When was the work done?
In late July of 2017. What was involved?
It was a total restructuring of the downstairs of our house plus an extension. The original layout of the house had the kitchen to the front of the house and the sitting room to the back. We wanted to move the kitchen to the middle of the house and to build a big open plan extension at the rear of the house to serve as the dining/living area. The front of the house which was the kitchen is now a big play area for the kids. We're delighted with it.
How did you choose Outwards and Upwards?
We were introduced to Outwards and Upwards by the architect that we brought on board to design the alterations. He had a shortlist of different builders that he worked closely with and Kieran and his team were on that list.
We talked to quite a few builders as part of the process and from our perspective it was really about the chemistry. We just hit it off with Kieran. We got a good feeling about him in terms of how he handled our questions and we felt that this was a guy we could we could trust and that we could basically work/live with for the next 6 to 8 weeks. Also, he spent a lot of time with us before work started going over everything until we were all very clear about what was going to happen.
Had you definite ideas in mind before you talked to Kieran Ryan?
Yes we had a good idea of what we wanted.
Did Kieran introduce new ideas?
Yes we did end up altering a few things and that was largely thanks to Kieran’s ideas. For example, in terms of how the kitchen was linked to the new extension. Kieran suggested building a little fake wall to hide the kitchen and now we're delighted that we did that.
Kieran also suggested changing the width of a window on the side of the house - he even cut bricks to show us how it would look with different widths We shortened the window a little bit and we were really happy we did that - it fits the wall far better than the original design.
Kieran gave great advice in terms of doors, colours etc. He wasn't telling you what to do but he would give suggestions and ideas based on what he had seen work well in other jobs.
How did the project run?
Fantastic, very professional. They were coming from the northside so he told us they would be here at 7:15 every morning and would work through till about 3:30 or 4. Every morning he was knocking at the door at 7:15 and we’d do a quick walk through.
They finished a week early and it wasn't a rush job. Kieran just had everything down to a T. Any snags that arose afterwards, he either came back himself or organised the other trades to come back and fix them very quickly. We are delighted with the work, he's a really skilled carpenter as well
What was the biggest benefit to you of using Outwards and Upwards?
Given that we couldn't move out of the house and that we have two young children, the biggest benefit was that he was so accommodating in terms of how he progressed the work. For example Kieran wanted to remove the old kitchen before the bank holiday weekend but when we asked him to leave it until after weekend it was no problem. He was very patient when we were trying to decide on stuff like door handles. No question was a stupid question with Kieran. He ‘s a good guy to deal with - very personable and responsive.
Kieran would also do small things for you at no extra cost.
What's your favourite part now?
The new extension where I have an L-shaped couch and big TV right down by the doors to the garden - I love crashing there in the evenings. It's just like a modern new house now.
Would you recommend Outwards and Upwards to others?
Absolutely. When they finished up I said to Kieran that I have no problem if he ever wants to send anyone over to come around and inspect the work. Myself and my wife were thoroughly delighted with him.
