Osborne Renovation & Handyman Services

Max Seeley ↗

★★★★★

Excellent work from Paul and his team on my recent house extension, would fully recommend.

N ↗

★☆☆☆☆

It is increasingly difficult to find reliable hardworking tradespeople and I can wholeheartedly say that Paul Osborne is not one of them. He told barefaced lies, twisted our words and twisted his own words to bleed us dry and to keep adding unexpected costs. For example - “Why have you charged us so much for these doors and windows Paul when we saw how much they cost from the website you gave us and told us to choose from?” “Oh oh that’s because I ordered them from someone else in the end so here’s an invoice for an extra £750 and you must pay immediately”. While it is fair that we agreed a price for a job we quickly came to realise that he had over egged the time frame because he charges his £400 a day (plus the extra day rate for whoever else he brings in - bricklayer, labourer, welder etc) but he only works 9am till 2pm max, meaning the job could be shorter and therefore more cost effective to the customer. There was always a reason he didn’t turn up on a Monday, excuse after excuse. But we agreed the price so more fool us. He saw us coming so please be vigilant and compare. Also check properly what is included, don’t get it wrong like us when we agree what seems like a fair price to only see in the small print that many things are not included. Like levelling a screed floor, painting even though it was listed as included. Once he secured the project he no longer communicated with us unless it served him. Ignoring messages and phone calls unless he wanted something from us. He was unprofessional a lot of the time, arguing with us in our own home and was chain smoking the whole time he was here, discarding cigarette butts in our garden. He let us down so many times - the big one being organising for an electrician to complete first fix who had no availability to come back for another 5 weeks, leaving us to find someone else willing to pick up a job half way through. Something which Paul absolutely refused to do, when he was sick for 3/4 days and didn’t fit our kitchen on schedule (after already having ripped out the old one). We asked for a friend to help get us on track so we have a kitchen and Paul refused to pick up on someone else’s work. We only got back on schedule because someone else had to fit the kitchen. Then he couldn’t manage to organise a plasterer properly, delaying us even further. He uses his own contacts who charge over and above the going rate, assuming because they cut him a deal. But they too are unreliable. So many inconsiderate minor things were done that there are just too many to list. We had one week left of the project which was just final touch ups and we declined to have Paul back anywhere near our house. Which meant we lost money because he asks for all material costs up front but it’s a small price to pay to ensure we didn’t have to tolerate this awful experience any further. We are left with bubbles in the rubber roof, a screed floor that resembles rolling hills and a ski jump, a non- standard roof height (he tried to charge us an extra £1k when we said we wanted it higher) and a very very bitter experience that we do not wish to re-live ever ever again. As a side note- we never raised any issues during the time because we were worried to death it would annoy him and he wouldn’t finish or do a great job. Photos all attached

Adam Thorpe ↗

★★★★★

I could not be more satisfied. At every phase and in every way Paul delivered. His firm did great work, always keeping us up to date on schedule, and extremely professional and pleasant to deal with throughout. The scope of work was varied, and consistently done to a high standard. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have found Osborne Building & Renovations, and I would not hesitate to recommend them.