Testimonials"Our experience with Simon Open Door was incredibly positive from start to finish. The idea of the Open Door consultation is fantastic; we were exploring ideas for a first build and thought that even if we got basic information from the consultation, it would be worth it because the fee was being donated to a very good cause. The consultation with our Architect surpassed all expectations. He listened very attentively and engaged in a very creative way with our basic idea. In the hour, he generated several ideas for us to consider, gave us information about energy efficient methods of construction and encouraged us to consider some options that we had not been aware of. "What a fantastic idea the Simon Open Door scheme is. This is the kind of forward thinking we all need at the moment. We wanted an extension on our home and had plans drawn up, which were very good and we would not have really considered using an architect. Reading Sunday Times article I was intrigued and signed up online to the scheme and met with a talented architect a few weeks later who really got us excited about our extension. Now there are two words I would not have put together in a sentence before. Everyone is a winner on this one, Simon gets a much needed donation, we get a visionary extension, and architects and construction sector hopefully get some business."
"My wife & I met with our Architect to get advice. I cannot praise them enough. They were extremely nice & helpful even though our project was a very small one. We were with them for over an hour, offered a nice cup of coffee and discussed every aspect of the project, we felt very at ease and they did not mind us asking questions. We got very good & clear advice. I would strongly recommend the RIAI Simon Open Door; it is a great way to get advice on a project. It is such good value and it is for such a good cause. I would have no hesitation to taking part again should I ever have another project."
"My wife and myself had a Simon Open Door consultation in Galway this year.
We found the discussion most helpful and our Architect was most thorough and courteous and generous with his time and expertise. Suffice to say we are following through with our Architect and we hope to be in a position to proceed with our project in the near future. My wife and myself admire the work of Simon and wish you continued success with your excellent work."
"I signed up for Simon Open Door on a whim. There was a guy talking about it on the radio and he was so enthusiastic. I felt it was a good charity. Whatever generosity was involved in our donation, it paled in comparison to the generosity that we received. The architect that we met bowled us over with his time, enthusiasm, creativity. Most importantly he resurrected for us the passion we initially had for our project that lay buried beneath the stresses of a house build. Take a small section of a project and go for it, anything can happen."
"We found the opportunity to bounce some ideas off a good architect over a cup of coffee extremely helpful and we have been inspired now to take matters further – we received a great “return on investment” and would recommend this initiative to anyone who is in the gestation stage of a project. "Many thanks for the excellent initiative of Simon Open Door. I found my meeting very helpful and the organisation of the event was very efficient and professional. The online booking website was very user friendly, the text message reminders were useful, the request for information from the architects prior to the meeting ensured the best value out of the session and the follow up thank you letter updating on the funds raised was very much appreciated. All in all, an excellently organised event. "
"We availed of Simon Open Door and were really impressed with the variety of views we got from three different groups of Architects. Congratulations to the RIAI for their ongoing participation in such a good cause. With all the woes in the construction industry I hope the project proves to be a good shop window for them. Certainly we went looking for ideas, got plenty, but also came away with the view that when we proceed with our work we will employ an architect, hopefully one of the guys we met through your project."
"I was initially drawn to the Simon Open Door 2010 project as an innovative and imaginative way to support a most worthwhile charity. I spent a very interesting hour with my chosen architect, discussing a project which I had been developing for the last year. She was extremely helpful, knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and I left with the confidence to finally realise a dream.
I would thoroughly recommend anybody with plans to build, to take part in this wonderful initiative."
"We signed up for the Simon Open Door when we were stuck in the planning process on a house renovation and extension project. We got some very helpful suggestions from BKD which we gently introduced to our Architect who made some amendments at the Additional Information stage. I have no doubt the ideas we took from our one hour session were instrumental in us getting our permission from An Bord Pleanala. We now have the work done and we're delighted with the results"
"I arrived at the Architect's office, nervous about might happen. I was seen by a very friendly young (to me!) man. He was a bit taken aback when I produced drawings and a couple of quotes from builders and then asked him for his opinion of my ideas. But he made some excellent suggestions, really listened to what I was trying to achieve and proffered his opinion on it all. He contacted me a few weeks later, as agreed. No - I still have not bitten the bullet - but found the opportunity of an hour of an expert's time really valuable - well done Simon and all the volunteering architects!
"Galway is bound to throw up another interesting range of projects
to discuss this year. House Extension and Refurbishment projects of all
sorts were shown to us for Open Day over the last couple of years. It
was very enjoyable to go through them all while helping the Simon
Community."
"The day itself was great fun and seeing
so many completely different projects in the day was a real challenge. I
wholeheartedly recommend the day to both architects and potential clients
alike and it's great to feel you given something back to society
"Participating in the Simon Open Door Day
over the past three years has been a great experience for our office. It
is marvelous to see how during the hour long consultation people who may
never have considered using an architect start to see the advantages of doing
so and begin to appreciate how it can actually save them money. It has lead
to new work for our office which is to be particularly welcomed in the current
climate and at the same time we are helping with a good cause by supporting
Simon."
Thank you for the opportunity provided by this
fundraiser to tap into expert advice whilst at the same time helping the
Simon Communities of Ireland. Every aspect of Simon Open Door 2008 ran smoothly
and I received an excellent service from Lester Naughton in Galway, over
and above anything I could have expected. With such goodwill I believe all
the participants will benefit from the experience. It's a win/win.
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Bookings have now been closed for this year's event.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
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