Wright & Gray: Architects Ltd.

We engaged Wright and Gray Architects to design and project manage the renovation of our 1920s house in Karori, Wellington. We loved our location, but the interior layout just didn’t suit our growing family. We appreciated Travis taking the time to understand how we were currently living in the house, what our pain points were and what we would like to improve. He used this to reconfigure the layout of our existing footprint into something that met all our requirements and made much better use of space. Travis and his team are very knowledgeable and always made great recommendations – from the construction company, to hardware and colour selections. This project had its challenges, as all renovations do, and Travis and his team were a calming influence throughout- and never far away when we needed them. We’re very pleased with the results and would not hesitate to recommend Wright and Gray.

We are stoked with the outcome of working with Travis and Blair on a major residential renovation to our 1930s home in Wellington. We engaged Wright & Gray through a process of getting a few Architects to visit and discuss our aims and constraints. We worked with them to design an extension into our backyard with a bank in it. Internally it was a pretty comprehensive reno including addition of a new high-ceiling living area, new multi-use guest room, and a new laundry. We also updated our kitchen, a bathroom, and added storage through hallway cupboards. We did some back yard landscaping and added a canopy at the back of the house which is super practical and lets plenty of light in. Travis helped us find a great building team (David Hale Building) and secure good contract terms at a very challenging time (mid COVID building rush). We are really happy with the design elements of our build, and how Travis and Blair helped us manage the delivery to be on time, on budget (apart from our add-ons) and to our satisfaction. We are glad we had Travis and Blair manage the build contract and payments, and they helped us work through a contract wrinkle with landscapers, and also were very effective at managing the city council. We love our 'new house' and are really happy with the design and delivery through the team at Wright & Gray.

We were seeking to improve our home's overall utility including upgraded windows, heating systems, designing a 2nd bathroom and functional laundry in a very tight space (including removal of supporting concrete walls), removal of a supporting pillar that obscured a view, general upgrades to the main bathroom, bedroom storage and outside landscaping. Our townhouse has a bit of an architectural history and style which we wanted to be sensitive too as part of our renovation. It also meant a fair amount of custom design with little being "off the shelf". We spoke to 3 firms and Travis was the only person to grasp what we were looking for. He really understand what the house was about architecturally and understood what we were trying to achieve. His design and attention to detail was excellent. He took real pride in getting it right, understood how people actually live in the space, anticipated possible pit falls and found workable solutions. Excellent advice, recommendations and specifications. Our desire to be in keeping with the style of the house was met perfectly. The new designs and layouts just feel totally natural, work well and are lovely to live in. We went with a "full service" option where Write & Gray complete the entire design development, all the council consenting, contracting details, supervising the building and liaison with the building team, council and engineers. This obviously came with a higher fee but I can't express how valuable that was to us. The entire process was easy and relatively low stress from our perspective. I'm pretty sure this was not the case behind the scenes. We had a pretty demanding wish list for the space available and it was a challenge to achieve what we wanted, but the team took it on with great communication and discussion where plans had to change in the face of reality. The outcome could not be better we're very happy with it. The end result with our 2nd bathroom, laundry and storage room in a very tight space just works really well and much better than I thought could be achieved. Highly recommend anyone to consider Wright & Gray Architects!

I cannot recommend Wright & Gray architects highly enough. We found Wright Gray based on some good reviews online and we feel very lucky we did. We first met Travis (one of the Directors) on site with our wish list and ideas, and after a decent meeting where he took lots of notes to understand our objectives, priorities, budget etc we waited anxiously to see what we would get. When he came back to us with the initial concept drawings and 3D modelling, I was amazed at how close he got to what we were looking for (actually better than we were looking for). I was expecting lots of back and forth but it was already 90% there! Travis really focused on making it work for our young family and so had a real focus on how a family would use the space and practical elements like storage for example. Travis had done his own renovation for his young family so he really knew what he was talking about. The 3D modelling really gave you a sense of how the spaces would feel and flow which we found really helpful. Travis and his team are very detail focused and don’t like leaving things to chance. The detailed plans and drawings they produced were just that – they really had an enormous about of rich information in them from materials and product choice, to light and switch placement to art work position etc. Now we are back living in the house we are even more impressed – the aspect from the kitchen with the large skylight casting light and interest above is superb, the indoor-outdoor flow and visibility of the kids racing around the deck and the enjoyment they get from the house is awesome. It is light, warm and modern while still respecting the character of the original part of the house. We really see the value the architect added and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

The project was a major extension and renovation of a holiday home in Marlborough Sounds. The main features we were looking for were extended living areas that connected well with the new outdoor living areas. This was achieved very well. The firm also designed the new kitchen which has exceeded our expectations both in usability and style. As expected with a project of this nature, some issues arose during the project planning and these were dealt with in a fully professional manner. We are very pleased with the end result. Keith & Raewyn

Our renovation was always going to be complicated, and John and the team at Wright & Gray were more than up to the challenge. The design is thoughtful, practical, and an absolute delight to live in. John remedied the problems that decades of DIY enthusiasm had created, addressed issues created by a difficult site, and then created a stunning look and feel in the new parts of the build. John brought integrity and inspiration to all stages of the work. John and the broader W&G team then supported us throughout the process, managing a complex set of relationships to ensure the project stayed on track. We’re thrilled with the results and would highly recommend John and the team and Wright & Greay.

Travis and Blair were a pleasure to work with, and the end result is fantastic. We successfully went through the full process together from concept design to construction oversight. Travis was quickly able to turn our long wish list into a concept design that we were able to turn into reality. It has brought our mid-century home up to date with modern living, while preserving and enhancing its character. Travis and Blair were unflappable through the long construction process. They excelled at working with our builders to find practical solutions to any challenge the project presented. We flew through the consenting process pre-construction, and the code consent process at the end of the project. After a year with the finished product we remain delighted with the flow, function and feeling of our house. We're especially happy during lockdown to have spaces that can accommodate two working parents and three active children.

It was fantastic working with Travis and Blair of Wright & Gray. Travis really listened to our needs for our house renovation and extension, and came up with a design that was both beautiful and practical, and resolved everything we had asked for and more, with some really creative solutions. Throughout the process, we felt listened-to and respected, and were offered excellent advice. I highly recommend Wright & Gray.

Everything is going very well – we’re loving it. With the change in seasons there is more light coming through the eastern side windows & skylights which brightens everything up. Since opening up the kitchen and lounge we’ve been able to fully utilise the new space which has been ideal for dinner parties and other social activities – the response from our guests is always WOW, what a transformation…! It is exactly what we were after when deciding to renovate the kitchen & lounge, it works very well...!

"We are absolutely delighted with the result of our renovation with Wright & Gray Architects Ltd. Having a small 1920’s villa, space was an issue. However with Travis’ creativity, we ended up with a considerably more efficient use of the spaces and gained additional storage which was a real bonus. We retained the external character and now have an interior that is contemporary, light, spacious and warm. We love it!"

We first engaged John in 2005 to help with extensive renovations to our 1920’s bungalow style house and then more recently in 2017 to design and oversee the construction of a garage. In both cases, it was a pleasure to work with John and we were extremely satisfied with the advice and services that he provided. John performed an excellent job in ensuring that the renovations and garage maintained the character of our house. This was very important to us and we were very pleased with the final results. John also performed an excellent job in administering and managing the contract with the construction company engaged to build the garage and in taking care of all compliance requirements. His communication with us was always timely and he was very responsive to all queries that we had. We would have no hesitation in recommending John as an architect and project manager for anyone embarking on renovations or a new building project.

Shirley and I are extremely happy with the assistance and input from John and the team at Wright and Gray for the comprehensive renovations to our 1905 Villa. John provided us with great service at all stages, from the concept design sympathetic to the heritage of the house, through the detail design, contract administration, to the project’s conclusion. We are very happy with the result and all aspects of the comprehensive architectural service provided. While we did have firm ideas about what we wanted; John was able to bring those to fruition, along with his positive suggestions. John and the team were great to work with. We would recommend John and Wright & Gray Architects Ltd to anyone embarking on such a project.

John's help was invaluable in our house repair/renovation, working with him was a pleasure. He brought my design ideas to life and added excellent ones of his own and helped us achieve what we wanted within the confines of our budget. I especially appreciated that he helped us modernise our home while maintaining it's essential character. John worked well with our builder and took the stress of making sure all compliance and paperwork was completed out of our hands while also making sure we ticked all the necessary boxes. He was always quick to respond to our queries, organised, willing to accommodate our schedule and available to answer any technical questions our builder had so that we didn't experience unnecessary delays. We had greater peace of mind throughout the extensive project knowing he was overseeing all the many parts.

I have worked with John on an extensive home renovation. He is a great architect to work with and I am pleased to being doing another project with him. He has a wonderful collaborative and inclusive approach, which means the clients and professionals working on the project all feel valued.