Can you recommend a builder - Surrey

[SquashedAndSqueezed]

We have planning in place for a 2 storey extension and loft conversion on our semi and would like to bloody well get on with it - ideally next spring.

We must have contacted 30 local firms but had no one come back to us with a quote 😩 a couple have said the job is too big or too small, some are too busy, some seem promising then.... nothing.

We wonder if they have been put off by us giving them a spec and a draft contract along with the drawings - but really we want someone who will work with us in a professional way!

Can anyone here recommend a builder as right now we'll take any and every lead going. Thank you!

Whereabouts in Surrey?

I can certainly recommend Pattom projects. They are not the cheapest by they’re extremely reliable and high quality. Be prepared to wait a number of months. We had them do a large project back in 2018 and waited 9 months for them to do our project.

Great, I have seen Pattom's vans around, we are def in their area.

We're in Runnymede.

I was going to suggest Bell & Collier, but they are based in Guildford.

They did an excellent extension for us, but it was about 20 years ago.

Thanks for the recommendation @TwoLeftSocksWithHoles I've contacted them, I'd hope for a project this size they'd think a 30min commute was worth it 😅

Nigel Lowe, E Molesey.

@titchy thanks for that, have you had them do work for you?

Yes - several years ago but they're still around.

Bishop Building Services in Woking are great, very professional.

Pattom too busy to tender. Bishop booked up for another THIRTEEN MONTHS 😭

Annoyingly I don’t have a recommendation for you (husband works in hard landscaping) but I know that many many trades are very busy at the moment. You probably know that the price of some materials has also rocketed so if you are quoted soon by a firm that can’t fit you in for months and months please make sure to check that the price won’t creep up by the time you get round to the build.

All decent builders will be booked up, but you would be better off waiting. If a builder has availability immediately, be suspicious. Good luck.

We're suspicious of anyone who says they're free now too. We're due a baby in March (I know 🤦‍♀️ but we'll be moving out) so have been asking for May 2022 since we started looking this summer. That doesn't feel unreasonable, but is it? 😭

May 2022 doesn’t sound an unreasonable timeframe even for a good builder that’s booked up.

If you’re in Runnymede have you tried Englefield Building Contractors? Or J&J Wall. I haven’t used either of them myself but friends have and said they were both very good.

Thank you @MsLumley I have contacted them today 🙌

Ah sorry ☹️. If you’re struggling to find someone for next May you might just have to go with it and delay by a few months. If you’ve been looking this long and not found anything?
The longer you keep looking the more bookings they’ll take.