Loft conversion specialist company or builder

[glasshalfemp]

Hello. I'm torn between using a local loft conversion company who is very
Popular in our area and a builder. The first choice is a company but they cost about 10k more. The builder is originally a roofer by trade. Had done a few of these but I have only seen one (local family kindly let me see their work). They were happy with his work but needed to micro manage it more than I anticipate I would have to with the loft company. Also the loft company work faster from what I've seen and cleaner (from what I've heard). But I would be happy to live with dust and the job to take longer for an 8-10k saving. Also I would, for example, have to find own architect and surveyor. Submit plans etc. The loft company is a one stop shop and very efficient. But the savings I would make (by coming out of my comfort zone) would mean I could get a badly needed bathroom done too (think 15 year old bathroom) and a higher spec build (from what the builder has said - rather than the bog standard). What would you do or need to know to go with the builder versus company. Any past experiences welcome. Thanks.

I would check very carefully to make sure the quotes are the same and add the cost of anything missing - like the drawings - to the quotes before comparing them.

We're going with a loft conversion specialist and one of the things I like about the one we're using is that they include deposit insurance and an insurance backed guarantee.

Availability is another thing to consider: you might have to wait longer for a one-man band to become available.

We're lowering our ceilings which made us want to go with a specialist who has done lots of lowered ceilings before. Our local loft conversion company didn't want to do it!