Customer reference for building, converting services as told to pickapro by S O'Riordan from Sandyford, Dublin on 01-Dec-2011

What was involved?
It was the refurbishment and insulation of a small granite cottage in the country. The insulation was done internally because we didn't want to cover up the granite walls outside. The main focus inside was to maximise the available space because it is a small cottage.

How did you choose Rainsford Builders?
A friend of mine who is an architectural technician had worked with Eddie on a previous project and he recommended Eddie to me. I went with his recommendation after speaking to Eddie. Eddie sounded really sensible and the price he quoted to carry out the work was good.

Had you definite ideas in mind before you talked to Eddie Rainsford?
As far as the design ideas, I left that up to my wife and she and Eddie worked out the practicalities.

Did Eddie introduce new ideas?
He did, yes. Eddie looked at what was possible and made some good suggestions. one example was that I had gotten a mosaic for the bathroom and Eddie suggested getting one for the floor in the front hallway as well. We did and it looks great! Eddie also suggested doing things slightly different in the kitchen and it makes more sense now. One last bit of advice that really saved us some money had to do with the two big windows we had in the cottage. I thought that they would have to be replaced because the wood was rotten around them. Eddie told me that they didn't need to be replaced, that he could refurbish them instead. That advice right there saved me 1,500 quid.

How did the project run?
Very well and the quality of the finish was excellent because Eddie made sure it was. A good example of this is that at the time the tiling work was to begin, Eddie's regular tiler wasn't available so he got a replacement in to do the work. The quality wasn't good and Eddie went to your man's boss and brought them back to redo the job correctly. When the project was finished, Eddie brought in a professional cleaning team who came in and did the house from top to bottom.

What was the biggest benefit to you of using Rainsford Builders?
I suppose in a word, Eddie is sensible. I got Eddie to do some work for my Aunt and for a friend of mine and the three of us agree that the great thing about Eddie is that he will give you a sensible solution while staying within your budget. Those of us who are not builders will say things like "what about this or that"? Eddie will politely explain to you why something may or not work and still make you feel great about it.

What's your favourite part now?
I suppose it would be his idea to do a mosaic in the hallway, I just love it.

Would you recommend Rainsford Builders to others?
I highly recommend Eddie and as I've said, I have done. The work that he did for my aunt was similar to mine but on a smaller scale. A friend of mine was looking for a builder and not getting sensible answers. I said "why don't you just talk to Eddie and see what he has to say"? My friend did and said that Eddie was great. They had thought of getting rid of a back door and replacing it with another but Eddie suggested keeping the one they had and fixing it up. Eddie was able to seal up and reinsulate the existing door which saved them a few grand. Eddie was just sensible about the whole thing and my friend said, "wow"!