homes in London are out of step with contemporary practices to ensure energy efficiency and sound insulation. Even London houses that have been renovated at some point in the past are in need of modernisation, typically around 20 or 30 years ago, to make them more attractive for modern home owners, both from an aesthetic and environmental perspective.

For property renovation, London is one of the leading cities in the world. If you own or are looking to purchase a Georgian property in the capital, it is vital that you look into how you might be able to modernise or renovate the property before you buy. Sometimes, if it is a listed building or in a conservation area, modernisation or creating a new layout could be very challenging. We recommend you take advice on the structure and fabric of the building, including the windows and the floors, the layout, the stairs and fireplaces before buying your property in London. This ensures you are confident of what could be done to your property and what cannot . Taking this step could have a huge impact on your comfort in your London home as well as your carbon footprint.

Ensure your local builder and architect are on the same team

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Independent residential architects and local builders are usually two very different types of people. As a result, sometimes your renovation could be more difficult for you to manage or take a lot more time than you anticipated.

If your London home needs serious attention to the interior design or layout, you will need the expertise of both a residential architect and local construction company to make a really impressive renovation a reality. It can be daunting when trying to appoint both these professionals, organise the operations in both companies whilst coordinating and scheduling activity and juggling your diary day to day. Common questions or concerns shared by many London property owners are:
Will they get on? What will happen when something goes wrong?
Are they prepared to be held to account and who will take responsibility?
How will they solve problems that arise? What will I do if they fall out?
Have they worked together before? Will they work well together on my project?
Will I be a priority to them?

It sounds exhausting just thinking about it and they are all legitimate questions to ask your local residential architect and your preferred local building and construction company.

These are all fair questions that home owners in London often ask before we start a renovation or refurbishment project. Some clients feel all this might be too much and decide to appoint a dedicated project manager to help them with this process. Good in theory, and sometimes a real asset. Generally, we find what works much better (more efficient, most cost effective and faster) is to appoint a design and build company comprising of both residential architects and local builders. Working on the same team and if possible, even sharing the same office. This means questions can be asked by nipping over to a desk and getting the answer immediately. This has considerable and tangible value, especially during large renovation projects where strong communication and excellent understanding is critical.

Sharing valuable construction expertise and inputting into building design decisions early on in the process means you avoid wasting time and resources with designs that simply will not work or be possible to construct in your home. It’s easy to underestimate the benefits of this approach. Ultimately, this sharing of expertise and responsibility saves you a great deal of trouble, eliminates a lot of stress, usually saves an enormous amount of time and may save you considerable amounts of money. It certainly offers you peace of mind that the project management is in good hands and being handled properly.

A firm made up of reputable builders and residential architects in London is likely to provide a much smoother service than a series of different providers, all offering their services independently and protecting their own interests. As well as peace of mind, there is also much less chance of little things being overlooked when one company takes full charge of a renovation project. On top of this, you have one point of contact who is in full control of the entire renovation – responsible and accountable. No one blaming someone else, no one falling out with each other, just having your best interests at heart.

In addition, your renovation will be free to run as smoothly as possible and you won’t be bothered by smaller details, problems can be dealt with (even before you know they existed) and project management is straightforward for all involved. Having shared a workable timetable for both teams with you from the beginning, you can manage your property renovation effectively with minimal effort on your part.

Historical properties transformed with modern interiors

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You know what it is like looking around the stunning properties that London has to offer. Externally, you are bound to be impressed by some of the older, more historical properties on show. Some of the houses in Kensington and Chelsea in particular are really fascinating to look at and incredible examples of the architecture of the period. That is why a large number of residential properties are either “listed buildings”, found in conservation areas, or both.

However, just because you are enchanted by the history and heritage of a property in London on the outside, that does not mean that you want a property to be historic, a throw back to the past and something of a relic on the inside. You want to take advantage of all sorts of modern comforts and to enjoy a nice, light, contemporary interior design theme within your Georgian, Edwardian or Regency property.

Renovation is the best option here. Rather than sacrifice your interior or exterior priorities in terms of aesthetics and design, local professional builders can readdress the issues you have found with your chosen property and bring it right up to date. This is modernisation usually makes a lot sense as it allows you to enjoy living in a historical property with all of today’s comforts and technology.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, interior designers in London are among the best in the world, and having your property renovated and redesigned before moving in is just a matter of contacting the right people, such as BuroArchitects with their interior design division. An excellent way to finish your renovation off with panache and elegance.

Design and build with all project management

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It is important you select a competent and experienced, professional construction company and chose very carefully when you are looking to modernise your West London property. London properties can be extremely striking, but they can be even more impressive once they have been renovated by experts and fit for modern day living.

Your best choice when you are looking to make some changes to the interiors of your property is to contact a team of expert interior designers and residential architects – to “see and create” the new interior space you are hoping for – as well as some building and construction professionals who know all of the important steps to take when building your perfect renovation. Having the design and build together in one company means you benefit from having a single point of contact.

If your property is in Kensington & Chelsea or Westminster, your refurbishment or renovation could be completed by a single design and build company. By taking on all the architectural and design elements, building work and interior design (including all the snagging and post contract after care) you benefit from excellent communication and have someone accountable for your entire renovation project. Otherwise you might be left chasing a number of different tradesmen offering different services who are all trying to blame each other for things not running to plan or schedule.

The most tangible differences you see from a design and build company will be reduced disruption to you personally, time saved by all parties being on the same team and you talking with just one person who is responsible for your entire renovation project, much greater efficiency on your project including all project management, respected time scales and much better results.

Property renovation – an alternative to moving?

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When you live in one London’s more desirable properties, it can be a difficult decision to move on because you are looking for something a little bit more modern that suits your modern family life a little better. You may be reluctant to sacrifice the location of your property and you may be reluctant to move away from the building itself if it is architecturally impressive. Often ties such as local schools, great neighbours and friends make the decision a little harder, especially when you include the transaction cost of a move to somewhere in a neighbourhood close by.

Of course, there is an alternative to moving house. You could choose to stay in the same property, but invest a bit of money on a renovation project to bring the house up to date whilst creating more space and improving your living environment beyond your imagination. For house renovation, London is actually ahead of the game – largely because of the proliferation of older properties in the capital and the limited space in the most desirable neighbourhoods such as Mayfair, Chelsea, Kensington and Westminster.

Professional construction companies are capable of introducing all sorts of  techniques to make your home more contemporary, energy-efficient and modern whilst respecting the period and character of your property. Buildburo work closely with you to realise your ambitions, create space that you never knew existed, bathe darker areas with light, reduce noise from street level and bring your designs to life. We make your architectural drawings and improvements a reality, brick by brick, step by step.

Renovation is just the sort of solution that allows you to hold onto your home, be proud of the improvements and updates to your home whilst making sure your new property meets all of your practical and aesthetic needs for many years to come. Sometimes, the results gained from a property renovation far exceed the expectations of the owners – something we love to do for our clients who include estate managers as well as private home owners.

Never waste an opportunity to improve your home

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Renovating your home in London is purely a question of identifying certain areas for improvement as far as the different rooms in your house are concerned. It is likely that you will already be aware of the areas that need improvement in your property, you might be comparing it to others just down the road in Kensington, or draw inspiration from a house in Chelsea or you may have been for diner at a friend’s house in Westminster and want to replicate something you saw there. When considering property renovation in London, it is sometimes extremely cost effective to take on other elements as well and you should take the opportunity to carry out additional work at the same time if anything else needs attention, provided your budget can sustain the additional works.

Often, there is a large fixed cost to doing significant renovation and it might be worth adding on smaller elements at the same time so disruption is minimised and your time saved. Elements like your architect, project manager, planning submissions are all relatively fixed regardless of the size of the project. It is this sort of holistic approach that makes complete home renovation so successful. Larger scale projects obviously take a little longer to complete but they completely transform the appearance of your home and address all sorts of repair works required in one fell swoop – fantastic news for reducing on going maintenance.

A blanket approach of this kind also enables you to start afresh with your interior design and in many cases when work is complete the actual market value of your home is suddenly a great deal more than it was before you started. Whenever you have work done on your home, you want to see this jump in market value because it makes the investment even more worthwhile.

Professional renovation – make the most of your investment

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It’s often the case that the best deals on the London property market are for homes that are in need of significant modernisation. These homes represent the best investment because there is so much potential to unlock, provided you are prepared to put a little time and effort into bringing them up to scratch.

Of course, embarking on an extensive renovation project can be time-consuming, daunting and a little bit risky – especially if you are not an experienced architect or builder. This is why it is so important to involve professional renovation experts, such as Buildburo for your project.

When it comes to property renovation, London is very well-served by professional architects, interior designers and builders. These companies are capable of modifying your home so it meets the needs of modern family living. However, you need to use a local expert who is familiar with the conservation area you live in, the type of property you live in (listed building, grade II, mews house etc) You will need to work closely with your builder (hopefully us!) and take both aesthetics and functionality into account to make sure that your property becomes a home you can feel proud of and be very comfortable in.

The architecture in London is frequently impressive, but to make the most of a house that looks fantastic on the outside, you need to make sure the interior is not only liveable, but safe, modern and attractive. The best way of achieving this is to have the renovation work carried out by one of the capital’s leading construction companies.

 

basement renovation creates space in London homes

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Sometimes making the most of your home is about getting more out of those rooms that are sometimes overlooked. While we tend to focus all our attention on areas like the kitchen, living room and bedrooms, there are parts of the house that we could be used that are underused and could take a property in London to the next level in terms of design and comfort.

Take a basement as an example, to a lot of people, the basement is used to store items they can’t find a home for elsewhere in the house, but in truth, a lot of these are probably never used anyway and should be thrown out. Most basements have much greater potential than a simple storage facility. Successful renovation, expansion or excavation of a basement usually creates a part of the house that is not just eminently useful, but also extremely comfortable.

Basements can be turned into a kind of den or an extra sitting room, a self contained flat for guests or staff, a wine cellar or as an alternative place to hide away and relax in when the living room is being used. Basements also make fantastic home offices as there is little noise from outside. Even if you renovate the basement just to create a cleaner and brighter storage area, you will have made a huge difference to the atmosphere of your home.

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