Two Storey Extension

What was involved?
It was a two storey, side extension added on to our three bed, semi-detached house. The extension included a new utility room, downstairs play room area, and a new bedroom and separate bathroom upstairs. Andrew also did work in our kitchen which included a new ceiling.

In addition to the extension and kitchen, Andrew and his guys took up the garden, paved it and built walls. We had already purchased the stone and the plans of what we wanted and just gave it to Andrew to build. He did a great job.

How did you choose Polaris Builders?
I found out about Andrew after seeing his name mentioned on a blog or message board. Someone in Bray had used Andrew before and had been very pleased with the work. The person who had left the message gave their phone number and I rang them asking about Andrew. Everything I heard was good and I saw photos of the job Andrew had done for them. I gave Andrew a ring after that to discuss the project I had in mind. I had spoken to four other builders but liked what I heard from Andrew and his quote was also the most competitive.

Had you definite ideas in mind before you talked to Andrew Rudenko?
Yes. We had the planning permission agreed beforehand and had spoken to an architect who drew up plans for the project.

Did Andrew introduce new ideas?
To be honest there really wasn't a lot of room to suggest new ideas because of the plans, it was pretty straightforward. At one stage we had considered adding an ensuite to one of the new bedrooms but we decided instead to enlarge the separate bathroom. Andrew did a very good job with successfully following through on the plans and the extension turned out just the way we wanted it to.

How did the project run?
I would give Andrew ten out of ten on everything he did here. He was reliable with regards to being here every day when he said he would and did a great job. We're very pleased with how everything turned out. Not just the extension either, the exterior paving work they did was exceptional.

One thing I wanted to mention was Andrew's aftercare service. New windows had been added to the extension when it was built in 2007. A couple of windows developed a glazing problem about six months ago in 2011 and we contacted Andrew about it. The windows were still under warranty and Andrew arranged for the windows to be ordered, delivered and then he installed them free of charge. I knew the window replacement was covered under warranty and wouldn't cost anything but I wasn't expecting Andrew to work for free. Andrew considered it a part of the service and didn't charge for it. I wanted to mention that.

What was the biggest benefit to you of using Polaris Builders?
I would have to say that it was a combination of things. Andrew was very competitive on price, eager to work and did what he said he would. His communication skills were helpful as well. If any issues ever came up that needed to be discussed, we spoke about whatever the situation was and what was being done about it. Andrew is a good humoured guy, easy to talk to and nice to deal with.

What's your favourite part now?
The extra high ceilings in the upstairs bathroom and bedroom. The original plans were for ordinary height ceilings on the second floor. We discussed what we wanted with Andrew and did it straight away. It was exactly what we wanted.

Would you recommend Polaris Builders to others?
I would have no reservation with recommending Andrew for any job. He was a pleasure to work with. In fact I've already recommended Andrew to a few people. My wife works with a women that wanted similar work to ours done and we recommended Andrew to her. She chose him based on that recommendation and was very happy with the result as well.

Any tips for other people?
I think the most important thing is to talk to people who have worked with a builder before. I think all builders should be able to supply a name and a telephone number of a previous client that is a reference. If they can't provide even one, that tells you something right there and you might be walking into problems.