John Connelly - Received 5th JAN 1996

Now that we have moved into our new house and lived there for a few weeks, I feel it only proper that I should write to thank you and your team for all that you have done in providing us with a home that, quite honestly, has exceeded anything we ever expected. We are genuinely delighted, as much with the way in which the whole affair was conducted as with the property itself.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with and getting to know your people, something else that I hadn't expected, for my previous contacts, both actual and vicarious, with building contractors have not always been harmonious. However, I couldn't have asked for a pleasanter or more professional group with whom to be associated. Indeed, we are looking forward to meeting some of them again in the spring when they come back to finish those small bits that you yourself spotted but which, left to myself, I would probably have missed.

Whilst it is probably invidious to single out anyone in particular, our special thanks, I think, must go to two people, John Urquhart for his unflappability and quite remarkable patience in dealing with us in those stressful early days when planning permission was still at best speculative and there was no guarantee that there would ever be a contract, and to John Dodd who's management and control of the whole building process was, to my mind, outstanding and whose foresight was such that we never had to take a decision in a hurry. I think it says much that the December end-date, predicted in June, was not only met but actually bettered by several days.

I am particularly grateful both for your realistic Provisional Costing and for the quality of your finishing, With one exception, and the choice of more expensive kitchen tiles was ours, the actual costs were below your estimates. As a result, we were able to hold out our budget and there were no unpleasant shocks late in the programme. I am also grateful that you didn't skimp in order to keep costs down, for now we have a superbly finished house that we, an I hope you, are proud of.

I meant what I said about your using us as a West Coast reference site. We would be only too pleased to show your work to other prospective customers.

Meantime, thank you again, very much indeed, and I would appreciate it if you would pass our gratitude to the remainder of your team.