Testimonials

"We bought an old farmhouse near Montaigu de Quercy in 1998. John Roberts was recommended as a local builder experienced in renovation. That was the start of an excellent relationship. John and his team have developed the inside and outside of the property in a number of stages dictated by our finances. We have complete confidence in John and, after agreeing the general scope of the work, can return to England knowing that the work will be carried out in a timely manner and to a very high standard. John also has a flair for design and has contributed greatly to improving our house. If you use a builder to work on a property overseas, you need to be certain of his integrity, standard of workmanship and be able to leave the work to be completed in your absence. We are fully confident about John Roberts in all these aspects and would have no hesitation to highly recommend him to any new client." Dr E.S. Montaigu de Quercy

"We have been restoring our ancient stone farmhouse for all of 25 years, bit by bit. We started with a dilapidated house, barn and pigeonnier in ruins. Much of the remedial work for the past 12 years has been performed by John Roberts. His work has all been top notch and completed within the budgets we have agreed with him. He has a feeling for working with ancient stone timbers and materials that is uncanny and joins the old seamlessly with the new and restored. We are more then satisfied with his work. We heartily recommend him." E&S Green

"Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun but it must be three years ago I met John. I instantly disliked him, oops wrong, what I mean is I knew exactly what I wanted and knew it was going to look absolutely wonderful. All I wanted was a quote. “No, no” he said “ it won’t work. He did a sketch of what he thought would work then and there and I decided that perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad. It is brilliant, I love it, I still hate him because nobody likes to be that wrong! The work was done with great care, an achievement as there is not a straight wall or square corner in the whole house and the whole thing looks absolutely wonderful. His idea of taking the glass all the way up to the roof has put an incredible amount of new light into that end of the house and the bedroom at that end which was never used is now absolutely stunning and will become mine. Thank you John (but I still hate you for being right)." JB Montaigu de Quercy

"We have used SARL John Roberts since we moved to Aquitaine in 2004. They have been responsible for a wide range of commissions from the construction of a three bedroom stone built dependance in its entirety to smaller building works and problem solving at our property. We continue to use John on a regular basis and have always found his work entirely professional, timely and efficient." Name and address supplied on request

"This is to confirm that you have undertaken work at Negra since we took over the property in 2000—all has been completed to a high standard & on time. During the summer of 2002, the major piece of work—a pool house, using old stone & timber was undertaken. The one thing which went wrong, which was sagging of the front portion of the roof was rectified immediately. Otherwise a very satisfactory & much admired project." R&S Sinclair Brassac

"John Roberts has carried out works on our house from 2001 to 2011. They varied from major reconstruction and refurbishments to minor restorations, We were particularly appreciative of his project management skills and timekeeping while we were non-residents; he kept us fully informed through email and faxes of progress and was punctilious about seeking our opinions when choices were required. As well as his own employees he has an excellent team of sub-contractors for heating, plumbing, joinery and electrical work which was especially reassuring when we were new to the area. He has an excellent eye and imagination concerning alterations and improvements and is always contactable. He is always concerned with his clients and we have always been very impressed by his kindness and willingness to help over and beyond formally contracted matters. It speaks for itself that we have continued to use him from the time we bought our house to the present day." P&F Ashmore

"John's company handled the first stage of the major restoration of our farmhouse over ten years ago, when we originally bought in the Lauzerte area of Tarn et Garonne. One of the things we definitely appreciate is that he will return to re-do anything that gives a problem further down the line. Living abroad and not being able to be on the ground permanently or easily, it has been a huge relief for us to deal with John who takes ownership of liaising with local artisans and sorting out paperwork. We continue to use John for projects on the on-going renovation of our property in 2011." C&S Spanton Bouloc

"We have had the pleasure and benefit of being able to use John Roberts and his team for the many things we’ve done to our house over a period of ten years. The work is of excellent standard and John has a great eye for imaginative and innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems. Two of these in particular stand out – the renovation about nine years ago of a derelict outbuilding into a superb bedroom and en suite bathroom, with exposed original hand carved beams and adjoining terra cotta terrace and the transformation this year of a dining room that never really worked into an exciting space complete with its own ruined stone tower that beautifully complements the massive beams and stone chimney piece. We are delighted to recommend John Roberts unreservedly." C&Z Road Penne

"Dear John, We just wanted to say thank you very much for your and your team’s hard work on the renovations and improvements on our property in Valprionde. The results are outstanding, especially given that our house was not the most straightforward to work on! There were many areas that you improved upon, but probably the single most highlight that stands out is the masonry excellence from removing the 1950’s rather drab rendering to reveal the beautiful Quercy stones hidden underneath on the exterior of the house. This has massively improved the attractiveness of the house. Given that we could not be on site during the construction and renovations at our house, it was also very important that we felt comfortable entrusting you and your team to be working effectively and to our deadlines. Your responsiveness and frequent status updates throughout the works put us at ease and therefore we had very few concerns that the works were being done and to a top standard. We will have no hesitation in recommending you to anyone considering engaging you and your team and, as such, would be happy to provide a letter of recommendation." J&L Partington Valprionde

"I called upon John Roberts to have a new terrace at the back of my house, in September 2009. He came up with ideas and plans and very soon it was all organised. His team did a fantastic job, they left the house clean and safe as they had to make an opening which needed time to be fitted with a French window, but they made up a Plastic door and it was totally waterproof as well as intruder proof! Or so l was told by my neighbour who feeding my cats at the time! l was away on a trip and thought it would be a perfect time for them to break walls and dig around and fill with cement etc..... I came back to a clean house and a great terrace which l always enjoy when the sun is shinning! John came everyday to check the work and if l felt something was not quite the way l wanted it, he made sure his workers made the change! His team was hard working, and always left the place safe and clean before they left! I am very pleased with the result and really enjoy sitting in my terrace!!!" K Dummer Montcuq

"John Roberts displays a great talent for both design and ingenuity combined with practical thinking. He and his company are committed to carrying out this exceptional flare with the minimum of disruption to the client." R&J D

"A number of our clients had used John Roberts for renovating their homes in the past, and were very happy with his work, so, when it came to renovating our house and office in Beauville we naturally called him in. Over a period of a year from April 2010 to March 2011 his helpful and skillful team went about a full renovation of this ancient house....new stone slabbed floors, replastered walls and ceilings, new bathrooms, and renovated old wood floors. They worked when we needed them to and did all they could to satisfy us. We are very happy with the results, which you can see if ever you come to us house hunting." Vialex Lafitte-Scholfield Agence Immobiliére

"We have used John Roberts regularly over the past ten years for both small and large jobs, including the conversion of one of our barns into a wonderful gite. John kept all the most beautiful and traditional features of the barn and added special elements with old timbers and barrel staves to create a unique and beautiful space. His last job for us was in 2010 when he designed and built a cast-iron BBQ and chimney into our cuisine d'ete, again finding a creative and decorative way to blend the modern with the traditional." P&K Dalle-Molle