Building an honest relationship: Richley Contractors may be small but their promise is huge

If you’re looking for a builder where do you start? You could go to a larger local company with a massive presence or you could choose a smaller local company with a great track record, the choice is most certainly yours – but at the end of the day you want to settle on a company that you can trust.

We met Richard and Kelly of Richley Contractors to find out more about the services that they offer. With over 25 years experience, their family-run business supplying skilled carpentry and building services has a tried and trusted history of managing projects from start to finish, with excellent customer service and always maintaining the customer’s vision as their priority.

“We are passionate about our company and the quality of work we produce, and above all we want to deliver an honest service to all our clients regardless of the size of their project – listening to exactly what they want and delivering the best possible result within their budget.”

Richley Contractors has a track record of offering a bespoke service, delivering to their clients on schedule jobs varying from loft conversions, extensions, general carpentry, landscape gardening, fencing and much more to help shape the homes customers are after.

Delivering the best possible result within their budget

“We work with and invest in using professional craftsmen and only work with a regular group of building professionals. By doing this we know them and their work and they know our standards and expectations.

“We will never commit to work that we cannot undertake, nor do we say we can start a contract knowing that we are too busy, it’s all about getting the logistics right and once again about being honest.

“We don’t work on waiting lists and we are aware that people, once they have decided that a job needs doing, want that done in a reasonable time, unrushed and to the highest possible standard.”

Honesty seems to be at the heart of what Richard and Kelly do, so we asked them for an honest list of questions that anyone undertaking employing a building contractor should ask in advance of going ahead. Having asked them, we posed the questions to them:

FIVE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ALWAYS ASK A BUILDING COMPANY
1 Can I see work you have undertaken and meet previous clients?
Yes, we often ask previous clients not only for testimonials but also if they will show new clients the work we have done.

2 What terms of payment do you operate and will I have a contract?
For small works we will always give a quotation, and payment is made on completion. For all larger jobs, we have a contract of work that fully describes the work we are completing, along with our standard terms and conditions and a staged schedule of payments. We ask for a realistic initial deposit and subsequently % payments throughout the job, these are always in-line with work that has been completed and therefore the clients can see where their money is going. We strongly believe that a contract is there to protect both the builder and the client.

3 How soon can you start and how long do you think the job will take?
Once you have accepted your quotation, we will pencil the next available date in, we will never just give a date sooner than we know we will be able to start just to win a job. With regards to how long it will take – project times vary and all timelines are specific, we always endeavor to deliver your project on time, but sometimes we encounter changes, additions or problems – which can push the schedule back.

4 Can you advise on the best way to achieve what we want?
“Yes, we have many professional resources that support us in what we do and can call on them to ensure that what a client wants is done in the best possible way. If we see something that is a possibility that a client has not thought of we will present that as an option.”

5 Who will we be dealing with on a day-to-day basis?
“The first port of call will always be Richard. We always endeavor to have a lead person who will be there from day one to completion. All the building professionals on site will work to that lead person. Richard coordinates all works even if he is not always on site, and is always at the end of his phone for you. Kelly is in charge of all office admin and company finances. She also works on sourcing options for fixtures and fittings to present to clients and is great at finding the best solutions across a wide price band. She also keeps a photographic diary of work as it progresses so a client can see things at all stage, we are now looking at using video footage too.”

When you look at the questions and listen to their answers that all important honesty comes to the fore and in sharing that advice they are once again being honest, telling you the potential client to make sure that you are choosing the right company to do the job.

Richley Contractors – 38 Ashburnham Drive,
Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 9AX
tel: 01273 682650
info@richleycontractors.co.uk
www.richleycontractors.co.uk