house/loft conversion Post Reply

[motherof1babyboy]

We live in a terraced house near to Clapham Junction which currently comprises of 2 flats. We have come up with a simple plan to open up the house and would also want at that point to convert the loft into a further bedroom and bathroom. Can anyone recommend a builder that was reliable and efficient?

E-mail motherof1babyboy

[AbbevilleMummy]

Is it my imagination, or did someone reply to this recommending her husband? Has the reply been deleted or am I going mad?!

We are considering a similar project so if anyone can recommend someone to contact for advice that would be great!

[will1]

Hi there,

I would be happy to recommend Upsher Harrison Limited. They are a local company based in Clapham Junction and specialise in basement and loft conversions. Our quote was free, competitive and we were able to go and see others they had done in the area so I knew thequality was great. Call Rob Harrison on 07828 181738 or email him on rob@upsherharrison.com

Good luck
C xx

[upseydaisy]

Hello there,

I can highly recommned A-Loft. They have been trading in SW London for over 25 years. They did my loft in my previous house, and also did my extension to my kitchen last year. I have had no issue, and the quality of workmanship is excellent. They are also on hand for updates, and progress reports, and the project Marc, is reliable and always on the other end of the phone if you need him.

Call Marc on 07530 196512
Email: marc.charles73@yahoo

[Familycompleted]

Stay away from SD Realm - we had a total disaster.

Things were going really well in the beginning Last summer and everything seemed to be on schedule until all hell broke loose and we were stranded during winter with a leaking roof and broken bi-fold doors no real kitchen and freezing house with a toddler.....(Supposed to finish end of August and we are STILL - in May 2012 - trying to complete unfinished decorating now with the help of other builders). One of the worst experiences of my life and I have never been that close to depression!

The guy who runs it (Daniel) seemed oh so professional at the beginning with daily updates and always replying emails and taking calls. He then disappeared. My son got a chest infection from the cold and dust, I lost a stone. His tradesmen complained that they weren't paid and walked out. We wanted a loft conversion and a side extension - we got both in the end, thanks to other builders we are happy with the result but I would NEVER recommend the Co and regret doing so in the beginning. Hope none of you have a similar experience.

[nnfr]

post deleted

[GardenRosie]

Upsher Harrison are great - Rob is very professional and goes the extra mile. Their offices are in Northcote Road so they are v local too.

x

[twice_as_nice]

Mother of 1 baby and Abbeyville mummy:

We did something very similar - converting two flats into one house. One of the flats was in particularly poor condition and we've re-wired; replumbed; replastered throughout that whole flat as well as doing a loft extension to create a new room with ensuite.

I can't recommend my builders unfortunately but what I would say is that we used a building surveyor to oversee the works. He produced the detailed specification of works that we used to go to tender with a few builders and which formed the basis of the contract (he also drew up the detailed JCT contract). Then once we started the work, we employed him to oversee it - not project manage as such but to do weekly inspections to ensure that the work carried out was as per the specification detailed.

I'm so glad we did this. It cost us a bit and at first we weren't sure if it was necessary for a small/medium piece of work (certainly the builders were trying to convince us it was an unnecessary cost) but it has proved invaluable. The builder ended up building the loft conversion without consulting the structural plans (why, I have no idea - no real explanation was provided) - this was picked up by the surveyor who ensured that the works were amended as required to ensure they were built safely.

There were a number of other issues that arose where having an expert independent of the builder was invaluable to ensure quality of work.

Sorry to provide a long reply which isn't really responding to your direct question but I am really so glad we did this, I think it's the only reason why we've ended up with a house that we're happy with and ended up with work that I'm happy has been carried out to high standards.

The building surveyor we used was ckw surveyors - Cliff Kennedy. He's very local (lives in wandsworth) - I would definitely recommend him.

T_a_N

[MGMidget]

When we had a loft conversion done the loft company also ignored their own structural details they had submitted to building control. Their so-called project manager was quite cavalier in his attitude. Therefore I completely agree with Twice_as_nice's approach. If you want the job done properly and don't want problems coming back to haunt you later you are definitely better off with a professional architect or surveyor drawing up a tender document and specification and then carrying out inspections for you. Loft conversion company contracts give them all the power and put you in a weak position when work is poor quality. Don't rely on 'guarantees' as many builders close their business and start up under a new name to avoid liability for past work. Also don't rely too much on trade body membership. Whilst it ultimately helped us it was a long painful process. We were without a proper roof for many months and the trade body had a tendency to accept delaying tactics from the builder without checking with us if they were actually doing what they had told the trade body they were doing to resolve problems.

[EBn]

We used Upsher Harrison to renovate our Victorian terraced house in Balham. We have had everything done (new electrics, central heating, side return, kitchen, bathrooms, windows, built in wardrobes...). We love our house. Rob and Nick completed the job in 4 1/2 months (a week later than originally agreed - even though we increased the scope significantly). The whole experience was remarkably low stress. Nick and Rob are nice guys with a lot of integrity.
Others earlier in the post gave Rob's contact details - I would certainly recommend getting in touch with him.

[AnnieH]

Just another loft company to avoid - A1 lofts.

They did our loft conversion 4 years ago and to cut a very long story short. There were 2 leaks in the roof which caused damage to the ceilings . It took a lot of time and energy to get them repaired in 2010. Now less than 18 mths later one of their repairs is still leaking and causing more damage.

[Boune]

Hello there
I have already recommended my builder in another post but I put it again here:
We have personally used mylondonextensions in Clapham and they have done such an amazing job. What they have done for us is just stunning and actually at a very good price.
They are always available to help, to discuss, to advice and if you ask they will take you to some other projects they have done recently.
Again, I am so please with this company than I recommend them to all my friends.
Anyway, I can only recommend them and they have a website were you can see pictures of our place!
www.mylondonextensions.com
David's number is 07 990 856 830.
Good luck with your project!

[cool_mum_of_3]

hi there, we had our side/rear extension by a building company based in streatham, called south london extensions & lofts, 0 2 0 3 6 2 7 1 2 7 7, they were fantastic and the most competitive than all the other quotes we had from other firms. we highly recommend them. good luck.

[Medway]

Hi, before considering South London lofts please do read other less favourable posts on this site. Don't forget with all these things 1) get recommendations from people you know and trust 2) if it feels too good to be true price wise it is too good to be true!

[agapa]

wholeheartedly recommend paul macgill who runs aldridge roofers and builders. he has done our loft conversion in sw11.

very straightforward, accurate and high quality. his quote was much lower than the usual london loft companies.

07725037662