Win More Work: Putting your best foot forwards

From reluctant trainee pastry chef to Which? 5-star rated builder, Key Choice Builders’ managing director Gareth Cox reflects on a construction journey over a quarter of a century in the making. Read on to discover how Gareth discovered his passion for construction, the importance of first impressions, and how Project Estimator has helped him save time and win more work.

“I was at college training to be a pastry chef” Gareth explains. “But I absolutely hated it… the hours, I hated everything about it… I’d be up, doing 3am to 7am in the bakery, then off to college, and then another restaurant in the evening!” said Gareth.

As time passed, Gareth came to realise that his calling was construction, not cakes. “I started working for a friend of the family, just labouring, and then he emigrated, and I did an apprenticeship for a building company in Staines” Gareth elaborated. Come 2001, Gareth was ready to go solo as a sole trader. “I was a brickie… We started off really small, doing patios, conservatory bases, repairs, and then I’ve built it up to where we are now” says Gareth. 

“Where we are now” is no mean feat. After incorporating in 2014 as Key Choice Builders Limited, Gareth has led the business from strength to strength. “We’re a family-run business, run by me and my wife, with a team of 9 employees, we bring in subcontractors as needed for aspects of a job we might not be able to do ourselves- plumbing, electrics and roofing… you’re only as good as your employees, and my employees are fantastic” said Gareth. This blend enables Gareth to deliver a quality, full turn-key solution to his clients. While also maintaining that ‘local business’ feel that is so important in client relations. 

When prompted about how busy this makes him, Gareth explained: “we usually run two or three sites at a time, due to the trades we use”. Naturally, as the jobs came in, all of the off-site obligations increased, Gareth had a decision to make. “Four years ago, I came off the tools completely… the phone was ringing, too much paperwork to do. Too much admin” said Gareth. “Eventually, I had to hire someone to do what I was doing, which was brickwork, and then I made the decision to run the business from the office”. This has enabled Gareth to keep on top of daily tasks, such as regular site visits, health and safety, managing customers, dealing with HMRC, and the other tasks essential to keep the gears turning smoothly. Gareth is now able “to be home by 2-3pm, do 2-3 hours of paperwork, and then that’s me done for the day”. A far cry from the 18+ hour days of his pastry chef past! 

It would soon become clear to Gareth that he could save more time by outsourcing his project estimating. Along with win more work with a professional looking client report pack. In 2020, after his previous estimating service provider changed their service, the relationship between Key Choice Builders and Project Estimator began. “If you’ve got a £250k extension, you could spend five evenings in the week pricing it” Gareth explains. With Project Estimator Gareth’s pricing workload “is cut to easily a quarter of what it was before”. 

“With how competitive the industry is at the moment… if two quotes are the same, but one is more professional looking, I think that will sway people” Gareth elaborates on the custom, graphic-designer built Client Copy he gets as part of his Executive Pack with Project Estimator. “For me, it’s just that professional side of it… that sways people in the direction of us” said Gareth.

Special thanks to Gareth Cox at Key Choice Builders Ltd for this interview, and for granting permission to display this article. Here’s to many more years working together!

Whether it’s producing a highly professional client-facing report pack to help you win the work, or producing you a detailed bill of quantities covering materials, plant and labour, Project Estimator is here to help. Save your time, get your evenings back, and get in touch with Project Estimator today.