House Extensions
Single storey, double storey, wrap-around and side-return extensions – from footings to final decoration.
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Poole · Dorset · Est. 1996
Built properly, by people who have been doing it for 30 years.
S E Barrett & Son are family-run building contractors based in Poole. Extensions, renovations, groundworks and new builds across Dorset – run by a time-served bricklayer who is on site, not in an office.
- Time-served bricklayer
- Fully insured
- 40 miles of Poole
30years in the trade
ExtensionsRenovationsGroundworksNew BuildsBrickworkStone & Flint
30 years on the tools
A time-served bricklayer running the site, not a project manager who has never laid a course.
Fully insured
Public liability cover, certificate available before we start. NICEIC and Gas Safe partners.
Written fixed quotes
Itemised, in writing, with what is excluded stated plainly. No day-rate surprises.
40-mile radius of Poole
Local enough to come back if something needs looking at a year later.
What we do
Everything from the footings to the final coat
Thirty years of building means we take on the whole job rather than the easy half of it. The list below covers most of what we are asked for – if what you need is not on it, ask anyway.
Renovations & Refurbishments
Whole-house refurbishments, period property restoration and tired rooms brought properly back to life.
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Groundworks & Foundations
Footings, trench fill, drainage, oversite slabs and everything below the damp course that nobody ever sees.
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New Builds
One-off houses, self-build plots and small developments – shell only, weathertight, or handed over finished.
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Bricklaying & Blockwork
The trade this business was built on – cavity walls, feature bonds, arches, piers and proper blockwork.
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Garden & Retaining Walls
Boundary walls, raised beds, terracing and engineered retaining that will still be standing in fifty years.
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Before & after
The difference is easier to see than to describe
Drag the handle across the image.
Recent work
Projects across Dorset
A selection of jobs from the last couple of years, with the problems we ran into written down honestly rather than tidied away.
Oakdale, Poole
Permeable Block Paved Driveway, Poole
Cracked concrete replaced with a fully permeable block paved drive, rebuilt from the sub-base up.
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Broadstone, Poole
Single Storey Rear Extension, Broadstone
28sqm rear extension to a 1930s semi, with reclaimed brickwork matched to the original.
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Wimborne Minster, Dorset
Lime Repointing a Victorian Terrace, Wimborne Minster
Cement pointing removed by hand and replaced with a matched lime mortar on a Victorian terrace.
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Canford Cliffs, Poole
Retaining Wall Rebuild, Canford Cliffs
A failing 2.1m retaining wall taken down and rebuilt properly, with the drainage that was missing first time.
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Ferndown, Dorset
1960s Bungalow Remodel, Ferndown
Rear extension, full-width dormer and a complete internal refit to a dated 1960s bungalow.
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Blandford Forum, Dorset
Knapped Flint Boundary Wall, Blandford Forum
A failed cement-pointed wall rebuilt in knapped flint with brick lacing courses and lime mortar.
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Who you'll be dealing with
One name on the sign, one person accountable
Steve started as a bricklayer and has spent over 30 years on sites across Dorset – first laying brick for other people, then running his own jobs, and now contracting the whole build.
That background changes how a job runs. When the person quoting the work is also the person who will be laying the brickwork, the quote tends to be realistic, the programme tends to be honest, and the awkward bits get flagged at the start rather than discovered at the end.
It is a family business. The name on the van is the name on the work, and that is a stronger guarantee than any certificate.
Where we work
Poole, and up to 40 miles in either direction
We are based in Poole and most of our work is within ten miles of it. For the right job we will travel up to 40 miles – west to Bridport and Weymouth, east to Southampton and Lymington, north to Salisbury and Sherborne.
Customers
What people say afterwards
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PLACEHOLDER – Steve and the team built our rear extension over the winter and we never once felt out of the loop. The brickwork match to the original 1930s house is genuinely seamless; visitors assume it was always there.
PLACEHOLDER – We had three quotes for repointing and Steve was the only one who explained why our house needed lime rather than cement. Two years on the walls are dry and the brickwork looks a hundred years younger.
PLACEHOLDER – Our retaining wall had been leaning for years and two builders wouldn't touch it. S E Barrett & Son took it down, sorted the drainage properly and rebuilt it. Straight, dry and solid.
Trades we work with
Accredited partners on every job
Electrical and gas work is carried out by the same two firms we have worked alongside for years – both fully accredited, both on our sites regularly.
- Storm ElectricalElectrical installation & testingNICEIC Approved Contractor
- K E EdwardsPlumbing & heatingGas Safe Registered
Straight answers
Questions we get asked before every job
If yours is not here, phone and ask. We would rather answer it now than have you wondering.
What areas do you cover?
We are based in Poole and work across Dorset, plus the parts of Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset within about 40 miles of Poole. That includes Bournemouth, Christchurch, Wimborne, Ferndown, Wareham, Swanage, Blandford, Dorchester, Weymouth, Ringwood, Lymington, Salisbury, Southampton, Shaftesbury, Sherborne and Bridport. If you are unsure whether you are in range, just ask.
How much do you charge, and is a quote free?
Quotes are free and there is no obligation. We visit the property, talk through what you actually want, and send a written itemised quote so you can see what is and is not included. We do not price over the phone from a description, because it produces a number that changes the moment anyone turns up.
Are you insured?
Yes. We carry public liability insurance and can provide the certificate on request before any work starts. Our electrical partner is NICEIC approved and our plumbing and heating partner is Gas Safe registered.
How long have you been building?
Steve has been in the building trade for over 30 years, starting as a bricklayer and moving into full contracting. The business is family-run and it is his name on the sign, which is a reasonable guarantee that the work will be done properly.
Do you handle building regulations and planning?
We handle building regulations applications, notices, inspections and sign-off as a matter of routine, and we deal directly with BCP Council and Dorset Council building control. We do not produce planning drawings ourselves, but we work with local architects and structural engineers and can introduce you to one.
Do you ask for money up front?
We do not ask for a large deposit before work starts. On bigger jobs we agree a written stage payment schedule tied to work actually completed on site – foundations, damp course, roof, and so on – so you are never paying substantially ahead of what has been built.
Can you work with my architect and engineer?
Yes, and we prefer it. We are used to building to a full set of drawings and a structural design, and we would far rather raise a buildability question at the drawing stage than find it at first floor level.
How soon can you start?
It depends on the size of the job and the time of year. Small works can often be fitted in within a few weeks; extensions and new builds are typically booked several months ahead. We will always give you a realistic date rather than the one you want to hear.
Free, no-obligation quote
Thinking about a project?
Tell us what you have in mind. We will come out, take a proper look, and send you a written quote with no obligation and no sales call afterwards.