Milestone Lofts & Homes

I had a loft conversion through Milestone in 2020.
Despite poor communication to start with regarding delayed start times, they started off, for the most part, really well. The first team to do the structural work were hardworking, polite and tidied up after themselves. The job was done to a high standard.

Unfortunately, lockdown happened towards the end of this and we had to wait over two months for the work to continue - obviously due to nobody's fault. I suspect it might be partly to do with this that so many mistakes were made during the second fix. Although the men were friendly and respectful, not only did they leave the house and garden untidy at the end of the working day, but a large number (approx 20) of snags occurred – some minor (like lack of sealant around windows and skirting boards, missing Newel post caps, damage to stairs, tiling done to a very poor standard, unfinished plastering and other bits and bobs) and some more serious (no external seal on a window, and leaks from the en suite bathroom and washing machine plumbing, which caused significant damage to the downstairs ceilings and walls).

Although the snags were eventually sorted and money agreed to be taken off the final bill to pay for damage caused by the leaks and cracks in ceilings, this was not without conflict, and the attitude of the management was negative and challenging. They repeatedly tried to shift blame regarding the leaks, and against the extra costs I was incurring as a result of their mistakes. They repeatedly tried to charge me for such things as repairing the leak damage. In the end it all came good – with relatively little cost to them, considering the overall cost to me of the conversion (£45,000) - but not without unnecessary obstacles and complications. And, I ask myself, if I had not had decorators in after Milestone had left and been alerted to things such as the lack of external seal around window, would I have just been left with this sloppy, incomplete work? No one from the management came to inspect the work after it was ‘completed.’

Furthermore, in November 2020, three months after the work was completed, I became aware of a hole in my office ceiling, directly beneath the eaves. I alerted the management to this and was once again blamed for causing this myself (in their words: 'The only conclusion we can come to is that either one of the children may have put their foot through it whilst playing, or, something has not been stored correctly and it's come through,' (the children had not been playing up there, there was barely anything stored there, and there was no damage from above whatsoever)., and they offered to sort this for a charge! Again, I challenged them on this and also alerted them to some cracks in the attic/stairway ceilings. They eventually agreed to make good, but it took a further ten months of pursuing until somebody came to the house. I understand the Covid restrictions were an issue but I don't feel I should have been the one to chase up.

Overall, it has all turned out well and I am very pleased with my attic, but experience towards the end of the job was stressful for me personally. Unfortunately, I did not receive an apology from the management and it felt like communication was getting hostile. I feel my attitude was always respectful and reasonable given the sheer amount of problems which occurred – and I would have been well within my rights to react far more strongly - and yet it often felt as if I was the one making trouble for them. Given the amount of grievances caused by them, I feel they could have dealt with me in a more apologetic manner. Although Sue was communicative, I stopped getting communication from Karl and many of my texts and phone calls went unanswered. It felt very much like he was avoiding me.

In fact, communication throughout has been hit and miss and, over the course of 21 months since Karl first came to the property to quote, several emails had gone unanswered. I was not notified that the skip company was coming for the skip for example, or that the scaffolding company were coming to take the scaffolding when I had my son's birthday planned for the garden.

Another example of poor communication and deliberate shifting of blame to cover their backs, was the incident of the very large double wardrobe which I was promised would get up into the attic from the very beginning. In fact, the whole design of the attic was based around the wardrobe getting up there. To cut a very long story short, when the builders could not get the wardrobe up the stairs, I was told by management that, although they had promised it would fit ‘in’ the attic, they never promised it would actually ‘get up there.’ I think anyone reading this can see the irony in that statement. Conversations that I had between Karl/Lou (the foreman) went unrecorded (such as his suggestion that we take the wardrobe up mid-build) and were later denied, with the accusation that it was an impossible one made by myself. The management’s attitude on this occasion was confrontational.

All in all, there were some very positive aspects to the work and some very negative ones. I am extremely happy with the overall build, now that the snags have been worked out. The work carried out by the first team was excellent, and the disruption caused was minimal. The foreman, Lou, made good the snags to a very high standard. All workmen were respectful and friendly. But I felt the negative aspects were too many to ignore and not be alerted to.

I hate leaving bad reviews, but sometimes they have to be done. Would I recommend Milestone? The answer is: I’m afraid not. I do genuinely believe the mistakes were mistakes and that they were not trying to pull one over on me. They are not a cowboy company. But I think there is work to be done to ensure the quality of the second fix work, and to improve communication and the attitude of the management, in particular. More...

Where do I start.....I had 3 different builders come out and quote me on having my garage converted into a room. Milestone were the most competitive and the most professional when it came to site surveys, measurements, Q&A discussions and plans etc. Milestone kept me up to date with dates and timings for their visits including advice and suggestions on improvements to my original design etc.All the work has been done to a great standard and couldn't have been more pleased with the end result, a smashing team and would use them again in the future.The build came within budget and all the relevant paperwork was provided.Highly recommend for anybody considering having their garage converted.I am using mine as a Cinema Room, Study and a area for the treadmill. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

We needed to change our integral garage into a bedroom for our teenage daughter. We contacted Milestone Homes who were quick to respond in person and give us a quote and further ideas. We now have a bedroom and a further room which I have turned in to my office. The change is amazing, you would not think it was once a garage. The new boiler is just outstanding and all the plastering and electrical work has been done to a high standard.Both rooms are cosy and warm and I would highly recommend the company. Being a family run business added a more personal touch as we have 6 children and all the team came and gave us all fantastic respect and privacy without us feeling we were in the way while they worked. Good friendly team. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I would highly recommend anybody using the architect services to go meet and review the plans face to face. On initially receiving our plans for a proposed loft conversion we were quite deflated and didn’t understand why things had been done. We went to meet Kevin and Liz and all became clear, the systems they use allow a much more detailed image of what can be achieved and they fully explained step by step how and why the design had been put together. We discussed a few tweaks hear and there to create a design we are thrilled with. Thank you to both Kevin and Liz for there time, creativity and professionalism and to Milestone for their recommendation to them. Darrel & Tracey More...

Reviewed on Facebook

We needed to change our integral garage into a bedroom for our teenage daughter. We contacted Milestone Homes who were quick to respond in person and give us a quote and further ideas. We now have a bedroom and a further room which I have turned in to my office. The change is amazing, you would not think it was once a garage. The new boiler is just outstanding and all the plastering and electrical work has been done to a high standard.Both rooms are cosy and warm and I would highly recommend the company. Being a family run business added a more personal touch as we have 6 children and all the team came and gave us all fantastic respect and privacy without us feeling we were in the way while they worked. Good friendly team. More...

Reviewed on Yell