A 1930s Semi by the Sea: Finding a Building Company

We have decided to keep on renting in London while our new house is being renovated. There is no was we can move in and do it slowly over time – it just needs too much work. When I say too much work I mean: all new wiring, replace lead pipes and update the plumbing system, sand and finish all floors, prep and paint all rooms, dip and paint all doors, repair and paint woodwork, rip out psychedelic gas fires and create open fireplaces, build wardrobes, replace kitchen, replace bathroom and, while we’re at it, knock down a few walls. And that’s just for starters.

With our London rent bleeding our account every month, we had to work fast and find a recommended and reliable team. We considered using individual trades people to tackle each specialist piece of work, and met with various companies to discuss the job and get quotes. This approach would have required my husband and me to project manage. But with us tied to the city due to work and baby duty, and (ahem) the fact we’ve never taken on a big renovation project before, it seemed crazy to manage ourselves.

So we started looking for one company who could handle everything, including the project management. George Clarke’s Top Ten Renovation Tips really helped focus our search. We researched top rated companies in the area using Checkatrade and asked out friends for referrals. After many phone calls, we put together a short list and arranged for some quotes.

We found a kitchen company we stumbled upon both on Checkatrade, and then on our local high street, that handles full renovations through a partnership with a larger building company. Their ratings and referrals all checked out, and they had a nice rapport with my husband, who handled the bidding process while I stayed behind, amusing sonny boy with jingling blocks back in London.

I wasn’t totally useless. I did help clarify the exact list of works we needed, and hammered out the budget, and reviewed the contract. (Using George Clarke as my virtual assistant. Thanks, George.)

With everything in place, the builders were able to start last week, on time.

We’ve allocated 6 weeks for the work. Aggressive timescales, but doable if there are no surprises. There will be teams of specialists overlapping and one project manager overseeing everything. We’ll travel down every Friday to check progress in person and answer questions, plus keep up to date with phone calls and emails throughout the week. We’ll see how it goes. I’m guessing as the project progresses we’ll need to get down there more frequently.

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