Testimonials_

We hired Eight_OneTwo Architects to design an extensive double storey extension on our house. It was a little neglected having not had any renovations since it was built in the 1970s and we knew we were taking on a significant project when we bought it.

We also knew it would be a daunting task to find someone whom we could trust to understand and bring our ideas to life with minimal supervision. At our very first meeting and speaking about what we wanted for the house Jonathan could see it. He saw it better than we could and he has brought that vision to life.

We live over 3000 miles away in Qatar and it was difficult for us to visualise the changes as they happened especially as we are unable to visit the site during the construction phase. The project is ongoing but our home has been completely transformed from the little run down bungalow it once was.

Jonathan strives to ensure we are informed (with regular updates and pictures) and happy at every stage of the design and construction process. He has gone above and beyond on our not-so-little project and we are so thankful for his hard work and expertise.

In 2011 we bought a 1940’s bungalow in Cawthorne on a large plot, we decided to build a new modern dwelling, traditional in form with contemporary / modern detailing.

We interviewed three Architects practices and as the Architect in a previous practice (now Director of Eight One Two Architects) was already known to us. The previous practice was included in our short list. After discussions on our brief we selected Jonathans previous practice. Jonathan, a brilliant young Architect with the same vision and aspirations as ourselves. Jonathan was lead Architect from inception throught to completion. The design moved away from a traditional form of building.

Jonthan attended site meetings on a regular basis often after hours, checking work was progressing satisfactorily and sorting out minor issue with our builders regarding design and drawings etc. Since the house has been completed He has helped us with various projects for our development business, including potential site appraisal schemes including advise regarding potential planning issues.

He has shown attention to design detail and accuracy with drawings, this helped make the whole building process straight forward for the client and builders. We are really pleased with our house, every room works just as we wanted, we can highly recommend his new practice, Eight One Two Architects, to any prospective developer or anyone wishing to undertake a Self-build project.

We interviewed 5 practises. Jonathan completely went out of his way to contact, communicate, and meet us. He spent time understanding who we were and doing the research before presenting his vision. We loved it. We have not changed a single bit of the design. Planning we thought would be tricky, but Jonathan and Will put extra supportive material in, not a single comment or qualification. Next the budget for the build. Tireless effort went into this, again Jonathan managed the tender process and we have got one of the best building firms delivering our project. There is an obvious relationship between builder and architect which is key. There have been bumps in the road through any project notwithstanding the pandemic, and the support, care and friendship offered by 812 has been very much relied upon. Very much solution providers. We cannot recommend 812 enough, and would strongly advocate a conversation at the very least, they are poles apart from other practices.

Jonathan worked on the renovation and extension of my Victorian end terrace house in East London. Really happy with the job he did throughout, he came up with interesting and clever designs which helped us solve problems and make the most out of our space. Highly recommended!

Great work done so far on our project to create two homes by Jonathan. Always creative and professional but most of all is always on hand to talk through any changes or ideas that we have had and has met those changes with an open mind. Would highly recommend.

Kevin McCloud advises that you should choose your architect with care. You will have a critical friend beside you for maybe twenty four months. We chose our firm with care after having visited eight firms, and after some discussion with the principal, we were introduced to Jonny. Our initial two hour conversation was not as we had imagined. We took all our accumulated ideas that we had sketched, and annotated, and were the result of a number of years of dreaming. “I don’t want to see them, I want to talk to you and get under the skin of how you live and what you want from your house”. Some opener!

After a couple of weeks the resulting sketches were uncannily like the sketches that we had taken to the meeting: Jonny had got under our skin. Subsequent meetings and discussions refined the plans, but this was only the beginning of a collaboration and friendship which delivered on our dreams.

His attention to detail, vision, and passion for what would be the most aesthetically pleasing was at the forefront of everything he did, but he was always ready to listen to our ideas and take them if they were right. House building is a living project and whilst adhering to planning rules there are many opportunities to amend and adjust and improve, so discussions were frequent, frank, and friendly. His collaboration with builders and tradesmen made sure that he missed nothing. At no time did we ever feel that we were in anything other than safe hands.

Three years on and we still wake up to the dream that Jonny helped us build. We are still amazed that together we made no serious errors, indeed no errors at all. The house is how we hoped it would be. It functions how we hoped it would function, and it makes us smile whenever we look at it. House building is not daunting when Jonny is working with you.