Guest Experts

Andrew McWhirter has over 30 years of experience as a Chartered Surveyor and works with the cream of the crop in private, commercial and state developments. He’s my trusted source for all matters involving party walls, so I was delighted when he offered to write some guest blogs for our readers. – John Dyer-Grimes If…

Andrew McWhirter has over 30 years of experience as a Chartered Surveyor and works with the cream of the crop in private, commercial and state developments. He’s my trusted source for all matters involving party walls, so I was delighted when he offered to write some guest blogs for our readers. – John Dyer-Grimes Before…

Justin Ayton is an Architectural Historian who advises on our work on listed buildings. He grew up in an old country house and has loved historic architecture ever since, a passion he has carried through an MA in Architectural History, a career as a conservation officer, then as a historic buildings inspector with English Heritage,…

We work with quantity surveyors on all of our projects. I’m entirely confident in our ability to design a house but – the same way I need an accountant for the business – I need a quantity surveyor to advise and monitor the costs of building one. Occasionally, I meet resistance from clients who don’t…

  “Landmark PT are essentially a tax consultancy and our clients are usually amazed at how easily they could have paid too much VAT if they had not sought specialist advice.” John Dyer-Grimes Since I set up my business, Landmark PT, I have been asked to review thousands of building projects and have identified VAT…

Hysteria – noun – exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion or excitement Panic – noun – sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety, often causing wildly unthinking behaviour Hype – noun – a deception carried out for the sake of publicity “Staggeringly incompetent” “Bereft of ideas” “A total lack of mental toughness and heart” No, this was not the…

Planning success in Provence hinges on the character of the village mayor. Some are fiercely protective of the local style and resist any changes while others are becoming more open to contemporary design, as long as it complements the landscape and the historical architecture of the area. Looking at Merindol les Oliviers, you might assume…

“Last month I visited Provence with Jemima and the children. While there, my good friend Tony Esslinger invited us to his stunning contemporary home surrounded by postcard perfect landscapes and rustic stone houses. I was so inspired by his home, I asked him to share how it came to life on our blog.” – John…

Galower Builders began in 1978 with just me and my good friend Mick Power. We met at Twickenham College, where I studied bricklaying and he studied carpentry to HNC level. We continued our education, completing our tech courses alongside architects, engineers and quantity surveyors. Together, we felt we had gained a solid understanding of quality…

The last time I wrote for DGA, I was looking back from the end of my first year at university at the internship I took on before I started, and how much of an advantage it gave me during those uncertain first steps. Since then, I transferred to Kingston University where I just finished my…