Property refurbishment
Planned, coordinated improvement of tired, dated or poorly arranged homes, from individual rooms to whole properties.
Read more
Dartmouth · South Hams · South Devon
Building and refurbishment work carried out properly, by people who have done it before
Dartside Building & Refurbishment is a small South Devon contractor working on extensions, conversions, alterations, refurbishment, carpentry and hard landscaping. The business is led by Mike Stapleton, who has worked in construction since 1984.
- 41+ years' construction experience
- Written scopes before work starts
- Local to Dartmouth and the South Hams
Who we are
A small contractor, deliberately
We take on a limited number of projects at a time so that each one receives proper attention. Work is planned, priced and programmed before it starts, and the person assessing your property is the person responsible for the work carried out.
Our clients are usually homeowners, landlords, holiday-let owners and property investors who want considered work rather than the cheapest quote. Much of what we do involves older South Devon buildings, where an accurate diagnosis at the start saves considerably more than it costs.
What we do
Services
Residential extensions
Well-sequenced extensions that add useful space and connect properly with the existing building.
Read moreAttic and loft conversions
Turning suitable roof space into practical accommodation with structure, access and approvals considered from the outset.
Read moreCellar conversions
Careful assessment and conversion of below-ground space, with moisture, ventilation, access and fire safety addressed early.
Read moreInternal and structural alterations
Reworking layouts, openings and circulation after the existing structure has been properly understood.
Read morePeriod-property refurbishment
Considered repair and improvement of older homes, retaining sound historic fabric wherever practical.
Read moreProperty management and holiday-let maintenance
Dependable planned maintenance and repair support for landlords, second-home owners and holiday-let properties.
Read moreWhy clients choose us
Six reasons the work runs smoothly
Over 41 years on site
Mike Stapleton has worked in construction since 1984, including around twenty-five years of hard landscaping alongside carpentry, joinery and building work.
Carpentry-led judgement
A time-served carpentry background shapes how a property is read, how defects are diagnosed and how work is detailed and sequenced.
Realistic advice, given early
If a project is not viable, not suited to us or would be better handled another way, we say so at the outset rather than after a deposit has been taken.
Written scopes and clear stages
Work is defined in writing, with assumptions, exclusions and payment stages set out before anything begins.
Local knowledge that matters
Access, exposure, ground conditions and older construction methods in South Devon affect programme and cost, and are planned for rather than discovered later.
Properly coordinated trades
Structural engineers, electricians, plumbers, plasterers and other specialists are brought in at the right point and managed as part of one programme.
Our work
Recent project types
Refurbishment
Period cottage refurbishment
[Location to be confirmed]
Alterations
Ground-floor reconfiguration
[Location to be confirmed]
Carpentry
Bespoke joinery and storage
[Location to be confirmed]
Areas we cover
Dartmouth, the South Hams and selected South Devon projects
Being local is practical rather than sentimental. It means shorter response times, better knowledge of local building conditions and reliable access to trades and suppliers.
- Dartmouth
- Kingsbridge
- Totnes
- Salcombe
- The South Hams
- Selected projects across South Devon
Husband 4 Hire
Practical DIY instruction guides, written from site experience
Husband 4 Hire continues as a separate digital brand publishing downloadable DIY guides for people who want to carry out work themselves. It is a publishing brand only. Husband 4 Hire is not offered as a handyman service, and no labour is supplied under that name.
Thinking about a project?
Tell us what you are considering, where the property is and roughly when you would like the work carried out. We will tell you honestly whether it suits us.