Q: We have a 1970s bungalow that has been extended above the attached gargage to provide two small bedrooms and a shower room. The rest of the space is on the ground floor. I would like to add a whole new floor upstairs and a complete overhaul downstairs so I end up with three or four bedrooms and two or three bathrooms upstairs and a large kitchen diner, sitting room and a bathroom downstairs. Can an architect work from such little information? Also, how do you know which architects have 'flair' and what would a typical cost be for their service?
George says: 'I'd be worried that you're over developing or over investing by adding so many bedrooms and bathrooms. It seems a bit over the top to me. Similar to the projects we've done on The Home Show, rather than spend alot on extensions, I'd use the money make the existing house work first. Only then would I tackle such a drastic overhaul.'
'As for finding an architect that can do this for you with flair, contact the Royal Institute of British Architects, and, most importantly, seek recommendations from friends and neighbours.'
Q: We are trying to decide between wood and aluminium for our doors, windows and conservatory in a new house build we're doing with lots of glass. Do any companies do bi-fold external doors with wood interior and aluminium exterior? So far we've only found ones which do sliding doors. If we choose white powder coated aluminium will they look similar to painted white wood?
George says: 'There are lots of companies that do wooden bi-fold doors, such as Jeld-Wen. I suggest you try a search engine for a good local company. As for finding ones that are wooden on the inside and aluminium on the outside - that's an odd mix. I think you should either do it all in timber or all in aluminium.'
'If you get the powder coated in white, I don't think they'll look like wood - more like uPVC. I'd never get aluminium in white - always go for a nice colour, such as a grey. Some clients of mine, who had a traditional house, used a Farrow & Ball paint colour reference card and asked the aluminium company to match that colour. This will look much better than white.'
Go straight to our Ask The Experts pages for more expert advice
Go to The Home Show landing page for more expert opinion from George
Go to our DIY & Self Build pages for more advice about major projects
Need inspiration on interior design for the rooms in your house, well check out these useful guides!
.jpg)
Top tips from George Clarke and Naomi Cleaver!
Your Comments
Post your comment
Please note: In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in to Channel 4:
Sign In Here or Register Here
Comments closed
Comments are closed at the present time
Comments
Thank you for your comment!
Your message will be reviewed and the best ones will be published below.
If you intended to make an official comment to Channel 4 please contact us.
Comments