Customer reference for renovations services as told to pickapro by Brian Bohill from Walkinstown, Dublin 6 on 11-Apr-2011

When was the work done?
The work started in September, 2010 and finished two months later in November.

What was involved?
The house was built in the 1940's and hadn't had any work done on it since then. We decided to do a complete internal and external renovation. It was a large job. Fintan and his team knocked down the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room to make a larger, open plan space. A new kitchen was built complete with cabinets and french doors were installed. French doors were also installed at the front entrance porch. The plumbing, central heating and insulation were all upgraded. In addition, all the windows were replaced, the exterior of the house was painted and the front and back gardens were dug up and redone. The gutters, facia boards, soffits and downpipes were replaced. The gardens were in a terrible state. The front garden is now hardcore and gravel with shrubs around the side. We replaced the old fencing with a sturdy wall.

How did you choose FJB Construction Ltd?
I found Fintan on the Pickapro website. we met up with him, discussed the job and liked him straight away. He produced a very good, detailed quote and all the elements were broken down by price and it was easy to understand. By presenting the quote in the way he did, we could see the various costs and best decide on available options. We had a short list of three or four builders we spoke to but we really followed up on Fintan. We checked out his references and they were all very positive and confirmed that he had in fact done a good job for them.

Had you definite ideas in mind before you talked to Fintan Brady?
I did have a reasonably good idea and provided Fintan with a detailed list of changes plus a kitchen floor plan.

Did Fintan introduce new ideas?
Fintan made good suggestions all along. What I liked about Fintan was that he didn't respond like Pavlov's dog and mindlessly do the work. when Fintan saw possibilities and opportunities, he would very gently make suggestions and leave the final decision to us. Fintan came up with good ideas for the colour of the house and was able to put another press in the kitchen we hadn't thought of. Fintan's cabinet making expertise allowed him to use the kitchen space very well. We had a fireplace that I thought was well past its time but Fintan thought that it could be rejuvenated and it was. It's aesthetically very attractive and appropriate to the room.

How did the project run?
Excellent. We gave Fintan a job to do and he did it wonderfully. Fintan was very good to deal with, easy to talk to and has wonderful people skills. I've had experiences in the past where you feel almost ambushed by a trademens personality, some are pushy and others are patronising. Fintan on the other hand is completely straight and everything is clear.

What was the biggest benefit to you of using FJB Construction Ltd?
I would have to say that it was Fintan's utter competence and reliability. Before the work even started we were impressed with the detailed and itemized quotation he put together. We knew exactly where we stood.

What's your favourite part now?
All of it really, it wasn't just one thing. Fintan put together a very attractive, comfortable, and functional house. Fintan's building and cabinet making skills are marvelous.

Would you recommend FJB Construction Ltd to others?
I couldn't recommend Fintan more strongly. He's a good guy, a hard worker, imaginative and he has wonderful people skills. We were very happy with him.

Any tips for other people?
I think as in all matters, if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. Sit down long before the project and itemize exactly what you want done. Little things like how you want the windows to open, the handles on the doors and such. It's then up to you to communicate this information to the builder. Don't expect divine inspiration to carry your thoughts to the builder and then blame him for not doing what was in your head.

Another tip would be to get three or four quotations from builders. You don't go with the cheapest and you look into why the dearest one is the dearest. Is it legitimate or is he putting in diamond studded walls?