Trade Secrets - Chris Moseley
Trade Secrets - Chris Moseley
Who are you? Chris Moseley Ltd - local builders. We’ve been based in Dartmouth for the past 25 years
What type of work do you do? Everything, from small repairs and building maintenance to running new build projects. We’ve been involved in projects of up to £3m in value but it can easily be a small painting & decorating job, to a new bathroom or extension. Having worked so long in Dartmouth, we’ve got to know many of the peculiarities of the local building stock intimately - this prepares us well to tackle all sorts of difficult jobs. The older the house, the greater the challenge, so we’ve had to develop specialist skills to solve the problems that arise.
What’s special about your company? Well, our local experience and knowledge can count for a lot in a place like Dartmouth. We’re also very honest with prospective clients and give them a realistic estimate of the likely costs, project timeframe and any difficulties that we foresee with a job. We find being upfront like this and not making promises we can’t deliver pays off in the end..
How are prospective clients able to assess whether you’re the right choice for the job? There’s no better advert than a happy previous customer, many of whom invite us back to do new work. We send prospective clients along to see our handiwork for themselves and to get an honest assessment from those who’ve used us before.
Where do you do most of your work? We’re lucky that we are kept busy just working in Dartmouth, Dittisham and Kingswear.
Who works for you? We have only a couple on our books full-time - the rest are subcontractors with whom we’ve worked closely over many years such as Chris Turner of Heritage Plumbing and Clive Madisson, a local electrician. As a result of knowing who are the best local trades, we’re able to turn our hand to almost any type of job. I personally will do some of the tiling, painting & decorating. My brother, Bob, is a quality joiner and some clients will happily wait to ensure he’s free to do the work.
What’s good about working in Dartmouth? It’s a lovely town full of nice interesting people. If I’m working in the centre of town I can end up waving to a 100 people that I know - that’s pretty special.
What sort of work are you busy with at the moment? Mostly general maintenance, loft conversions and extensions. We’re seeing a distinct trend of people staying put in their existing house because of the property market but still wanting to improve and extend their homes.
What advice would you give By The Dart readers? Understandably, we tend to spend more money inside our home than on the outside fabric of the building. We can leave jobs like re-painting windows for too long and then wonder why they need replacing because they rot. In a town like Dartmouth, so exposed to the coastal elements, you can’t afford to scrimp on maintenance. It’s a lot cheaper in the long run to keep on maintaining your property all the time.
What do you do outside of work? Well, we have a family of four ranging from 19 yrs to 7yrs. My eldest son is likely to follow me into the trade. My wife Liz is chair of the Dartmouth Gig Club and we sponsor the local ladies’ hockey team. I’m too old (an ‘iffy’ back!) for rowing but I enjoy an occasional spot of fishing
If you would like your business to feature in Trade Secrets, please call or email By The Dart (see pg3)
First Published January 2009 By The Dart