Awards and Recognition

The highest testimony I can give is having worked with Sean and Stephen in a professional capacity through my role at the London Borough of Waltham Forest I then chose them to be the architects for my own home extension. I trusted them to improve my home, meet my children, husband (and my cats) and to shape how I will live in my house for many years to come…. they are trustworthy, conscientious and sticklers for detail. I felt comfortable leaving them a key to my home when they needed to take measurements and felt able to ring them once the design was completed for advice on anything from the contract, to design challenges, changes and how to approach issues with the contractor.

We recently purchased a terraced house in North London and are working with Pencil & Brick on a renovation of the 4-bedroom house (built in the early 1900s, last owner has lived here since the 80s). Neither myself or my husband have done a renovation before (this is also our first home purchase) – after talking to a few different architects, Pencil & Brick were the obvious choice.

Sean and Jana have listened to our vision and worked to accommodate, while also offering a ton of advice from the practical (moving into the house before we start work in order to save money and experience living in the house) to design/layout suggestions (adding entryway storage for post-walks with the dog, considering different kitchen layouts to balance storage and comfort). I’ve also been impressed by their focus on sticking to our budget – every stage involves a review of tentative budget and suggestions around potential ‘watch outs’. And last-but-not-least – the whole team are good people that you’ll enjoy getting on a call with, which makes whole process much more fun and enjoyable.

It’s been excellent working with Seán and Matt on the renovation of our house. They listened closely to what we needed and developed thoughtful and exciting designs that responded to our brief and budget. They also made some great suggestions for things we hadn’t even thought of, which has strengthened the design further. We’ve just submitted our planning application, and we can’t wait to see their designs turn into reality.

I have worked with Pencil And Brick on a few projects. One was a particularly tricky one where planning permission was proving difficult. They were with me every step of the way and saw the application through til the successful end! We are now working on another project which I am looking forward to fulfilling. They have a wealth of professional connections that make life so much easier. I have used other ‘planners’ and have been very nervous and the process has not been smooth but with Seán I feel I am in safe hands. Trusting your professionals is a very large part of your build journey and I can say I trust Seán and the team.

Seán and the team at Pencil & Brick have been amazing on this second residential job they have been doing for me on Forest Road in Walthamstow. They take the time to go through what is needed and are knowledgeable on what is possible. They manage to make my big ideas reality! Their professionalism and understanding of the process to achieve planning for your project is second to none. The whole team is very patient and listen to your thoughts and work through them with you and then they miraculously produce all these options for you that you didn’t think possible. And they somehow remain totally calm when you are having a bit of a meltdown (guilty) and come up with a solution for you.

Pencil and Brick have been amazing partners as we have embarked on converting an outside area to a new indoor area, complete with living wall. They have helped navigate through challenging planning, building regs and complex design needs always making me feel comfortable that we are balancing timing, cost and quality finish to deliver a successful outcome. Their one stop integrated design and building service has been a godsend taking away complex project management, dealing with builders etc. Their building team are punctual, keep a tidy site and are always there to help. Very pleased with Sean, Qatip and team!

A year ago I found myself in quite a tricky situation with the local authority during a project I had started that was threatening to unravel in an expensive fashion. Sean (and Matt) took over the project, somehow managed to bring calm to a difficult situation and I can now see light at the end of a long tunnel. His architectural work is first rate but of equal importance is his ability to deal with people in contentious professional situations, which having learnt the hard way, is one of the most important things in this business.

I can’t quite believe we are nearly finished. It comes with a sense of sadness as it has been real fun and pleasure working with you and your team. You have helped me develop and realise my vision, and I felt tremendously supported all the way, and my suggestions however unsound considered thoughtfully, and always with a smile on your faces. I still remember when I first clicked Pencil and Brick on the Houzz site back in March it was more dipping my toes in the water, a mere flirting with the idea, totally half hearted whether I want to do it. You persuaded me we do things in similar ways, the right way and convinced me to make the jumps. 9 months later there it is. 

“Pencil and Brick were a pleasure to work with. They were clear and quick in communications. They helped us prioritise when compromise was required, and are honest and direct. We engaged them as architects, project managers, and builders to renovate our Victorian home. The complete service made a stressful process as painless as possible and meant the project was finished within expected budget and on time. They collaborated with us, listened to our requirements and tailored their approach to our needs, offering clever solutions to tricky areas…They have transformed an uncomfortable house into a home we look forward to returning to and waking up to.”

In 2020 I decided to look for a design and build team that, initially, could help me to get planning permission to use my flat roof as a zoned outdoor space with some structural shading etc. I used Houzz to find firms to discuss the requirements with, and after being contacted by Sean it was immediately obvious that they were going to be the right partners in the project.

Through all the initial and then planning discussions I was guided through what the planners would and wouldn’t allow, and how we could design something that would give additional rooms, increase the value and give me the outdoor space I was after. The end result is much more ambitious than my initial vision, and will be so much more usable once complete than a plain roof terrace. The biggest surprise has been that we sailed through the planning, building regulation and construction process with minimal concessions being required. The construction team, everyone in Pencil and Brick, made the inherently difficult process of complex inner-city construction as enjoyable and as simple as could be hoped.