Prime Living

John Houlihan at Prime Living did an excellent job of project managing my total house refurbishment. Most helpful was the very detailed works list he drew up at the start of the project meaning builders could all quote on an equal basis. It also meant that the selected builder adhered to the pre agreed cost/specification. Of course there were extras as a result of unknown issues subsequently discovered in a 90 year old house, but John was good at acting as my agent in dealing with the builders and, through his in-depth knowledge, ensuring that any extras were fairly costed. I would certainly recommend Prime Living to manage any similar refurbishment project. They certainly saved me a lot of worry and stress, and at the end of it I have a house to be proud of!

I cannot thank John enough for the excellent job he did helping me bring to life the renovation of my basement. His calm demeanour and wealth of experience in the building trade meant that I felt confident that he would source the highest calibre of trades people to work on my project. He was there at every stage of the project, helping me find superb contractors and then overseeing the building schedule and dealing with any minor hiccups that presented themselves along the way. He visited the job twice weekly and always did everything he could to ensure I was made as comfortable as possible during the inevitable disruption required to replace a kitchen/bathroom. I would strongly recommend anyone undertaking a large building project to take on John’s services. Well worth building his fee into a budget for that added peace of mind and knowledge he will resolve any issues that arise during a project. 10/10!

We engaged Prime Living to project manage our home renovation, with an aim to modernise the tired Mock Tudor exterior. John arranged for some excellent architects to manage the design and specification, then put the work out to tender and supplied three quotes from different general contractors, and multiple quotes from cladding/roofing companies. Having selected a contractor, roofer, and window/door supplier with John's guidance, we placed oversight of all work into his extremely capable hands. I think it's fair to say we'd never have managed to do this project without Prime Living - they were there every step of the way, and provided expert guidance for every decision that needed making. John especially was fantastic at stepping in and helping me to remain calm when the inevitable hurdles in a large project presented themselves, and we're thrilled with the final result. Our forever home is better than we could ever have reasonably expected. We've already got plans for some internal changes over the next few years, and will certainly engage Prime Living again when the time comes. I wouldn't dream of using anyone else.

I think John’s services are absolutely essential for any major building work, and would absolutely recommend him to any friends or family who need building work done. I had a loft conversion and full refurbishment done to my small flat, to make it far more spacious and liveable, and enlisted the help of Prime Living. When I approached him, I wasn’t sure initially whether it would (a) be something I could afford, and (b) something he even did, since some of the projects on the website seemed quite grand in comparison! But John’s a really great guy, and was only too happy to help. He quoted a fee upfront which was actually far less than I anticipated, and as he said, this never increased no matter how much work was required in the end, which in my case was a lot! It was absolutely the best decision I could have made. It may seem like a loft conversion would be fairly straightforward but I didn’t appreciate beforehand how difficult the process is, especially for a flat. There are so many surveys, permissions, regulations etc. I would have given up a long time ago if John wasn’t there to help. He sorted out all the paperwork for me and told me exactly what to do and when, and what to expect. I absolutely hate that stuff, so even just his help on that made it worthwhile! Not to mention taking care of the many things that took me by surprise. In my case, I have the absolute worst neighbours in the world next door, and John was always there to ensure everything went smoothly, despite their best (and somewhat deranged!) efforts to derail the project at every stage. So he ended up doing a huge amount of work for me from when I first called him to now, and he could easily have charged twice his fee and it would have been worth it. As far as the building work went, everyone who he brought in to work on the flat was excellent, from the builders to painters, and that saved a lot of hassle, since I knew everyone was doing their work well, and I could check with John at all stages if I wasn’t sure about something. He would always check in as well to monitor their progress. Having John there also meant I could do a lot of things in the flat that I wanted to do, but probably wouldn’t if I was dealing directly with a builder, since I’ve usually found they tell you the best way to do things. But now my flat is exactly as I wanted it. As I say, I can’t recommend him enough.

Prime Living helped us achieve a speedy resolution on a Listed Buildings Consent matter. We would not hesitate to use them again, and will be recommending to our network.

We used Prime Living to oversee the renovation of our Victorian house in Worthing after a recommendation from a neighbour who had used them twice. Our project involved a ground floor extension to house a new kitchen, as well as a first floor new bathroom and the fitting of an en-suite for the master bedroom. The whole process from architect design, tender, choice of builder and management of the (now completed) project was handled by Prime Living. There were several unforeseen issues during the build, but these were handled in a professional and calm manner, with clear communication at all stages. We are delighted with the work done and are really enjoying the enhancements made to our home. We would not hesitate in recommending Prime Living for their considerable expertise and professionalism. Mike and Amanda Chapman.

John came through a personal recommendation and oversaw the refurbishment of a flat in Rustington. We have no hesitation in recommending him. He coordinated all the works extremely efficiently and the depth of his expertise and experience came through in all his guidance and communications. Nothing was too much trouble and we are really happy with the end result.

We employed John to project manage the complete refurbishment of a 3 story Victorian townhouse in Brighton. This included windows, electrics, plumbing, kitchens, bathrooms, and major structural work. We are delighted with the result, John dealt with the tender, suppliers and builders. He came up with common sense solutions where problems arose and his knowledge of the industry was invaluable in saving us money and completing the work to a very high standard. He significantly reduced our stress levels! We would thoroughly recommend him for any project.

John worked with us through a complete home renovation and extension, from the earliest stages of design, planning, and contractor tendering and then managed the project to successful completion. This included a great deal of batting back and forth plans and ideas, checking out window replacement companies, kitchen manufacturers and tendering out the build to a number of contractors during multiple Covid lockdowns. The whole project took a long time but throughout John was a delight to work with. He provided sound advice, good ideas and was always receptive to our own feedback and ideas. He was a calming influence whenever we felt overwhelmed and excelled at sorting out solutions for the inevitable problems that arose along the way. We thoroughly enjoyed working with John and would highly recommend using Prime Living. Caroline and Alistair

I found John’s help and advice as project manager invaluable. He found an excellent building firm, paid frequent visits to make sure all was well and he came straightaway if I had any problems. He’s also very pleasant to deal with.

John’s depth of experience, excellent communication skills and integrity make him an ideal guide through the intricacies of a construction project, from inception to completion. John has listened carefully, and advised us thoughtfully with wisdom, patience and good humour. We are so glad that John is with us on our renovation journey and would not hesitate to recommend him to manage any project, small or large! Linda and Bernie Anderson

I don’t think we would have got our project off the ground let alone to completion if it weren’t for John. As complete novices to any building project, John came recommended to us by a neighbour. His expertise and guidance from architects through to tendering builders was invaluable. John ensured the work was also completed to his high standards and picked up on things we were clueless about. We could not be happier with our finished result.

John Houlihan performed a thoroughly professional job from helping us with the initial designs and plans through total oversight of all the work. His project management skills are excellent and his friendliness and humour make him very easy to work with. We would recommend him without hesitation to friends and relatives.

John worked with us on our recent garage conversion. We found John through a web search, and were very impressed with the services provided throughout our project. His communication was fantastic, and we were particularly pleased with his choice of contractor for the works - both in terms of price and service. Everything was made so much easier when working with John, and we would highly recommend his services to anyone.

It was a pleasure to work with John. He took all the hassle out of finding contractors, managing contractors and quality-controlling the work. It wasn’t easy trying to get materials on site and keeping to a timeline during CovID, but John proved himself more than worthy. I would recommend his services to anyone considering a construction or refurb project.

John at Prime Living project-managed my Brighton flat renovations with a degree of excellence that far surpassed my expectations. He has an extensive network of tradespeople and was able to ensure excellent prices and a brilliant finish. His communication throughout the project was exceptional, always keeping me informed and aware. John is highly conscientious and experienced and makes a stressful process so much easier. I cannot recommend Prime Living enough, great job John, I will be using you next time for sure.

We appointed John as the project manager for the complete refurbishment of a holiday home in Rustington. We found his details on the web, but didn't have a personal recommendation so relied on all of the reviews which were already outstanding. From our experience, from start to finish, John's outstanding reputation is completely deserved. Being remote from site and busy with work - we needed someone who could completely de-stress the project for us, and bring his skills, experience, contacts and excellent regular communication to get our project from a dream to reality We have no hesitation in strongly recommending John!

If you are looking for a project manager who will relieve you of all the stress related to work needing to be done in your home, one who will totally follow the job, keep you in the loop, coordinate the renovations and support you with your requirements, then John Houlihan is the only man to employ. My project was a difficult one, in an old building, and at no time did I have an anxious moment. It looks fantastic, I was always calm, and it could not have been achieved without his professional support.

Prime Living were hired for help with a full renovation of a dilapidated one bedroom flat. John took care of sourcing the right contractors and Project Managing the whole project. It was reassuring to have a PM who is knowledgeable, competent and experienced as John on your side. In particular the 3D models created were a big help in visualizing layout ideas in the planning stage. Always quick to respond offering good advice and would only accepting the highest standards of work, which was a great relief. Throughout the project he was communicative, helpful and thorough in his approach. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone.

We are returning customers to Prime Living having used their services for a hugely successful and beautiful kitchen extension in our previous home. Once again we have received professional guidance and excellent advice from the first ideas to the completion of our new bathroom and laundry room. We couldn’t be more delighted. Prime Living will also be overseeing our garden re-design as well as a workshop structure at the side of the house. We have no doubt we will be pleased with the result.

After completing a form on the Houzz app for advice about remodelling our 1930's bungalow, John contacted me very promptly, requesting a few more details and arranged a meeting. Stu and I found John's expertise very professional; his friendly manner and knowledge was second to none. He was quickly able to confirm that re-modelling our property - instead of building a costly extension - would be feasible, provide us with better value for money and meet the needs of our brief. Further to our meeting, we appointed John for the property appraisal & survey, development of 3-D sketches and preparation of a detailed Schedule of Works, to get you ready for Tender - all costed at a very competitive rate. From our initial discussion, John having looked at the space and considered budget etc, we were in agreement that to meet our needs the works overall would mainly include the following; - Re-modelling the layout to provide a much larger open-plan kitchen/dining and living space. - Renovation of the existing bath/shower room to provide a more modern facility. - Provision of an en-suite to the main bedroom. - Removal of the chimney breast between both existing bedrooms. - A basic/structural loft conversion to allow this space to be used and developed further as a potential bedroom/study and utility space. The stair access would be from the existing second bedroom. - A basic garage conversion to provide another second bedroom at ground floor level. John was mindful, at all times, of our restrictive budget for the remodelling project (50K) discussing what work would be practical to complete ourselves. John also advised about going to Tender for the works, which was a great help to avoid the pitfalls of appointing a contractor and to get the best quote. We have completed the tender process, receiving three detailed quotes in line with the Schedule of Works. If you are considering re-modelling you home or property, John Houlihan at Prime Living is definitely the expert for the job! Thanks for everything John. Best regards, Rach, Stu and Doris!

John was recommended to us by some friends for our medium sized renovation project involving a number of contractors. His helpful advice, tactical mediation and extensive experience made the whole project incredibly smooth. Truly it would not have happened so quickly or easily without him. Thank you so much, we are so in love with our house and now need extremely valid reasons to go out.

We hired Prime Living as consultant and project manager for a replacement window project. The project was complex, involving planning consents for a Grade 1 listed building, freeholder negotiation, and difficult access issues through neighbour properties. As budgeted, the project took some eight months from initiation to completion, and Prime Living handled every stage with patience and complete professionalism. Based on this successful delivery we would recommend Prime Living for similar projects.

John was really helpful and guided us through the design and planning process, coming up with some good ideas to help and nothing was ever too much trouble, even when my partner did change her mind after the drawings/plans had been done. Highly recommended.

We bought our bungalow with a view to do extensive works with what we thought would be an adequate budget. When we received our quotes we didn’t realise it would cost so much and were not sure what to do next. When we contacted Prime Living were not even sure what we were expecting, John Houlihan came out to see us and changed everything, He asked what we wanted and what our budget was and then with a few changes we have finally got the home we dreamed of. He was professional, knowledgeable, very calm and patient and an absolute pleasure to work with. He made it so much easier, he kept on top of everything and nothing was too much trouble. He made sure everything was done to a high standard and came up with some really great ideas that we wouldn’t have thought of. We would highly recommend him to anyone. Thanks again John

John project managed our kitchen & diner renovation plus garage conversion to utility room. He was a pleasure to work with: calm, professional, knowledgeable, and competent. He planned and co-ordinated everything and supervised the work quality ensuring a high standard with good control of budget. We would be happy to recommend him to anyone.

I had a very large project and need a professional to help with the management, John Houlihan was the perfect fit. He was with me from the word go, dealt with everything from Architect to planning dept to groundworkers and final build. The outcome is fantastic and it has been, for me, totally stress free. John is extremely knowledgable and diligent. He visited the site daily, sometimes 2 or 3 times at strategic moments, liaising with the contractors and agreeing prices with them. At all times I knew that I could trust him to always have by best interests at the front of his mind. He gave me design ideas and listened patiently to my own. Nothing was too much trouble and I believe that he went above and beyond the service I would have received elsewhere. Brilliant!

I live in Spain and was selling my Grade 2 property when I found I needed specialist help and advice on a problem I was having with the local councils Heritage Department. A friend recommended Primeliving uk as she had employed them to undertake a fairly large project extending her kitchen - I’d seen it and it was a great transformation. Primeliving uk were extremely prompt and professional and at the same time friendly and approachable. They understood my situation immediately which was a great relief and I had every confidence in them which I needed when trying to resolve issues from overseas.

John worked with us to build a two-storey side return in place of a leaky garage, and we cannot recommend him enough. He is courteous, professional and friendly, with a real eye for detail. Every stage of the job was carefully managed with close, regular consultations, from the planning permission to the building control sign off, and everything in between. The crew that John managed were tidy and really went above and beyond to ensure that everything was fitted to our specifications. The snagging process at the end was particularly impressive, with the team fixing and repairing things we hadn't even asked them to do. Obviously, you pay for this kind of service, but as a busy family with two small children (and a third on the way!), it was worth every penny. We couldn't have done it otherwise. Thank you, John!

Prime Living project managed our kitchen refit and remodelling. We wouldn’t have got it done without them. They helped in organising us to get things going and keeping us moving along prompting us when we needed to be making decisions as well as sourcing good suppliers and contractors. John goes the extra mile making sure we are happy with what’s happening, chasing up suppliers and following up on snags and being on site to coordinate and manage contractors and suppliers. He is always quick to respond and effective in taking action and has an eye for detail.

Home Extension Project Having made the decision to extend and update our kitchen, we decided to employ Prime Living to manage the project for us. John Houlihan came to the house to gather thoughts and ideas of what we wanted and to discuss the options available to us. We didn’t engage an architect, and John was able to help us achieve an extension design that was sympathetic to the existing house, whilst also maximising the feeling of space and importantly, that worked to our budget. He also dealt with everything else required including Planning, engineer input, building control and liaising with our neighbours over party wall matters. Three different contractors were invited to quote for the job, and the successful company was great, delivering high quality work and were a pleasure to deal with. We had some unforeseen extras along the way, but these were reasonably priced and the job was kept within the budget without any compromise on quality. He prepared a clear schedule of work for us and for the contractors and managed, with frequent visits and continuous liaising with all relevant parties, to ensure the project was finished within the time scale. We would not hesitate to use Prime Living for future home modifications and would thoroughly recommend them to anyone embarking on a similar project.

We moved into our doer-upper of a house in January. We knew we wanted to knock through at the back to create a big kitchen/diner and in the toilet/bathroom to create one big bathroom. Having managed a new kitchen ourselves a couple of years ago we were keen to have some help, particularly in terms of dealing with tradespeople. Our initial thought was to get an architect and we contacted a few. Then a lucky search pulled up Prime Living on Houzz and we thought we might as well get a quote from a project manager too. Of all the people we spoke to at this point, John from Prime Living impressed us with his professional and friendly approach and we felt we could work well with him. That was back in March and since then John has worked hard to help us make the changes we wanted to in our house. We're very glad that we went down the project manager route. John's done exactly as we hoped - advised us with all aspects of the project during the design phase, liaised with the trades and scheduled all the work. He also dealt with building control to ensure all necessary consents were obtained. He has also been easily available via email, text and on the phone to answer queries when needed. There are always hiccups in projects but John has always been on hand to offer advice and sort out any issues. We now have a lovely new kitchen and family room (for which John did four different designs until we were all happy) in addition to a new family bathroom. We feel that John helped us to get the most out of our budget in addition to making things happen all through the process. We value the support we received from John and can’t imagine how we would have done it without him.

Prime Living I've worked with Prime Living on a number of buy-to-let projects over recent years, and have always been impressed with their approach and professionalism. John's quite adept at getting the best out of contractors (and as such the best for my business), and its been a huge support to me, allowing me to focus where I really need to. Having relocated to Devon and taken on another project, I naturally contacted John to seek advice with a Planning issue and yet again his support has been invaluable. Highly recommended!

This is the second time we have employed Prime Living to project manage a refurbishment for us. The first was for a complete refurbishment of a flat for an older relative. When we were looking to redo our bathroom, we decided to ask John (Prime Living) if he would be interested in quoting. As he had previously completed a larger project for us we did wonder if our bathroom might perhaps be too small. We needn’t have worried. He was only too happy to quote and we were delighted, as we had complete confidence in him and his company. John project manages in a friendly but professional manner and his attention to detail is excellent with nothing too small or too much trouble to get right. He liased with our chosen bathroom furniture suppliers and resolved a couple of issues we had with them particularly when we had to send a damaged item back. In the initial stages of the project he researched various bathroom furniture, tiling and flooring for us emailing us links and setting up an online Ideabook for us. When everything was finalised to our satisfaction, he provided a detailed schedule of works with start and completion dates. The two main contractors who were on site each day were friendly, polite and considerate which was reassuring. As a woman working from home feeling comfortable about having contractors in my house is a big consideration. They even tried very hard each day to make friends with our rescue dog whose main mission was to stop them getting over the threshold! Although by its very nature the project was disruptive, John and his team kept disruption to a minimum at all times. When other contractors were needed John arranged for them to fit in with the sequence of works being carried out to minimise any delays. John was always on time when appointments were made and always got back to us efficiently and promptly with any queries we had. We never at any time felt we couldn’t trust him to get the job done and in our opinion he goes above and beyond to make sure you are happy at each stage of the work and at completion.

Wow! What can I say.. or where to start ! I can be a tad fussy and certainly as a working mum who works away most of the time, I have got not the time or contacts, however I like and appreciate a job well done... As soon as I met John I could tell we were on the same page ...it was sooooooo easy working with him ... he kept me informed of pretty much everything or what I needed to know. I have got not the time or intention to deal with every single detail! John was always on top of things so I just didn't worry or bothered ! My budget wasn't big, however John and his team were able to bring the project alive with high expectations and pretty much ticking all the boxes required with no hassle and minimal work for me involved (if any!) John's team is the best of the best ... tidy top workers selected from their skills and total professionals. I had a full bedroom with partial reform of upstairs/landing and hallway ... all with final decor, flooring and our fav beautiful fitted wardrobes ... From start to finish ... 1st class ! THANK YOU :)

From my experience Prime Living are a competent and trustworthy company, I would not hesitate in recommending Prime Living for project management and construction work.

An elderly aunt had purchased an apartment in a very sheltered accommodation block which required complete renovation (new kitchen and bathroom and complete redecoration throughout). John (Prime Living) was introduced to us by the management of the block and although he came without a specific recommendation his professionalism, knowledge and easy going manner gave us the confidence to go ahead with an initial quotation. After accepting the quote John's project management made everything so easy for us. The quality of the contractors and their work was second to none and apart from decisions about flooring and paint colours etc we did not have to worry about anything. John kept us regularly informed on progress and dealt with all the red tape required when carrying out a refurbishment within a sheltered accommodation block. All the work was carried out to a very high standard, on time and within the agreed budget. We made a few alterations to our original choices and these were dealt with courteously and without fuss. We were extremely pleased with the end result and would have no hesitation in recommending John's services.

I hired this company to design and replace my old kitchen as well as some decorating and I am very pleased with the results. The decorating was perfectly done and the kitchen is exactly as I wanted it. The team were very helpful and professional in the way they worked and advised me and they finished on time which was very important for me. The price was as they quoted and was very reasonable. I would certainly recommend to others.

My two sons arranged for Prime Living to sort my new kitchen, and this company took care of everything. I’m very pleased with the result and appreciate that they took the time to talk through the kitchen with me and how I use it, so as to make it more individual and safer just for me. I was pleased to be able to deal with just one person, and John always explained everything clearly. I would definitely recommend Prime Living to others.