Caledonian Building & Landscaping Ltd

Gary and Ian took on the installation of an accessible bathroom for our nonagenarian parents. This had become urgently necessary and when the lockdown started during the second week of the build we faced a real problem. Once clearance was given to continue because of the circumstances here, and only then if all necessary hygiene and social distancing was in place, they made immense efforts to solve all the supply difficulties and get the work done. Everyone was clearly well-briefed on how to work under these conditions, with good hand hygiene, face masks and distancing.

The work itself has been carried out to a very high standard (we love the shutters that Ian made from scratch, for example), and excellent quality control has meant that any issues have been promptly resolved.

We would happily use this team again.

We chose to have our patio work done by Caledonian over 2 other companies precisely because they are part of the Edinburgh Trusted Traders scheme and Marshall’s registered installers.

The 1 star review reflects the fact that we are happy with the overall quality of the work completed, thanks only to Wayne and Alfie who were courteous, helpful and worked very hard. Our complaint rests wholly with the unprofessional behaviour of the management. ETT’s code of practice sets out expectations of how traders should treat customers and complaints, which as explained below wasn't the case in our experience.

4 stars deducted for:
1) Lack of effective communication throughout the project:

I had to chase them multiple times for information as they volunteered no updates about when the guys would be on site, missed multiple meetings with us and didn't return some of our calls. Regardless of whether someone from the office is on holiday, it does not excuse terrible communication, especially after your customer has raised concerns in writing about your poor communication.

2) Lack of effective documentation throughout the project.

From the initial consultation, there was apparently a total misunderstanding of what level we wanted the patio laid at. There were no specifics in the cost estimate about what height the path should be laid at, or to what depth we would prepare the ground. We, the customer, were then accused of changing the requirements and there was unfortunately no written evidence to the contrary.

Not told upfront what the payment terms would be for our job (3 days).
Not told what the period was for reporting snagging.

3) Lack of customer service.

When responding to my complaint about poor communication and then afterwards that the patio had been laid at the wrong level, the company owner's reaction was defensive, dismissive of our concerns, as well as at times what we perceived as aggressive. He offered no practical solutions. If it weren’t for his guys confirming there was actually a way to do what we wanted, then we would have asked them to leave our property immediately.

4) Failure to follow their own terms of service as well as Edinburgh Trusted Traders’ code of practice.
• Cost of rework was not provided and approved before work was complete as per their own terms.
• Rework charges seemed unfair - included double the amount of days' labour than was actually spent doing the rework without explanation
• Intended to charge us a percentage fee to pay by credit card despite this being illegal since 2012.

Initial visit very helpful - engaged well with the project in hand and had good ideas
Good value for money
Very high standard of workmanship for all trades
Communicated well and checked with us at each stage of the project
All the tradesmen cleared up after work
Trustworthy
Project finished within the expected timeframe
Delighted with end result and no hesitation in recommending this company

Quick and efficient overall service; work completed to high standard and really clear communication from their office too. Will be using again!

Clean, tidy and considerate. Very friendly and pleasant workmen.
Excellent quality of joinery taking a real pride in the work.

We used Caledonian Building a few years ago for some internal work in our house and were very happy with the standard of work done. A few weeks ago Gary and his team did a great job of erecting a boundary fence for us, having to deal with extremely difficult neighbours at the same time. They were professional and did the job to a very high standard, I would have no hesitation in using Caledonian Building again if I required any kind of work done in the future.

Gary and his team at Caledonian Building and Landscaping were excellent throughout the planning and delivery of a large garden renovation project. The work involved taking a raised, non-child-friendly garden, and redesigning it to be a private, attractive and fun family space. Gary was great in providing honest advice and guidance, including bringing in specialists such as engineers and specialist garden landscapers as required, and always sought to provide the best quality solution or product, while keeping a keen eye on the costs. He and his team worked effectively in managing the various work strands, including removing hundreds of tons of earth and rubble to flatten the garden and have built us a brilliant garden space that we have so enjoyed this summer. We would have no hesitation in recommending Gary and Caledonian Building & Landscaping.

Caledonian Building & Landscaping Limited arrived at time arranged to quote, discussed and suggested decking options for us to consider, estimated the number of days of work required and explained a 30% deposit would be required should their quote be accepted.

The scheduled works were carried out methodically and meticulously, keeping us informed throughout the contract of any unforeseen issues, ie an unknown manhole including measures to resolve. At the end of each days work the site was cleared and cleaned up.

The contractor was proactive regarding our requirements, kept us informed, deployed an efficient/friendly team and carried out/completed the work to a high specification.

I was very satisfied with the workmanship done by this company. The guys arrived on time and completed the job to a very high standard. I would definitely recommend them.

Very professional service. Reliable and polite team.

Work finished to a high standard and would have no hesitation recommending to family and friends.

Good value for money.

Professional, very reliable, excellent follow up service, dealt with all issues promptly.

No hesitation in recommending this trader.