Bradbury Architecture has 20 years experience in the design of both new buildings and renovations including interior renovations and landscape design. We can coordinate your structural design, help you with the City permit process and assist in finding the best builder for your project. Our goal is to work with you throughout your project to help yo read more...
Bradbury Architecture began operations in 1991 and has received 4 reviews for an overall customer rating of 3.3. The average rating for businesses providing similar services in the Vancouver area is 3.7. Write a review
3.3
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3.5
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3.3
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5
I have worked with Bradbury Architecture on over 3 of my projects now. From design inception, through to project completion, and turn over. The experience every time way the same. In point and exactly what I needed in a lead consultant.
I never had any long waits when needing information back from their team.
I always ensure they are on my projects when they services are needed and highly recommend using them.
1.2
I hired Robert for 3 projects. After working together for close to 4 years he was only able to complete 1 project the Belcarra house. Originally when we first started, his staff Ismael and Jonathan were great. Around the time I got the building permit for the Belcarra house, something happened to the Bradbury Office. All of the original staff quit and his wife Elvira took over.
Since then, the service has gone down significantly. Simple due diligences such as following a checklist from the municipality to informing clients of huge changes like ceiling heights were ignored. At the same time there was no acknowledgement of mistake.
His architectural design is nice but the follow up from his office is less than satisfactory. Delays ranged from a few weeks to months.
Few advice before signing a contract with Bradbury to avoid any frustrations.
1. Set deadlines and consequences. If you don’t you will be heavily delayed.
2. Do not follow the payment schedule that Bradbury asks for. Most of the contract is paid when construction drawings are produced. Any issues Bradbury architecture are slow in reply. On the Belcarra house it took 4 months to fix requests on Building Permit plans. Inspector even said it was ridiculous!
3. Do not give a retainer, they will often take a very long time to produce first set of drawings. Make sure payment is made only after work is produced.
Once you confront Robert with your dissatisfaction he gets into defensive mode and recently just asked to quit on a project during the building permit process. Very unprofessional !
I would recommend him as an architect but his firm is highly not recommended !
Updated : October 19, 2021
Robert Bradbury office submitted the building permit drawings in July 2021. The permit was due for review in October and he decided to quit right before causing significant delays. This is quite a vicious act and hope that no other individual experience this in the future.
Robert changed an entire height of a floor without notifying the client and if I did not catch it on permit submission we would have gotten city approval for 7 ft 10 inch ceiling heights when we asked for 8 ft 6 to 9ft. I got upset at him for that as well as other mistakes made due to lack of experience of his staff. It is very unfortunate and unfair for clients to have to pay for the inexperience of Robert’s staff.
We have been pleased to work for the Owner of these projects and feel proud about the work we have done. The Owner has always been respectful and appreciative of our service.
Our firm has tried in multiple ways, to improve communication with you as the the Owner's representative, but you have clearly highlighted your dissatisfaction with our services so we decided to step aside for the good of the project once we had completed the Building Permit Submission.
We have encouraged you to engage a new architect, who might be more successful at communicating with you and you can both enjoy bringing the project through to completion.
We wish the client success on this and many other projects!
5
Delivered exceptional design and service from start to completion. The lot was on a steep slope and had very challenging topography, Robert and his team developed a beautiful design that worked with our lot limitations!
Quality work takes time, Robert and his team delivered!
1.8
We hired Bradbury Architecture in January 2010 to design an additional level to our house. The following list SOME of the problems we had:
- The permit application not submitted until August - 7 months later - to do a job he originally told us would take 2 weeks. During this period, Robert was frequently unavailable, would not respond to emails or phone calls. He was consistently late with EVERY deliverable throughout the project. Attention to detail was horrible – I had to highlight to him that he didn’t include upstairs heating, laundry room connections in the laundry room, etc.
- Construction did not begin until Sept. - typically a VERY rainy month in Vancouver - we have now spent over $20 000 for labour and materials associated with the rainy season (tarp cost and installation/removal for work, backfill now mud and needs to be shipped out to landfill/replaced with "clean" dirt
- Robert Bradbury told us he was "well known" to city officials and could walk our permit application through the system, in reality, the city officials can't stand Bradbury. I received a phone call from the city official to clarity our permit application issues since it was obvious to her we were not being given an accurate story.
- Bradbury insisted he could design our project within our budget of $100 000. Current projections have our project budget exceeding $200 000.
- Bradbury claimed the city trusts his work so much that we would not need to hire a structural engineer. In reality, the city did require us to have a structural engineer assessment conducted and substantial changes needed to be made (significantly contributing to the cost over-runs listed above).
We sincerely regret that that this Client has had a bad experience with our firm.
I apologized to them in 2010 and have taken positive steps to restore and improve the service we provide to all customers.
We have taken the frustration, expressed at that time and echoed in this review, as an opportuniity to improve areas of scheduling and communication so that all Clients get the service they need in a timely fashion.
We are proud of our 20 years of practice and are striving to give Clients the best possible service - we wish them every happiness.
Bradbury Architecture has a TrustScore™ of 2.6. The average TrustScore™ for other businesses providing similar services in Vancouver and the surrounding areas is 2.9. For detailed information on how TrustScore is calculated, click here to learn more.
The following elements are used to calculate TrustScore:
| Customer Reviews | Last 12 Months | All Time |
|---|---|---|
| Total Received | 0 | 4 |
| Approved | 0 | 4 |
| Unverified | 0 | 0 |
| Suspicious | 0 | 0 |
| Overall Rating | 3.3/5 |
| Complaints Received | Last 12 Months | Last 3 Years |
|---|---|---|
| Suppliers & Creditors | 0 | 0 |
| Employees & Sub-Contractors | 0 | 0 |
| Transparency | |
|---|---|
| Posted License Information |
N/A
|
| Posted Liability Insurance | Available upon request |
| Posted Workers Compensation | Not yet provided |
| Company Website | Yes |
| Social Media Profiles | Not yet provided |
| Endorsed by Peers | Yes |
| In Business Since | 1991 |
| Member of TrustedPros Since | 2009 |
TrustedPros does not validate certain information provided by contractors and vendors in conjunction with the creation or maintenance of their profile and we cannot endorse or guarantee the performance of any contractor. TrustScores are provided for informational purposes only. We urge you to use the TrustScore™ in conjunction with the tips provided in our Hiring Guide to maximize the probability of hiring the best professional for you project.
Bradbury Architecture has been recognized for their skills and expertise by their peers in the following categories
We have worked with Robert for many years. His level of professionalism is always appreciated. Work is completed in a timely fashion, with an open line of communication that enables clients to envision options - making the decision process easier. Bradbury Architecture excels when dealing with the Cities Boards of Variances which always helps make the whole construction process stream lined.
Bradbury Architecture has 20 years experience in the design of both new buildings and renovations including interior renovations and landscape design.
We can coordinate your structural design, help you with the City permit process and assist in finding the best builder for your project. Our goal is to work with you throughout your project to help you achieve the best design - on schedule and on budget. We are experienced at designing both residential and commercial projects.
| Main contact(s) | Robert Bradbury , Elvira Semidey |
| Alternate Phone Numbers | 604-831-9451, |
| Listed with TrustedPros since: | 2009 |
| Residential work | Yes |
| Commercial work | Yes |
| Warranty | No |
| Accepts credit cards | No |
| Year established | 1991 |
| Offers financing | No |
| 24 Hour emergency service | No |
| Legal structure | Sole Proprietor |
| Licensing information | Business does not require a trade license |
| Insurance information | Insurance information available upon request |
Check local laws pertaining to license requirements and verify license and insurance details provided by the contractor prior to hiring.
Bradbury Architecture has contributed 5 responses to the following questions posted in the 'Ask the Pros' forum
