The Pub Refurbishment Business – A niche industry

Clients often ask us the difference between a dedicated pub refurbishment business and other construction companies. Well, our line of business is highly niche, with only a few companies nationwide meeting the challenges of this specialist sector. Our workload is nothing like a local builder, nor are we anything like the large construction companies. Keep reading to find out more, but first, let’s look at how Fairland Contractors began.

A Short History of Fairland – A Pub Refurbishment Business and more!

Jim Sutherland formed Fairland in 1990, combining the name of the road where he lived with his last name. He had, throughout his 20s, been running a successful carpentry company, working in many different sectors, but it was the pub world he liked best.

By 1994 Jim was ready to concentrate on becoming a main contractor covering all aspects of a building project. He quickly picked up contracts starting at The Wildman in Sproughton in Suffolk and The Bay View Hotel in Swansea. By specialising in pub refurbishment, Jim and his team built up a solid client base over the years, working mainly throughout London and the South East.

Facing challenges and disruption head-on:

Since it began, Fairland’s client base and workload have often had to adapt, depending on the country’s economics. When the pub industry struggled in the late 2000s, Fairland moved into the world of storage units and flat refurbishments but still kept a minor core work of pubs, hotels, restaurants and shops.

More recently, COVID hastily closed down the pub industry almost overnight, but thanks to Jim’s son, Jamie, Fairland was able to find its feet in the educational refurbishment sector which has also proved highly successful.

Some things change, and others stay the same:

Having been operating for over three decades, it will be no surprise that the company has grown in size. Our team of office staff has developed steadily over the years, which has been an essential step so that our refurbishment crew and Contracts Managers are well supported. We now have a Buying and Procurement Department, an Accounts Department, and an Administration Department, all based at our head office in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. Health and Safety training and the provision of H&S documentation are now very much part of the company’s day-to-day running. The volume of work this involves would have been unimaginable in 1990, but it is essential to creating safe working environments.

Another excellent addition has been the formation of Metro Joinery, set up by MD Justin Horne in 2015. Metro provide Fairland with a wide variety of high-class bespoke joinery within very short time spans which is essential for a fast-paced working environment.

But while some things change, others stay the same. And one thing that has remained a constant is our family business ethos. Many of our office and site staff have been with us for over ten years, and quite a few over twenty. Our employees recognise the requirement our company has to deliver consistently high-end projects. Their combined years of expertise ensure that we continue to delight our clients by completing projects on time and within budget. As a pub refurbishment business, our teams are all used to the fast pace that our projects demand.

Working in the education sector:

Our teams that work in education sector refurbishment are all DBS certified. They also recognise the extra vigilance and consideration required within the school environment. This is especially important when we work in school environments for children with special educational needs.

In our personalised approach to these projects, we differ from other more general building companies. As an example, our foremen on some of our specialist education sector projects have, from time to time, given talks to the children, and this has proved hugely successful, especially in providing reassurance to these young people.

Community and charitable work:

We are also extremely pleased to be able to support Shooting Stars hospice by carrying out essential maintenance and alteration works for them free of charge. It is our chance to give back to the communities we care about in the best way we know.

Back to the original question…

As you can see, to answer the question, ‘What makes us different from other building companies?’ It’s important to explore our history as a company that still holds family values at its heart. In practical terms, there are also differences.

Working with Fairland: