Testimonials

My wife and I engaged Rob on what was a relatively small but really quite complex extension to our brick Victorian-era home. Specifically, we were wanting to extend out to the boundary, making use of about 11 square metres of ‘dead space’ on the dark side of our home, enabling a small pokey en suite to become a large WIR that led to the new bathroom.

When we first met with Rob, we weren’t even sure whether what we had in mind was even possible or indeed realistically likely to be approved by Council. Our immediate impression of Rob was that he had great creativity, but was also extremely practical and knowledgeable of various Councils and their various and respective approaches to development, particularly where there is heritage overlay.

Rob’s design ideas and plans came through surprisingly quickly, and were very much on point with what we imagined. The quality of the plans / drawings was excellent. He also made some suggestions which were vast improvements on what we had thought were ‘good ideas’.

Once we settled on final plans, we went ‘to tender’ and received three proposals from builders, one of which we immediately discounted. Frankly, we found it very difficult to track ‘like for like’ between the two final contenders, and Rob volunteered to assist us in interpreting and comparing each on a ‘like for like’ basis. This was of great assistance and meant that we could be decisive and truly informed of what we were deciding, rather than spending hours (arguing…) trying to understand and compare the two.

On reflecting on our interactions with Rob, it is his willingness to resolve issues and problems that were not his doing that stand out to me as truly exceptional. We had some concerns regarding a number of issues with our builders early in the build phase, and with just a day or two’s notice, Rob involved himself and resolved the situation within minutes.

Rob’s responsiveness, professionalism, knowledge, creativity and practicality were outstanding and he was truly the ‘glue’ the held our project together.

Since our project completed, I have recommended Rob to three different acquaintances. I would have no hesitation in working with Rob again, and indeed plan to do so when we plan our larger extension.

Thank you Rob!

Rob Harris provided a fantastic service with the drafting of design concepts for my house renovation. After the design concept was finalised Rob’s advice in relation to the building permit process was superb.

What impressed me most was Rob’s open communication and quick turnaround time with the original drawings and subsequent amendments.

I would highly recommend Rob to anyone looking to get a design for their building project.

“Over Delivered” is the easiest term to sum up Rob’s dealing with us with the design and planning of our extension. It’s a massive decision choosing someone to design your family home that you plan to live in for 20+ years. As much as you think you can research and look at referrals and past work, so much of it is down to the simple things that Rob just nails each and every time:

• Practical Design ideas. Rob’s got a great balance between leading edge design and the practicality and usability for a family
• Cost Conscious. Quality is key in his design, but he is also very aware on areas that could have alternative materials/ ideas for cost reduction
• Planning knowledge. Great experience of knowing what ‘could delay’ Planning
• Ego. Great style in listening to what you want, and not too precious to try and always force his ideas.
• Reliability. His strongest area without a doubt – Rob’s response times were always so fast. Nothing sits with him for long, keeping momentum ticking along nicely
• Style. It’s hard not to get on well with him. Might be due to the above reasons or simply that he is generally nice.

We spoke to 4 different Architects during our initial design stage – Rob was the best, easiest and right choice.

Working with Rob was a pleasure and we would use him again for our next project.

We were first time renovators and had a tight budget. Rob worked with us along the way to make sure we were comfortable with staging our renovation and considering the impact of today’s works on our longer term vision. He was also patient and worked with us through many variations and changes that came up as our knowledge grew and our thinking evolved.

After this, we developed a good sense of rapport and trust with Rob and asked him to run the tender process to select our builder. Rob ran this process thoroughly and gave us a lot of comfort around the various criteria that we should use in builder selection. Even after this Rob remained committed to the project and constantly checked in with us (and the site) during the build. We have just recently moved in and couldn’t be happier with Rob’s input and effort into shaping our family home.

I would like to express our deepest appreciation for your assistance in obtaining town planning for our project in Bentleigh East.

You have provided us with various floor plan options and were very patient with us while we decided which floor plan was going to suit our target market best. The town planning process is extremely complicated for both first time developers, as well as professional developers. You took the pressure off by liaising directly with council and our builders.

We look forward to our next project together and next time we will consult with you as soon as we purchase our block.

Rob was fantastic to work with. A great listener, thorough, a clear communicator with quick turnaround times. He left decision making to us but tested any of our non-standard ideas and made smart suggestions (which we ended up using). He went out of his way to be helpful for our specific needs. Great value for money. You’ll be happy you decided to work with Elements of Home.

Looking at the challenge of finding more space but with a limited budget we turned to Rob for ideas. His collaborative approach allowed us to combine his ideas and experience with our lifestyle preferences to come up with a design we love. He was responsive and flexible and provided both creative and pragmatic advice about the design which was critical for us given it was our first time working through a major renovation. Thank you Rob

We were very pleased with Rob’s professionalism, patience and ability to listen to and interpret our needs.  He collaborated very well with our interior designer and we are more than happy with his final plans. We would not hesitate to recommend Rob to anyone planning a renovation or a new build.

I found Rob Harris to be extremely professional, courteous and thorough. His work was delivered promptly and he was able to explain all aspects of the process. His ideas and explanations were invaluable to us as first time renovators.

I am pleased to write this testimonial for Elements of Home.

Rob prepared a number of different design options for us to review. We discussed the different options and finalised a plan based on our needs. He was flexible, good humoured and committed to helping us achieve our vision.

With budget and time constraints to contend with Rob helped to manage the process without complaint or difficulty and he helped liaise with the other experts and consultants when we needed them.

I would be happy to recommend Rob and Elements of Home in the future.

We were introduced to Rob Harris & Elements of Home to provide designs for a major renovation of our home. Rob’s careful and detailed eye presented us with a beautiful design solution which delicately balanced our criteria to retain elements of our existing home, whilst accommodate the number of rooms and open plan living areas we were seeking.

Most importantly, Rob displayed a professional and approachable manner at all times, which enabled the design process to be collaborative.

The end result has produced a design which we are confident will be as beautiful in actuality as it is currently on paper!

We would not hesitate to partner with Rob again for future projects.

We used Rob for drafting plans for a renovation of a house we just purchased. Rob was prompt and very professional in all our dealings with him. He was helpful taking our ideas and turning them quickly into plans we could use. He was also helpful with suggestions and providing other services which made the process much easier for us. We highly recommend Rob

Used rob to prepare my drawings for a pergola. Excellent service and always got back to be with honest advice. Thanks

Rob is a true professional who provided expertise and helped us with work we would not have been able to do ourselves. Within a very short period of time he had a result for us. At all times he kept us informed of the status of the project and provided guidance when further details were needed. He further helped us by engaging other consultants who needed to provide information to assist our application to council. Without his persistence we would not have the positive result we have today. Thanks Rob so much for your effort, we are delighted 

Used Rob Harris on a residential project I was working on. Rob made the process simple, was reliable and I can highly recommend him to anyone for any building project.

We have used Rob for a number of projects around our properties. He has provided excellent, innovative designs, arranged all the permits and provided quality tradespeople to complete the work. We will continue to use his services and gladly recommend them to others.

Rob gave us some great ideas for our small renovation at home. He was friendly, reliable and efficient. He was happy to come back whenever needed or to speak to us to help us out. We would definitely use him again

We contacted Elements of Home after buying our first home, which needed a lot of work, but we were struggling with a limited budget. From our first meeting, Rob Harris helped us prioritise and map out the most cost effective things we could do to best update our home. He was generous with his time and advice, managed the high quality tradespeople he organised to do the work and ensured our renovations were undertaken on time and to the absolutely highest standard. Rob was very patient with all of our questions and nothing was too much trouble. His advice was always spot on. We now have an amazing kitchen and bathroom and we’ll be contacting Rob again when we have any other work to do

Thanks for the work you did designing the rather complicated home extension we required. The whole design process took a lot less time than I thought it would, and the end result is fantastic. You managed to incorporate the spirit of fun the kids wanted in the entertainment areas without resorting to the sorts of gimmicks they had wanted. No fireman’s poles and bowling alleys this time. Even though we live in a house that’s 90+ years old, the modern areas you designed are seamless additions.

Thank you again for all that you did. If I can recommend you to potential customers, I most certainly will. I know you are working on a design for a good friend of mine and I know she is happy with what you have done.

Looking forward to continuing to work with you in the future.

Our experience of working with Rob and Ari has been a very positive one. From the ‘getting to know you’ meetings to finalising plans and adjusting expectations to reality, they have made the journey both informative and smooth. Our comments and questions have been welcomed in the design process. They have provided immediate advice when needed, and worked hard to ensure that deadlines are met. We look forward to working with them again on future projects.

Just wanted to say how impressed I am with your service and the standard of the work. From the initial discussions with Rob through to the regular contact from Ari to make sure all was going along well, it was exceptional service.Josh and Doug have been very particular and are a refreshing change from the tradespeople we have used before. I would, and will, gladly recommend your service to many others.

Thanks again for a job well done.

Rob and Ari at Elements of Home™ were our ‘renovation partners’, and together we transformed our house. It was a great source of support to be able to tap into their resources, experience and contacts, especially with so many unexpected things that inevitably occur. We would not have achieved the same level of design and execution without them.

Recently my partner and I completed a renovation of our home. More than just a renovation! We virtually gutted the entire house which involved architectural drawings, engineering drawings, plans being approved by council, pulling down walls, lifting floors replacing architraves, ceilings and all fittings, a new kitchen, new bathrooms and cupboards. Needless to say this involved all of the trades you can imagine

As we both lead busy lives, there’s no way in the world we could have handled this major project without help. So we called in Rob Harris of Elements of Home™ to assist us. I must say that Rob did more than assist! He did all the architectural drawings and got everything passed by council, organised every single trade, got various quotes, even got on his hands and knees at one stage and worked alongside the trades. Rob was there every morning to let the trades in and made sure that the house was pristine when we got home at night. Rob made sure that we always had a clean place to sleep and orchestrated the works around our needs. There is no way we could have undertaken such a major project on our own.

I can thoroughly recommend Elements of Home™ for any project, no matter how big or small.

We always felt comfortable taking our renovation issues to Rob. Not only is Rob the paragon of patience, he was always courteous and available. Importantly, he got the job done. That was what I wanted. Rob’s team of tradesmen is accountable to Rob, and vice versa. I did not have to get involved with the nitty-gritty. I felt comfortable in dealing with Rob who then made sure that my needs were met. Needless to say, had I not utilised the services of Elements of Home™, my budget would have blown out substantially. Whilst there is always some budget blow out, I do believe that Rob made every effort to curtail this.

My partner and I thank Rob and his team for a sterling effort, a professional delivery and creative result.