When Carrie and Alex Llewelyn finally found Kantec, they had been wanting to put a single-storey rear extension on their Victorian cottage for years. ‘We planned meticulously, so we’d been thinking about it for quite a long time and doing the saving up,’ said Carrie. ‘I definitely knew I wanted a one-stop shop company who had thought out all the contractors for me.’
A friend of hers, who works as a glazing supplier, had encountered Kantec on a few projects and recommended them to the couple. ‘I looked at the website and I thought, these guys look sophisticated. They are going to understand exactly what it is I want to do and they’re not going to be practising on me.’
Carrie met with Kantec Director Suk Grewal and was immediately impressed. ‘We really liked Suk. He was friendly, he wasn’t pushy. He was really professional and asked lots of intelligent questions. We know he was there to get the gig, but he handled it really well,’ she said. The couple then went to visit one of our past projects, owned by Sarah Willingham.
‘Her place was amazing,’ said Carrie. ‘And she was really nice and very positive about the experience and that was what clinched it. Sarah said, “There was never a raised eyebrow or any huffing or puffing when I wanted to change my mind.” And I would say that’s completely right.’
Carrie saw the detailed quoting stage as reflective of the team’s work in general. ‘We could see what was included and what wasn’t. They’d tried to address everything. If you don’t have confidence at the outset, then it’s hard to believe they’ll pay that attention to detail later on with the project.
‘I also liked the fact payment was linked to what had been achieved,’ she said. ‘This was updated each week so we would only ever pay against what work had been done, rather than what should had been done.’
“We were determined to get the money together to do the build the Kantec way”
The project was completed on schedule in the summer, meaning the couple could fold back their kitchen doors, and enjoy letting the sunshine in. ‘We’re really pleased with it. It’s brilliant. It’s transformed the house,’ said Carrie. ‘Before there was a horrible, leaky conservatory on the back. Now it’s a light, beautiful living space. It brings us together because we can all be in one big room. It really enhances your family life.’
