Who Will Be On Site When Your Deck Is Built? The Person Who Quotes It Is The Person Who Builds It.

A deck, a fence or a staircase is a big thing to hand over to someone. It helps to know exactly who is going to be standing on your property building it.

The short answer

I am Neville Banwell, and I have worked as an independent carpenter and fencing specialist across the Overberg since September 2014. Every job is personally overseen by me, from the first site visit to the final cleanup. I work with a small, trusted crew, usually two or three guys, and never with a distant subcontractor.

What I handle myself

• The measurements. I come and look at the spot with you.
• The consultation. We talk through what you want and what makes sense on this coast.
• The material sourcing. The timber and the fixings are chosen for the job. I wrote about the fixings in why stainless steel fixings matter by the sea.
• The cost estimate. Every quote starts with a free site visit, with no charge and no obligation. More in what happens at the site visit.
• The build itself, and a full site cleanup at the end.

Why it matters

There is no gap between who quotes the job and who is on site building it. If something needs deciding halfway through, the person you agreed it with is the one standing there. You do not have to explain the job again to someone who was not at the first meeting.

It also means the work is checked by the person who is putting his name to it. After twelve years of timber work, much of what I do comes from repeat clients and local referrals around Betty's Bay and the wider Overberg, and I would like to keep it that way.

Questions to ask any builder

These are the questions I am happy to be asked, and they are worth asking before you agree to any job.

• Who will be on site each day, and will it be the same people?
• Will any of the work go to a subcontractor?
• Who do I call if something needs to change?
• Will the site be cleaned up when the job is finished?

What customers say

One Google review says it better than I can: “Neville and his team do excellent work. He is a hands-on craftsman that takes pride in his work. Highly recommended!” That is from Deon Terblanche. You can read more on our about page and on Google.