Builder in St NeotsExtensions, renovations and brickworkfrom a local yard on St Mary's Street
Jack Prime and his dad Martin work out of St Neots itself, on St Mary's Street, so most jobs in town are a short drive from home base.
Phone answered 24/7 · 5.0 from 36 Google reviews · £2m insurance · 6-month guarantee
5.0 from 36 reviews
100% recommended on Facebook
10 years in the trade
Jack on site daily
£2 million insured
Public & employers' liability
Phone open 24 hours
6-month workmanship guarantee
Working in St Neots
Working in our own town
St Neots is home ground for Prime Build Services. The yard sits on St Mary's Street just off the town centre, which means Jack and Martin already know the housing stock street by street: the Victorian and Edwardian terraces around Priory Road and the town centre conservation area, the 1930s semis further out towards Eynesbury, the big post-war estates around Eaton Socon and Little Paxton, and the newer estates that have gone up over the last fifteen years towards Loves Farm, Wintringham and Cambourne Road. Each of those brings a different job. The old terraces near the river often need lime pointing done properly rather than cement slapped on, because cement traps moisture in soft old brick and causes more damage than it fixes. The 1930s semis are a common source of load-bearing wall removals and steel beam jobs when people open up the kitchen. The newer estates tend to bring garden work, patios, driveways and fencing, because the gardens are handed over as a flat lawn and nothing else.
Ground conditions around St Neots vary within a few streets. Close to the River Great Ouse and the flood plain that runs through the middle of town, the ground is often soft, clay-heavy and prone to holding water, which matters for foundations, patios and driveways alike, get the drainage and sub-base wrong here and a new patio will be lifting within a couple of winters. Further out towards Eynesbury and the gravel terraces the ground drains better and behaves differently again. None of this needs guessing when you already know the town; it's why the first visit is always to look at the actual ground and the actual house rather than price from a photo.
St Neots is also where recent stonework has been carried out to a high standard: a 60 square metre natural stone slip installation with lime pointing was completed for a customer, Nick Watt, with the kind of attention to detail that lime work demands; it has to be mixed and applied correctly or it fails. That job is a fair example of the standard applied to every re-pointing and stone slip job taken on locally, whether it's a full elevation or a single chimney breast.
Base of operations
Yard and office at 11a St Mary's Street, St Neots, PE19 2TA: this is home turf.
Housing mix
Victorian terraces, 1930s semis, post-war estates and new-build estates all within the town boundary.
Ground conditions
Clay and soft ground near the Ouse flood plain; firmer gravel ground further from the river.
Recent local job
60 sq m natural stone slip and lime pointing job completed for Nick Watt in St Neots.
What we do here
Services we carry out
in St Neots
House extensions
Rear and side extensions on the semis and terraces around town, matched to existing brick and roofline.
House extensions in St Neots
Home renovations & knock-throughs
Knock-throughs and full renovations, common in the older housing near the town centre.
Home renovations & knock-throughs in St Neots
Structural work & steel beams
Steel beam installations when a kitchen wall comes out on a 1930s or post-war semi. No subsidence work.
Structural work & steel beams in St Neots
Brickwork & bricklaying
Boundary and garden walls, and brick chimney rebuilds on the older terraces.
Brickwork & bricklaying in St Neots
Re-pointing & stone slips
Lime pointing for period brick near the river; the recent 60 sq m stone slip job for Nick Watt was completed here.
Re-pointing & stone slips in St Neots
Patios
Patios built with proper drainage and sub-base, important given the clay ground close to the Ouse.
Patios in St Neots
Driveways & block paving
Block paving laid to shed water correctly on new-build estates and older plots alike.
Driveways & block paving in St Neots
Landscaping & garden redesign
Garden redesigns on the flat, bare gardens typical of newer St Neots estates.
Landscaping & garden redesign in St Neots
Fencing
Fence lines replaced on boundary plots across Eaton Socon and Little Paxton.
Fencing in St Neots
Fireplace builds & renovation
Fireplace builds and renovations in the older terraced housing near the town centre.
Fireplace builds & renovation in St NeotsWhy Prime Build in St Neots
Why use a St Neots builder based in St Neots
There's a practical advantage to using a builder whose yard is in the town you live in. Site visits, deliveries and follow-up snags don't involve a long drive, and Jack already has a working sense of what planning and conservation constraints tend to apply in different parts of town before he's even walked round the back. That doesn't replace looking at the actual job, every quote still starts with a proper visit, but it does mean fewer surprises.
Martin has been in the trade for longer than Jack and taught him the work; the two of them now work jobs together, which matters on anything involving older brick or lime mortar where getting it wrong is expensive to undo. The business carries £2 million insurance and every job comes with a 6-month workmanship guarantee, and the phone is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Yard based in St Neots town centre, on St Mary's Street
- 10 years in the trade under Jack Prime, working alongside his dad Martin
- £2 million insurance cover on every job
- 6-month workmanship guarantee
- 5.0 rating from 36 Google reviews and 100% recommended on Facebook
- Phone answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Local building conditions
Common problems seen in St Neots homes
A few issues come up repeatedly across the town's different housing types.
Cement pointing on old brick
Terraces and older buildings near the town centre were often pointed with cement mortar at some point, which traps moisture in soft old brick and leads to spalling. Lime pointing lets the wall breathe and matches how it was originally built.
Water sitting near the Ouse flood plain
Patios, driveways and garden levels close to the river need proper falls and drainage built in from the start, or water sits and undermines the surface over a wet Cambridgeshire winter.
Bare gardens on new-build plots
New-build estates around Wintringham and Loves Farm are often handed over with a lawn and nothing else, no proper patio, paths or boundary treatment, leaving a garden that needs designing from scratch.
Load-bearing walls in 1930s semis
Opening up a kitchen or knocking through a lounge in the town's 1930s stock usually means a load-bearing wall, so a steel beam has to be sized and installed correctly.
Tired boundary walls and fencing
Older boundary walls and fence lines across Eaton Socon and Little Paxton often need rebuilding rather than patching once they've moved or leaned.
How the job runs
The same order of work,
every job in St Neots
Step 1
1. Call or message
Ring 07482 244276, answered 24/7, and describe the job.
Step 2
2. Site visit
Jack visits the property in St Neots to look at the job properly before pricing anything.
Step 3
3. Price and plan
A price is put together based on what's actually needed, not a guess from a description.
Step 4
4. Materials and drawings
Materials are matched to the existing building and, where drawings or approvals are needed, Jack will say so upfront.
Step 5
5. The build
Jack and Martin carry out the work, with the timescale depending on the size and complexity of the job.
Step 6
6. Handover and guarantee
The finished job is handed over covered by a 6-month workmanship guarantee.
Common questions
Building in St Neots:
straight answers
Do you cover all of St Neots, including Eynesbury and Eaton Socon?
Yes. The yard is on St Mary's Street in the town centre, and jobs are carried out right across St Neots including Eynesbury, Eaton Socon, Little Paxton and the newer estates.
How quickly can you come and look at a job in St Neots?
The phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and because the business is based in St Neots itself, Jack will arrange a time to come and look at the job around what else is booked in.
How much will my job cost?
There's no set price without seeing the job. Jack visits, looks at what's involved and prices it properly rather than guessing over the phone.
Can you work outside normal hours?
The phone is answered around the clock, so get in touch whenever suits and Jack will talk through timing for a visit.
Is the work guaranteed?
Yes, every job carries a 6-month workmanship guarantee, and the business holds £2 million insurance.
How long does a typical extension or renovation take?
Timescales vary depending on the job: an extension takes longer than a re-pointing job or a patio. Jack will give a realistic timeframe once he's seen the work involved.
Do I need planning permission for my project?
That depends on the property and the scope of work. Jack will tell you during the visit if something is likely to need planning or building control approval, and any building work is carried out to approved drawings where they're required.
Do you match brick and stone on older St Neots properties?
Yes, matching materials to the existing building is standard practice, particularly on the older terraces and Victorian properties near the town centre where brick colour and mortar type matter.
Can you take on a full house renovation as well as smaller jobs?
Yes, from full renovations and extensions down to a single wall or a driveway. The same visit-and-price process applies whatever the size of the job.
Do you do lime pointing on period properties?
Yes, lime pointing is regularly carried out on older St Neots brick, including a recent 60 sq m natural stone slip and lime pointing job completed for a St Neots customer.
Next step
Get Prime Build out to your St Neots property
Call 07482 244276, answered 24 hours a day, and Jack will arrange a visit to look at the job properly.
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week · £2 million insured · 6-month workmanship guarantee