Best Builders in Sunderland

Building work is the biggest spend most households make on their home, and it is also where things most often go wrong. In Sunderland the typical projects are familiar: single-storey kitchen extensions on semis in Barnes, Seaburn and Washington, loft conversions in the terraces of Millfield and Roker, and full refurbishments of older houses where an extension turns into new wiring, heating and a roof repair. A good builder will manage that chain of work, keep you informed, and be clear about what is and is not included in the price.

The three firms below all work from business premises in Sunderland rather than a home address, have their own websites, and are listed as active at Companies House. We have noted the trade bodies each one lists on its website; where we have checked a body's own directory, we say so.

Cousins Builders & Roofing Services

Cousins Builders & Roofing Services is a family-run firm established in 2002, with an office at Stanfield Business Centre on Addison Street in Hendon. Its website lists membership of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), Constructionline and Checked and Vetted, and the FMB's own find-a-builder directory shows the company as a member since 2003.

The firm covers extensions, conversions, refurbishments and building maintenance, and does the component trades itself: bricklaying and masonry, screeding, dry lining, joinery, patios and block paving. It also carries out slate roofing, which is useful on older Sunderland houses, where opening up the back of a property for an extension often reveals roof or chimney work that needs doing at the same time.

Best for: Suits: extensions and refurbishments on older houses that may need roof work too.

Atkinsons

Atkinsons is a building and renovation contractor with a Sunderland office at North Sands Business Centre on Liberty Way, near the river at Monkwearmouth, and a head office at Belmont Business Park in Durham. Its website says every trade on its projects is carried out by its own in-house team, rather than subcontracted, and it lists Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, TrustMark, Constructionline and CHAS accreditations.

The firm concentrates on larger home projects: house extensions, loft conversions and whole-home refurbishments. Because the electricians and other trades are employed directly, one contract covers the whole job, which can make a complicated project easier to manage than booking a builder, electrician, plumber and plasterer separately. TrustMark is the government-endorsed quality scheme for trades working in homes, and it is worth asking how the firm's TrustMark registration applies to your particular project.

Best for: Suits: major renovations where you want one contractor responsible for every trade.

A Kendal Builders

A Kendal Builders is run by Michael Kendal from a yard at the Old Colliery School on Southwick Road in Monkwearmouth. The company was incorporated in 2016 and appears in the FMB's directory, and its website points customers to its reviews on Checked and Vetted.

The team works on domestic alterations and some commercial contracts, including extensions, renovations, all kinds of roof work, loft conversions, self-build homes, drainage, and garden makeovers with porcelain paving. It covers Sunderland, South Shields, North Shields, Newcastle and Gateshead. The website is upfront about how quoting works: quotes on properties you already own or rent are given without charge, while visits to a property you are only thinking of buying are charged, with the fee refunded if you go ahead with the work within six months. It also explains that it does not give ballpark figures before seeing a job.

Best for: Suits: kitchen extensions and garden projects with a smaller, owner-led team.

Tips for hiring a builder in Sunderland

Planning and Building Regulations are separate. Many single-storey rear extensions fall under permitted development, but you still need Building Regulations approval for structural work, drainage and insulation. Ask the builder who will apply and who will arrange the inspections. Properties in Sunderland's conservation areas, such as Ashbrooke and parts of Roker, have tighter rules.

Check the Party Wall Act. If work is on or near a shared wall, or involves digging close to a neighbour's foundations, you may need to serve notice under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 before work starts.

Get at least three itemised quotes. Compare what each one includes: skips, scaffolding, plastering, electrics, decoration and making good. A low headline price can hide a long list of extras.

Agree staged payments. Pay in stages tied to completed work, not large sums up front, and keep a retention until snagging is finished.

Check the trade body directly. FMB and TrustMark both have online searches. A logo on a website is a starting point, not proof.

Our guide to finding a good tradesperson in Sunderland covers contracts, deposits and your consumer rights in more detail, and the trades hub links to our other trade guides.

Know a Sunderland builder we have missed? Get in touch.