AVOID AVOID AVOID

AVOID. AVOID AVOID Do not use this company unless you want to spend endless nights stressed and feeling exploited. I was originally told by Building Couture and its main proprietor Steve that he would be using a team to complete my renovation of a whole 3-bedroom semi-detached property. However, not on a single day, did I see another individual working alongside him. I also believe he took on many other jobs and due to this, the works which originally started on December 21 2020 and were originally due to be finished within 4-6 weeks were still incomplete in October 2021 and not finished. There were amendments and additional works added to the job, however, it will never excuse the fact that I had to continuously chase Steve to turn up to the job and that days and weeks would go past and he hadn’t turned up. Steve also knew every trick of the trade, including taking shortcuts on jobs and disappearing with all his tools and refusing to come back as soon as I would challenge him on anything or challenge him as to why the job wasn’t getting done. I felt helpless during my whole experience with this company and also note it is not easy to seek help if you feel you are being exploited as a customer in the building industry. I felt that as the builder was working in my house and had extensive knowledge I didn’t have, he would ensure that “I was put in my place” and “taught a lesson” anytime I complained. I have since had to contract someone else to finish the work, and this has revealed many of the issues with Steve’s work, including a bad tiling job, a conservatory roof which has not been fitted properly, and a gap left for rainwater to come in. A lot of the other work also has issues which had to be rectified and has ended up costing me £1000s more than originally would have. Steve did seem knowledgeable and passionate about the work he was doing and this was why I went with him. However, it was to my detriment that I didn’t review his previous work or check references. And it became clear that without a good professional honest attitude and a dedication to delivering work on time, customers like myself will always suffer. Steve is also quite a charming character and can talk for the town. I do encourage customers to not be taken in by this and also avoid agreeing to his terms and conditions, or handing money up front as he will continuously hold leverage you in the during sum of the whole works and look to exploit this as much as he can. I also believe it is really easy to “delete” a company and start from scratch, so it is really important to examine the person’s work before contracting them.

Gary Dhaliwal - 25/12/2021 | report this review