POD Bristol - Nurturing Your Build

Big thanks to Ben and his team for completing the project on time and in budget. Professional from start to finish, can't recommend these guys enough. See you on my next project!

We approached POD to discuss re-designing the back half of our Victorian semi, building an extension and relaying a garden patio & front path.We knew following our very first conversation that Ben and his team at POD would deliver exactly what we wanted. We were right.The project started on time, finished on time & was kept totally within budget.Communication with Ben throughout was completely faultless: emails, phone calls, requests to chat in person were followed up with a promptness beyond our expectation. Ben listens in a way that many people don’t: quietly, thoughtfully, returning with a great response showing that he had given the issue a lot of thought.Throughout the building work we were given progress reports weekly with additional updates as often as we requested. Nothing was too much trouble for the POD team. They introduced themselves to our neighbours before starting work (several of whom asked for business cards) and ended up on 1st name terms with many of them, who missed them when they left! We did too!! How often do you hear that?!The POD team took down an internal wall between our kitchen & dining area & had to put a steel in to support the upper floor. As it’s an old house, there were complications regarding joists & inside doors etc. They got the steel in which took a day. After getting it in, they worked out that it was possible to get it almost a foot higher than the architect had planned. They asked whether we would like them to raise it and we said yes, which took another day for them to do. A far simpler outcome for the team would have been to leave it as it was & we would have been none the wiser.But no: Ben and his team wanted the very best outcome for us, and so they told us. This is just one small example of the superb personal and professional service we received. Throughout the whole building work it felt as though the POD team were designing and working on their own homes.We cannot recommend POD enough, and look forward to getting in touch about subsequent projects.Thank you Ben & team!

Pod design were commissioned to refurbish 45 Elliston Road a long term “root and branch” refurbishment of a four a storey 1850’s mid Victorian house. For my wife and I this was thesecond house that we have refurbished and it was also our biggest challenge. This was a complex project due to the number “unknowns” of the property, which was sold “as seen” and thus without a mortgage. The project was also further complicated by the desire to achieve an improved EPC efficiency, improved natural light whilst introducing modern facilities such as a utility room and so on. This had to be achieved to a gold standard of finish, whilst also complying with the complex planning requirements, building regs and covenants, which demanded that no material changes affected the appearance of the building. Due to the scale of this project it was divided into stages. Critical to the success of this project was having a close working relationship with the builder to ensure that the “unknown” challenges could be overcome as they arose, solutions be sorted that were economical but without compromising the overarching design “look and feel”profiles whilst meeting regulations and staying within the planning constraints. Ben and Marek really pushed the boat out to keep this on track with excellent communications being the key to their success. No decisions were made without first having discussed the options with my wife and I first. Another key aspect was the timing all the various elements such as when things happen, when things need too be processed and the assisted budgeting and freeloaded of money. This is an important often overlooked element.Any kind of building work small or large will have its unknowns and complexities, but Pod worked to make the whole process come together as painlessly as I think is possible. The excellent communications and attention to finish and the holistic vision for the project were all critical element to the success, which I know from experience is sadly lacking for many building companies.In short I would thoroughly recommend them. I felt that they cared as much as we did about this project and really felt proud of the final results.

My wife and I entrusted the complete refurbishment of our three-bed garden flat to Ben and the POD team while we were in the United States. The work was extensive and included the use of steel beams to secure structural walls, the knocking down of other walls, bifold doors, entirely new electrics and plumbing, new flooring, decorating etc. My wife and I have utilised building contractors for a number of projects in the past and in our opinion POD set themselves apart from other builders on with their communication, design input and the excellent quality of the finish. Ben and the team are excellent communicators and provided progress and budget updates weekly, and any other time we asked. Despite us being in the US and unable to pop-in to see progress, we were kept constantly abreast of progress and budget, with photos, emails and calls... they really went above and beyond for us in that respect.The project was excellently-managed and the communication top-notch. The project was delivered on-time, and would have been on-budget if my wife and I hadn’t started choosing higher specification floors/bathrooms etc! As and when we need further work of this kind done, POD will be our go-to, and we wholeheartedly recommend POD builders