What we build
Renovations, extensions and finishing a stalled house
Half the calls we get are not about a new house. They are about a house that needs more room, a house that was built badly, or a house that ran out of money at roof level and has been sitting open for two years.
Finishing a stalled build
A structure that has stood open through two rainy seasons needs checking before anyone spends another shilling on it. Reinforcement that has been exposed rusts, mortar that never cured properly crumbles, and a slab that has been rained on for a year may have moved.
We survey it, tell you honestly what is sound and what is not, and give you a written figure to finish it. Sometimes the answer is that part of it should come down, and we would rather say that at the start.
Extending an existing house
The join is where extensions succeed or fail. New foundations settle at a different rate from old ones, which is why so many extensions crack along the join within a year. It is a design detail, and it is solvable.
Matching the existing stone, roof profile and window style matters more than people expect. An extension that reads as an extension takes value off the house.
- Survey first, then a written figure. No open ended work
- Movement joints designed where new meets old
- Matching stone, roofing and joinery
- Approval needed for most extensions, and we handle it
Questions we get asked
- Can you finish a house another contractor abandoned?
- Yes, and we do it regularly. We start with a survey and a written report on what is sound, because taking on someone else's work without checking it is how you inherit their mistakes. You get a fixed figure to complete, based on what we find.
- Do I need approval to extend my house?
- In most cases yes, particularly where the footprint, height or use changes. It also protects you, because an unapproved extension can block a sale or a mortgage years later.
Also worth reading
Annexes, DSQ and staff housing
The building that goes up second is usually the one nobody planned for. A DSQ, a granny flat for parents, a home office or housing for farm staff, all built on a plot that already has a house on it.
Farm and agricultural buildings
Laikipia and Meru are farming counties, and a working farm needs buildings that earn their keep. Grain and input stores, dairy units, machinery sheds, workshops and staff housing.
Planning a renovation or extension?
Tell us the plot and roughly what you have in mind. We will come and look, then give you an itemised figure and a programme.