holly but no ivy!

Walking Bella today and there in the woods stood a holly tree that looked like it had Christmas lights all over it. Its the biggest holly tree i have ever seen and full of rich red berries. Nothing to do with building but it looks so stunning.

Looking for a peace of mind?

We have just been accepted under the wings of My Builder which looks only to supply tradesman who have been vetted. So just like the Guild of Mastercraftsman you can find us on these sites and if your looking for a builder then contact us through these or the web site.

first linked in reference

obtaining a reference is always exciting when your running a business as word of mouth is the best way of advertising. So we are very pleased with all our to date reference

s1 buildersltd on touch local

find us on the touch local site too! touch local

online brochure!

Here is the online brochure of some of the past works we have completed, please enjoy.
the S1 Buildersltd brochure

updates! estimate revoked!

Today was the first time we felt we had to revoke an estimate that we had supplied. The potential clients asked us to come in and price for a major renovation and after several site visits and emails we came to the conclusion that the client (who wanted to project manage) did not really have any concept of the logistics of how these projects go. The plans had no measurements, building control had not been on site to view the works, even though they had begun, the engineers report conflicted with building regs, the architects drawings were like a 5 year olds, no plate measurements, walls not in line, butting up against next doors walls with no allowance for their footings and the list goes on and on. So we could see a potential disaster on the horizon and decided that this one was not for us. A first!
We are in the middle of several jobs at the moment due to the weather and the discovery of defects.
Over pining an extension on a cottage, fencing, chimney cowl, window repairs to another and re rendering an end gable which it turns out to have a chimney stack thats on its last legs.
Priced for a variety of other works which look to keep us busy if we are successful.
Flat tyre on the van today slowed us down as someone had decided that the wheel brace was in a safer place if not kept in the back of the van!

very versatile and the price is fair!

thats just what the clients are saying about us, not me. We do try to be affordable, but the key factor is we dont use cheap materials to drive our prices down.
versatile and fair

testimonials

just two new testimonials which we are very proud of
new to the website and the other new to scoot always pleasing for potential clients to be able to read.

busy busy and busy update 2

Actually sat to update the blog and end up sorting through estimates. Funny old game the building trade one minute its lovely and calm, the next its blowing a storm and you end up spinning all over the place,
Feet securely on the floor at the moment as i have just finished 2 out of four estimates, filling in the details for companies house, shuffling paper and filling in the diary. Then arranging the camper to come off the road until next spring. I do love my air cooled van but its heater is rubbish so the watercooled is used over the winter.
The works truck is in its final mot year and off to scrap heaven when it runs out, i love the rusty old girl as she does what it says on the back, Like i always advise the clients "if its not broken, don't try and fix it".
With the local authority recommending us for the disabled ramp and the client extremely happy, us at S1 gave each other a pat on the back and then to top it of we all received a very generous bonus for the roof.
Finishing off a small fencing job, renovation of a window and chimney cap before we go onto rendering the end of a gable.
We have been approached by a government agency to price for some work for them which is exciting, another flint wall, a restoration project, a retaining wall/steps, gate posts, shed and shed base and restoration of an old cottage. phewwwwwwwwwwww!
which ones we get who knows?
well pictures are uploaded to Picasso ready for one of us to update the blog tomorrow or you!

Check out the up and coming listing on scoot be the first to review us SCOOT

dodgy insurance, moles and updates

Wow time flies when your busy! Lots been going on and getting finished.
Painting, plumbing, rendering, drains, paving, estimates, clearing out stock, mole hunting, fixing holes in felt, clearing moss off roofs, kite flying and more.
Well i will actually get pictures and details of some important issues over the next few days. The two main subjects will be the issue of moles and your home insurance (if its worth the paper its printed on).
so look out for the posts which are in the pipeline

disabled pathing

Recommended by the local council to this disabled lady to install paths for her to actually be able to leave her house. Concreting the week we had the hottest days of the year was a nightmare, with mixes drying too quick and the glare off the concrete adding to carers in and out the day. But as it is now drying out and able to be walked on all good feedback to date. We lapped DPM up the wall to combat the overrun above the DPC and installed a drain gulley to feed the water away from the house. The dwarf wall was built but requires a gate or something to stop the wheel chair visiting the fake grass(to be done by others?)

the roof after

Having stripped the roof and sprayed all the timbers with a well known timber treatment it was time to insulate the loft (so as the breeze kept the dust at bay which filled the loft). Then breathable felt and new baton was installed onto the roof, along with new tiles and leadwork to complete the perfect roof.
Oh! not to forget the gable end rendered, new security lights and new guttering to finish the job off.

One last thing we used some of the old tiles to re tile and felt an out building (guttering just to fit now)

the roof before we started

Back working on a clients house who we have completed extensive works for over the years. The large lead valley earlier this year, new bathroom, plastering, bedroom refits, sound proofing to council recommendations, total refits of one bathroom to two, guest bedroom renovations, electrical works, fire doors and so much more. This is a watch this space client as they have so much more in the pipeline for us.The tiles had seen their best and this client has his head screwed on as "prevention is better than cure"!

footings or lack of

got called out to find out why a bedroom had cracks appearing only to find the footings were inadequate. to a depth of 150mm on made up ground with just a slab. So with so much damage under or over pining was out of the question and a total rebuild looks to be in order, make sure you have insurance as this could happen to anyone.

fencing and patio completed

 Here are pictures of the completed works. Fencing, patio, pathway and landscaping. Some pictures show works during and some after cleaning. The soil areas are to be seeded by the client at a later date.

 as you can notice by the darker pointing there is a recessed drain cover which allows access to the drain shown in the earlier post whilst blending in with the patio.

right at the end of the job after washing everywhere down we installed new shingle to the drive to give it the fresh clean look after we had left.

soap suds and drains

Drains blocked with soap suds from the sink and washing machine, fence posts in, patio done, garden to level and then its time to slot the panels in and tidy up. Remember to rinse your sink and pipework through at regular times to avoid blockages like this client had.

name that tree in one!

 whilst picking up aggregate in the storms the other week, I noticed this tree sat "all alone"

we watched the wind sway this tree in the grounds where we have just finished the roof etc and it was !should i stay or should I go"
two great tunes but from who?

time to catchup

in the next few days i will update the schedule of works and pictures of what we have done and are doing. so keep your eyes on the posts.

Advertising campaign start and news

Tomorrow sees the start of the new advertising campaign starting in kings lynn Homebase. Two years advertising at a very reasonable rate, take the leaflets and hand them around, a generous finders fee will be given to any works secured from a personal recommendation or leaflet hand out. What have you to lose? Just been going through the local details from the English castles along the Scottish border its like having a living history lesson and both myself and the children have experienced some excitable times that we never expected. Union bridge being one of them! Such a buzz jumping backwards and forwards across the English/Scottish border and then driving over a bridge that moves when you walk over it let alone drive over it. The bollards that allow you on and off the bridge are only just wide enough to let the golf on, so with a long way down into a big river it was better than any roller coaster. The countryside is outstanding here with long sandy beaches and buildings built from large sandstone blocks which i struggle to see how they were lifted by any bricky. Anyway back to the patio and fence on monday!