What sort of building work do you take on?
Alterations, repairs and refurbishment rather than new builds from the ground up. In practice that means floors taken up and relaid, walls and ceilings made good, units stripped back and refitted, damaged finishes cut out and replaced, and general repairs on premises that have to keep operating. If it is a job that needs several trades and somebody to hold the whole thing together, that is the work we are built for.
Do you work on commercial premises as well as houses?
Both, and a lot of what we do is commercial. Retail units, supermarkets, offices, industrial units and managed premises make up a large part of the work, alongside domestic jobs for homeowners and landlords. Commercial work usually comes with restrictions on when we can be on site, which is why we work through the night and at weekends as a matter of course.
How quickly can you get to a job?
For anything urgent, quickly. The phone is answered 24 hours and we cover Slough, Heathrow and West London, so a call-out is usually the same day and often within a couple of hours if it is something like a leak or a floor that has become a trip hazard. Planned work is booked in for a date that suits the premises rather than one that suits us.
Will you give me a price before you start?
Yes. Nothing gets started without you knowing what it costs. For anything beyond a straightforward call-out we come and look at the job first, because a price given over the phone on a description is a guess and guesses are how disputes start. You get a written price for the work described, and if something is found once we open the job up you hear about it before any extra money is spent.
Can you work outside normal hours?
Yes, and for commercial jobs it is usually the only sensible option. Shop floors, aisles and washrooms cannot be closed off during trading, so a lot of our work happens overnight, before opening or over a weekend, with the area cordoned and cleared before the doors open again. Tell us the trading hours and we will work around them.
Do you clear up after yourselves?
Yes, and it is not an optional extra. Waste goes with us, floors are swept and cleaned down, and anything cordoned off is put back the way we found it. On a commercial job that matters even more than the work itself, because the premises has to be usable the moment we leave.
