It's a common scenario: renovation projects fail, are interrupted, are abandoned, or last much longer than expected because there is a missing link between contractors and homeowners.
Sustainability is also too often disregarded in the interest of time or simply because of a lack of information.
It does not have to be this way.
Renovating a property is meant to be enjoyable for ALL renovators:
household members
those working on planning and designing the project
those working on the building site
And it is everyone's responsibility to renovate sustainably.
The Place Between is a social enterprise that addresses and prevents the unnecessary challenges witnessed on home renovation building sites.
With its tailored support, you create spaces that enhance lifestyle, energy efficiency and wellbeing.
I have a wealth of experience in remodeling houses, planning extensions, conversions and overhaul property refurbishment. I bring a passion for responsible renovations to your projects. People say I have creative flair and spatial configuration superpowers. Whether you're a building professional or a homeowner, having me on board will add value to your projects.
Our philosophy
The Place Between's mission is to:
Prevent legal disputes in the home renovation context
Make sustainability accessible to all renovators
Influence and celebrate equality in the home through design
Facilitate enjoyable processes for building pros and homeowners
Home renovations can be well-planned, sustainable, enjoyable and rewarding. The idea is to make this 'in-between' period as smooth as possible for everyone engaging with renovation projects.
How does the magic happen?
With a unique blend of design, legal and project management skills, I support you and your team in:
designing your space in line with you lifestyle and budget
finding and hiring competent and suitable contractors for your project
understanding and complying with legal standards and planning rules
sourcing sustainable materials and managing waste responsibly
managing project execution and ensuring effective communicationbetween construction professionals and property owners.
How The Place Between started
Complete property overhaul has been a defining feature of my life. I am a serial mover and house remodeller. When my first child was 5, he had grown up in six of our houses (four owned and renovated and two transition rentals). For a long time, my life karma has been to repeatedly buy and renovate houses as my "forever home" yet offer them back to the market, significantly improved.
I am Canadian and British, and I have also lived in Belgium and in The Gambia. I studied law and philosophy, worked a as a barrister in Canada and as a human rights lawyer in many countries of Africa, South America and Asia.
In 2020, I started The Place Between to offer design and project management services to home renovators in French and English, in person and remotely. Being a certified mediator, I also provide conflict resolution services in the context of home renovations and broader construction disputes.
As a renovation consultant, I use my legal knowledge to support compliance with regulatory schemes relevant to home renovations. It is central to my business that it strengthens ethical trade and generates environmentally conscious spaces where workers' rights are affirmed and respected. I strive to support everyone involved for a better experience for all.
If you are a construction professional or a homeowner looking to modernise, remodel, extend, improve, restore, redecorate, revamp or refurbish a property, please be in touch with any queries you may have.
We will be delighted to discuss your ideas and requirements!
My first job with Valerie and her company, amazing experience and super helpful! Can’t wait for many more, always there if you need her.Read More
Clair Edwards
What a pleasure to work with Valerie from The Place Between!
From start to finish we felt listened to and supported.
We needed help to visualise how to remodel the space of our ground floor and in particular how or whether to combine a kitchen /dining room. Valerie took great care to listen to our needs and wishes and in particular our tight budget. She met us online first and then visited our house to take measurements, then she brought to life (floor plans and 3D designs with walk throughs) several designs with these considerations in mind and many other great ideas to improve our quality of life in this home whilst keeping a sensible eye on improving the value of our property.
Along with design ideas, Valerie also gave much practical advice on renovation and how to be as environmentally sound as possible, which really resonated with us.
Having never renovated a property before the project felt a little overwhelming but the whole process with Valerie has now helped us to move forward. Thanks to Valerie we now feel much more confident about the remodel and how to stay on track of our budget, how to find the right trades people, how to plan the works and to start enjoying the process of Improving our home.
I would not hesitate to recommend Valerie at The Place Between.Read More
Houzz User
I had the pleasure to work for Val on a number of projects over the past 15 years from large renovation to small repairs. As a contractor she has a different approach to design, some of which are difficult to build but through working together we are able to find solutions which fit both of our needs, she uses a range of materials including, reclaimed timber and bricks, sumptuous fabrics and together with her imaginative attention to detail she is able to create beautiful finishes. All her designs are hand sketched which requires more skills rather than using CAD Design. Val has excellent communication skills and is very easy to get in touch with if I have a query, she always plans for maintenance accessibility first in her Design which is very important as repairs can be costly if this hasn’t been taken into consideration previously. Lastly, she always puts the client first and there has not been a single instance over the past 15 years where the client has been displeased with the end outcome of our projects.
Dan, DulwichMultitradeRead More
Louisa
Val was amazing. So glad we used her for the project. We’ve got a much much better result than if we had gone it alone. She was always ready in offering ideas and helping to keep the project on track. So pleased with the result!Read More
Collin Lyons
Val has been a godsend through this whole process, start to finish. I trusted her to help me find a home to buy and guide me through the process. She walked the fine line between bearing in mind my preferences and diplomatically giving me advice on things that I would not have prioritised, but did after getting her gentle nudges.
After I purchased the house she did a fantastic job helping me with designing the layout and style. She thought of all the details that, if it's your first time doing something like this, you just don't think of early enough in the process. She was excellent at translating between me and the building contractor and helping me navigating the predictable tensions that arise in a project like this. I hope to not go through this process for a very long time(!), but I would recommend Val to anyone looking for a helping hand on this journey.Read More
Houzz User
Valerie comes with my highest recommendation. She has completely taken command of a difficult building project, identified reliable new suppliers, and driven the project forward to a place where we are really happy with it. She is also unfailingly pleasant, well-organised and a delight to work with.Read More
Mihai Roibu
Superior Restauration & Renovation Ltd is a reliable and trustworthy company which is committed to realise customers' dreams and expectations. No job too small or too big. Our dedication for high quality work is a priority and this included our collaboration with Valerie at The Place Between. She acted as our designer and creative person. She’s extremely open minded and adaptable for any situation and thrives on challenge.
From our collaboration resulted a 4 bedrooms Victorian terrace house full refurb, including rear garden design.
Her vision and perspective for unique creations has allowed Superior Restauration & Renovation Ltd to deliver amazing results and get huge satisfaction at the end of the renovations project.Read More
