Prior to moving to Spain I served companies as a bricklayer contractor. I contracted for MFI for ten years, operating at director level, built the head office for Cosworth Engineering in Northampton, and prestige offices for Northampton Health Authority. I also restored large buildings for Marriots French Kier and the Connells Group over a twenty year period.

I work as an individual in Spain doing restoration works. I use my experience to maintain the buildings' original character and keep original features where possible, using many of the old methods. We employ an architect for vertually all works that are carried out, complete with full planning permissions and work throughout the restoration with the architect.

I do not give a fixed price when doing restoration work. Buildings have to be restored in an ever changing environment, eg. a wooden beam that looks fine may have to be removed with the wall above and some of the roof structures. With a price fixed at a certain amount you would be asking me to pay for any extra work and, however much I would like to, I cannot do this.

I charge by the number of hours worked, eg. if we finish at 2pm, you only pay until 2pm. The small work force is monitored by a daily log whereby each man has to submit a list of the work he has done that day. In my experience, this system exceeds all others by far. You pay for the work done so I don't have to cut corners to stay within a restricted budget. The work will be done properly and we can sort out any problems as we go. Choosing a builder solely in accordance with your budget often means that money may run out halfway through the project, as the price of materials does not vary much from builder to builder and all workers need a wage. All my workers and tradesmen are paid at the proper rate and this costs money. We mention all this because we want our customers to have sufficient funds to finish their dream home. After all they may be our neighbours for years to come as we intend to stay here for a very long time.