I first got to know John Allard and his firm, South West Building and Maintenance Limited, when they were recommended to me by a leading surveyor from one of the largest chartered surveying firms in Plymouth. The firm was added to a tender list of five so he could quote for a complete refurbishment of a Grade II listed water-fronting property in Fowey, Cornwall. From start to finish John and his firm were courteous and efficient and the work his team did on the property was simply the best I have ever encountered.

The project presented a number of unusual problems including structural problems that were only discovered once the property had been stripped to the ground and sourcing a specific size of roof of tile which, because of its age, was no longer in production. In addition, whilst the rebuild had to be utterly sympathetic to the grading of the building, John and his team worked extremely well with other contractors incorporating state of the art technology including wireless control systems, a central vacuum system and underfloor heating which had to work seamlessly with a medieval oak floor that John’s firm also fitted. Nothing was impossible. Everything was achievable. Each month I received a detailed spreadsheet itemising what work had been done during the previous month so I knew exactly where I was with the costs at all times. All extras were costed and agreed in advance.

The finished project has drawn admiration from many quarters. There was a Foreman and Project Manager assigned to the job but John made regular trips to the site in order to oversee the work. Indeed my abiding memory is watching John checking the newly plastered study walls with a spirit level and having them sanded down to ensure they were perfectly flat!

So impressed was I with the firm’s work that when I bought another property in Cornwall in February 2006, John’s firm refurbished that too completing a complete re-build of two water-fronting flats in 13 weeks. I have two other large projects at an embryonic stage at the time of writing both of which will be given to Southwest Building in due course.

I have no hesitation in recommending Southwest Building to anyone undertaking a job that requires a high standard of workmanship at a reasonable price ( South West Building was in fact the cheapest tender), on budget and on time.

Subject to my availability I have given permission for John to allow potential customers of his to view the work he has done for me already.

David Friesner

21 st September 2006