Professional services from
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DBCF specialised services
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Here's what our clients say about our services
See what they are talking about in Showcase projects.
"Catherine was extremely well organised and a wonderful designer to work with. She had access to an excellent network of builders, tradesmen and suppliers. Catherine was easy to talk to when communicating our ideas for the house. She listened attentively to our thoughts and incorporated them into her design where appropriate. Her expertise was invaluable throughout the build and she gave her advice clearly when needed at crucial times in the decision making process. Any issues that arose during the build were addressed promptly and respectfully by Catherine and her team of tradesmen. Despite the impacts of the 2021 Covid Pandemic, our building schedule was managed smoothly and efficiently. Catherine was instrumental in achieving a wonderful renovation outcome with which we are absolutely delighted."
Maria Lane Cove "Catherine is a pleasure to work with. She has a calm sensible practical approach to designing a home around family needs. I love her creativity and ability to solve design issues. She allows the client to have autonomy by supporting suggestions that differ from her own. Catherine‘s project management is excellent. She has a great team of builders, suppliers and other contacts needed for renovations. One of her considerable talents is being able to problem solve. We have had an uneventful build and she has been a sheer joy to work with. Our renovation is stunning!!"
Wendy Longueville "Catherine began on our home build project, early in the 2020 Covid lockdowns when she took over from our original architect, who was unable to continue with our project. Not an easy situation, but she was most gracious with taking on another’s plans, and we originally thought her primary role would be only getting plans through approval and project management. From this unusual start, Catherine has excelled and has proven to be one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. She has skilfully project managed our planning approval and build with professionalism, unfailing attention to timing/supply schedules and seamlessly managed all the endless detail. She’s made the management of a long complex build seem relatively easy, keeping us well informed, and well organised, throughout the build. Magic! Happily we’ve experienced considerably less stress on the project than we had feared, especially with all the delays and trials of a ‘Covid build’. However Catherine’s other ‘super power’ has been her design vision and creativity mixed with a sound practical sense of how homes need to work for “real’ families. Her design talents have proved invaluable and helped to transform our original, very good floor plans into an exceptional, made for living home that truly suits us beyond what we ever thought we could achieve. She’s been a delight to work with and I cannot recommend her talents and services highly enough.
Susan Whale Beach "Catherine designed major renovations and much-needed repairs to our 100-year-old four-bedroom home to enable us to enjoy it for years to come. She listened closely and warmly to our ideas and priorities, and thought creatively about how the structure could be used for all our needs: living, working from home, entertaining, etc. We are absolutely thrilled with her design and the flexible and beautiful spaces that it has produced. We appreciated Catherine’s flexibility on her involvement in our project. During the early stages Catherine and her network of professional contacts (surveyor, QS, engineer, arborist, etc) provided fantastic, detailed guidance, advice, and execution of all aspects of the work. Even with COVID restrictions, this gave us a dream run through the processes of Council approval, tendering and engaging a builder. With an exceptionally good builder in place, we appreciated being able to approach Catherine from time to time for suggestions or advice when needed. Catherine also gave us access to outstanding suppliers (tiles, kitchen appliances etc) and we really love the quality & beauty of the finishes we have been able to choose within our budget.
Sonia Artarmon "Catherine has worked with us now on three properties. Each time she has taken care to understand our needs and tailored solutions to suit them. We have found Catherine and those tradesmen she works with to be a delight always willing to help achieve a shared vision is time and on budget. Catherine has very capably managed the processes of design, dealing with Council and Certifiers, Builders and Trades for all our projects. We would confidently recommend "Designed by Catherine Finlay" to anyone wanting a highly skilled professional to manage their renovations/builds.
Hugh Darling Point |
"Catherine was patient with us as first time renovators, was very conscious of our budget, really understood our needs, and based on her experience had a good point of view on how our needs are likely to change . She incorporated quite a few wow factors, and has a great sense of when to give a firm recommendation on design choices vs. frame options and leave to personal preferences. We absolutely love the space - to live in, entertain and host house guests - and are looking forward to enjoying it for decades to come."
Ward "As a Commercial Interior Designer, I needed to appoint someone who had a good knowledge of residential design but more importantly had a clear knowledge of the local Council Requirements. Our home was part Heritage Listed and came with several restrictions so Catherine was able to navigate the problems encountered and guide us through all the associated hoops. She was able to work effectively in collaboration with me to pull together the necessary documentation for a DA submission. With her extensive knowledge of local trades she was also able to tender the building works on our behalf and was a constant support as and when required throughout the whole process from inception to completion. I would happily recommend Catherine Finlay to anyone seeking a knowledgeable, passionate and understanding Designer and have already done so on numerous occasions. Thank you Catherine.....we couldn't have done it without you."
Freya "It was a delight to work with Catherine, she listens to what we wanted and came up with some grea designs for us. Nothing was too much trouble and Catherine was there to help whenever we asked. Catherine has a portfolio of builders, cabinet makers etc to choose from and we are extremely happy with the building company we selected. Our renovation has recently been completed and we are very happy with our new home."
Jacky "We employed Catherine Finlay to design and subsequently project manage, a major renovation of our Greenwich home. We have nothing but praise for her ideas, thoroughness, and competence. The project proceeded smoothly despite
a difficult DA process and the end result exceeded our expectations. At the design stage Catherine listened to our needs and requirements and came up with great ideas and options. She efficiently managed the difficult DA process on our behalf, dealing with council, heritage architects and objectors. During the actual building project we relocated out of Sydney and Catherine supervised the build, providing regular updates and scheduling meetings where necessary. Our variations were minimal and optional, predominately driven by us and always thoroughly discussed. We unhesitatingly recommend Catherine and should further information be required can be contacted." Don and Kathy
'Working with Catherine was great. Really good designs and fantastic knowledge
of the materials available. But at the
same time she was very happy to work with our ideas too. It was a truly collaborative project and we
got just what we wanted'
Dr Bruce
Catherine came to us highly recommended and we were not
disappointed. She is creative, professional and extremely responsive. Having
been through the renovation process before, we were well aware of the stress
that comes with a renovation and negotiating with the trades.
Catherine's calm and positive nature has made the whole process seamless and enjoyable. Catherine has transformed our house into a beautiful home and we would not hesitate to recommend her. David & Beth "Catherine has been a joy to work with. She gets it and turns our thoughts into functional, beautiful design. We are building our home whilst living overseas and having Catherine project manage the works gives us absolute peace of mind. She makes us feel like we are her only client!"
Linda and Marc |
"Catherine designed major renovations and much-needed repairs to our 100-year-old four-bedroom home to enable us to enjoy it for years to come. She listened closely and warmly to our ideas and priorities, and thought creatively about how the structure could be used for all our needs: living, working from home, entertaining, etc. We are absolutely thrilled with her design and the flexible and beautiful spaces that it has produced. We appreciated Catherine’s flexibility on her involvement in our project. During the early stages Catherine and her network of professional contacts (surveyor, QS, engineer, arborist, etc) provided fantastic, detailed guidance, advice, and execution of all aspects of the work. Even with COVID restrictions, this gave us a dream run through the processes of Council approval, tendering and engaging a builder. With an exceptionally good builder in place, we appreciated being able to approach Catherine from time to time for suggestions or advice when needed. Catherine also gave us access to outstanding suppliers (tiles, kitchen appliances etc) and we really love the quality & beauty of the finishes we have been able to choose within our budget.
Sonia & Stuart "Throughout our project to date, Catherine has been wonderful at combining practicalities with great design ideas, which have been tailored to our budget. And Catherine has been instrumental in keeping our project running so smoothly, liaising regularly with the builder, suppliers and myself in such a calm and confident manner. We are about half way through the project and almost all of our design decisions have been made, with orders placed. I have recommended Catherine to a number of friends, and would not hestitate to do the same again."
Graeme "I am delighted with my renovations but, importantly, Catherine and her team of builders were a delight to work with, so responsive, professional and with that all important attention to detail."
Sandy "Catherine impressed us because she listened closely to what we thought we wanted and provided plenty of realistic feedback."
Libby "Throughout our project Catherine was able to mix realistic design ideas with practical solutions to come up with an attractive, affordable and very workable design".
Bill "Catherine has come up with some fantastic solutions for opening up rooms, creating outdoor entertaining areas, and designing modern but practical bathroom, laundry and kitchen layouts."
Fiona "Catherine worked with us throughout the whole building project from design through to end construction stage. We are thrilled with the result and her practical, timely and can do approach to the job made the process as smooth as possible. We particularly appreciated her functional approach to the design and her focus on ensuring that her solutions and recommendations were within our budget will at the same time achieving our objectives."
Sue "We are thoroughly enjoying our renovation experience under the watchful eye of Catherine Finlay.
Cath’s attention to detail keeps stress to a minimum and her anticipation of timelines minimises project delays and hence costs." Frances "Catherine's personality coupled with her style and design talent gives her the edge when it comes to working with varied styles and diverse clients from all walks of life. She is able to genuinely interpret in a workable and practical way her client's requirements whilst providing her own valuable suggestions and ideas for design - her eye always on the finished theme or look."
Rebecca "We hold her in the highest regard and recommend her both personally and professionally to any prospective client looking for a professional with style, honesty and integrity that really listens and who is prepared to work with them every step of the way to ensure an end result that is truly outstanding."
Jude "We thoroughly commend Catherine to you for her professionalism, the quality of her work, her communication skills, her integrity and her design flair."
Alexandra |
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DBCF |