I have been asked to give my opinion of Jon Button Construction Co.Ltd. who carried out a building contract at my house last year. Jon won the tender for the contract against a specification prepared and issued by the company with whom I am insured. This was following a fire in part of the house which severely damaged two rooms and affected four other rooms and one staircase and landing.
Before commenting further I should explain that I have been employed as a building contract designer and manager for over 40 years so fully understand the many issues which Jon and his men had to face.
The process for Jon was also affected by the fact that I am now disabled and had just had major neurosurgery so could not move to alternative accommodation without the specialised disability facilities. I was, however, able to move into the unaffected part of the house. Jon accepted this constraint cheerfully and supportively.
This was not a job where a contractor could put in a team of men to hit the work in a sequential order. It is a large Grade II listed building where any work is subject to meeting the requirements of the local Conservation Officer, who carried out regular inspections, and which delayed the time taken before council approval was given to proceed. This not only took time but also, in itself, affected the flow of work as, for instance, all re-plastering had to be with lime plaster which takes considerably longer to cure than modern plasters. Most of the work therefore required one or two days’ work only at a time, making Jon’s ability to manage his workforce with other contemporaneous contracts much more difficult.
Within these many constraints Jon succeeded in completing the work within the time and cost agreed with the insurance company. That he did this at all was a measure of his ability and that he did it so cheerfully and supportively was of great benefit to me personally at a very difficult time.
I have no hesitation in recommending Jon Button Construction Company Ltd.
Sandra Ferrelly
