A B P Chartered Architects - Thornton Heath

Jonathan Barber

Employing the servicing ABP Party Wall Surveyors proved to be invaluable! Bernard was fantastic and demonstrated a vast amount of experience and knowledge. My neighbour (who was a Structural Engineer) was being very awkward and resistant to the work I wanted to carry out. Bernard managed the situation in a very professional manor and protected me through what could have been a very stressful experience. ABP ensured my project was carried out in accordance with all current laws and protected my rights from those who tried to scupper my plans. I am externally grateful and relieved to employ the exceptional services of Bernard and ABP Party Wall Surveyors!

George Woo

As a business owner, I have many clients who need the services of an architect and a party wall surveyor.
I have found the services provided by Bernard and Maria of ABP to be very professional. As a company, I have been using both their architectural and party wall services for many of my clients, for well over a decade. ABP are always attentive, efficient and very knowledgeable with great attention to detail. High standards are continuously maintained and I never had to chase them to do any of the work that they have been commissioned to do. We have found both Bernard and Maria (a husband and wife team) to be honourable individuals. In areas where impartiality is needed, we can completely trust them to follow the law to the full and to ensure both parties are fairly treated.

Keziban Nafi

Bernard and Maria proved to be professional, articulate and innovative in producing drawings for my semi detached property. I was very pleased with the final plans and looking forward to achieving their creative drawings.
I was supported and advised through the process and Bernard liaised with all relevant professionals to achieve Buildings Approval.
I found them both to be very approachable and down to earth and would recommend them instantly to anyone with a project ( big or small ).

Kevin O'Prey

My wife and I were recommended to use abp Chartered Architects by a trusted friend to plan, design and project manage a single storey ground floor extension for me to use as a wheelchair bound paraplegic. We were delighted by the result. The plan was for a bedroom, shower room and utility room and during the planning stage we were very pleased by a number of innovative ideas which enhanced the use of the available space. The building work was closely monitored and managed and the result was far superior to anything we had imagined. I would unhesitatingly recommend this firm for their professional and creative services

John Smith

Bernard and Maria of ABP

Have carried out works for myself and my company over many years, the standard of workmanship, attention to detail and their ability to listen and transfer to the project what I as the client wanted was and is second to none. They are always approachable, professional and have a sense of humour which is needed on site, the end product has always been first class.

Frank Burnett-Alleyne

In 2004 my wife and I faced a stark choice to accommodate the demands on our living space placed by 3 fast-growing children and their burgeoning circle of friends - move to a larger house or extend our current abode.

For many reasons the latter was preferable, not least because we were very happy with our neighbourhood and loathe to move. Our challenge however was that we lived in a conservation area that was famous for its rigorous planning controls and we weren’t confident of securing approval for any planning applications. Having elected to at least investigate extending the house, we began searching for an architect to assist with the process. We reached out to 3 practices, finally electing to proceed with ABP architects. We were most impressed by their professionalism, obsessive attention to detail, design creativity and transparency in all the discussions.

ABP conducted thorough background research and advised that in view of the council’s rigorous approach to planning applications that two sets of plans should be submitted; an adventurous proposal that sought to fully exploit the potential of our house, an early Edwardian semi – exciting and innovative, this proposal would have added a further three good-sized rooms plus a large en-suite. The fall-back proposal was for a generously sized bedroom with en-suite. We agreed with this strategy and we reached a fully acceptable agreement with regard to the fees charged for the plans.

ABP advised us that their levels of confidence in the adventurous proposal being approved were not high, but that they were very confident that the fall-back proposal would be successful. ABP managed the entire planning submission process efficiently and effectively, keeping us fully informed at all stages. Ultimately, and as they had suspected, the council declined the adventurous proposal but approved the fall-back. As both designs required significant structural enhancements to our property ABP also managed the end to end process of interacting with the structural engineer we retained and also liaised with the builder appointed to undertake the actual work. Indeed the builder was glowing in his praise of the designs submitted, both for their creativity and clarity.
My wife and I have been 100% satisfied with the end result; the loft conversion is spacious and light, utilising dormer and Velux windows in the bedroom and our walk-in wet room is a delight. Other features such as the Velux window immediately above the staircase has made our house wonderfully bright and engaging, a characteristic that is always commented upon by first-time visitors.

In short our experience with ABP was one of total satisfaction; both Bernard and Maria clearly take great pride in their work, and in my opinion are absolutely and totally committed to ensuring they totally fulfil their obligations to the client. I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending ABP architects to anyone who has need of architectural services.

Seanie Ruttledge

Hired these people, was suddenly hit by financial hardship and had to ask them to hold off, they then produced "schemes" I never wanted or asked for, mailed them the following day, invoiced me for thousands of pounds, took me to court to "win" the money by misrepresenting the truth

They went on to try and have me arrested for publishing truthful statements about them on consumer protection forums, maliciously claiming that the facts I stated about them was "harassment" they failed!

Don't trust these chancers

james groux

I have worked many times with Bernard and found him to be very professional and knowledgeable in both party wall and architectural matters.