Cooke and Charman Ltd - Crawley

James G.

After receiving planning approval, we began searching for a builder in the spring of 2023. Although we found plenty of options, none quite matched what we were looking for. A friend recommended we reach out to Cooke and Charman, and we're glad we did.

You often hear horror stories about builders underquoting and then increasing costs once work begins. However, from our initial enquiry to the completion of the build, Cooke and Charman were proactive and transparent. Knowing the project would be extensive, we purchased a caravan to live in while work was ongoing. When it arrived, we needed help positioning it onsite, and Cooke and Charman didn’t hesitate—they assisted us immediately.

Throughout the build, we met various team members, from carpenters to electricians to painters. Every individual was professional, polite, and their work was of exceptional quality. One of Cooke and Charman's standout strengths is the size and expertise of their team. If any issue arose, the right person was onsite quickly to address it, keeping the project on track.

Our primary point of contact was Dan, who regularly visited the site to ensure progress stayed on schedule. He was always available to answer questions and keep us updated. Dan, you were fantastic—thank you!

We also requested several additional projects, including a new roof. Each time, the team provided clear quotes and completed the work seamlessly. During the renovations, we decided to install a new kitchen. Cooke and Charman collaborate with Hacker, a German kitchen brand. After visiting their London showroom with Dan and comparing options with Howdens and another local company, we found Hacker's quality superior and the pricing more competitive.

We moved back into our renovated home in September 2024 and couldn’t be happier with the outcome. Would we recommend Cooke and Charman? Absolutely—100%! They are a fantastic company, and we are thrilled with both the process and the results. If you’re looking for a builder, give Cooke and Charman a call!

Louisa W.

We chose Cooke & Charman for a 3 month project to replace a large conservatory with a new “garden room” and to build a new utility room at the back of our garage. The project was completed on time and on budget (any extra costs were due to us changing spec and agreed in advance) and we are absolutely thrilled with the end result. More importantly, the whole project has been like a dream and I do not say this lightly, having lived through 2 major building projects, one that ran like clockwork and the other that turned into a total nightmare – definitely “buyer beware” when selecting builders and we thought we’d done all the due diligence needed then, but still had our fingers burnt. So, we approached this project 17 years later, with extreme trepidation and a good dose of realism and the team at Cooke & Charman exceeded our expectations. Every single person who came on site has been a professional - polite, hard-working and “on it” – so many different skillsets needed and an impressive number of people on site over the course of the project, and every single person has been a craftsman, taking pride in the job, whatever their role and respectful of our property. Sean, managing the project, has given us great confidence at every stage and the back office team have also been brilliant. It’s a measure of how competent the team has been that we have not had that much contact with Charlie & Ashley but they have always been available and responsive when we’ve had any queries. We couldn’t praise the team more highly and we would recommend Cooke & Charman to anybody.

Millie S.

I haven’t used Cooke and Charman for any building work, but if their work reflects the kindness of their employees, I’d highly recommend them.

One of their team members went out of his way to help me when my car battery died and I was stranded in Crawley, he even drove to get jump leads and got my car starting again!

If this is the level of care they bring to their work, you’re in good hands. Thank you again!

Jodie C.

Beautiful window seat to make the most of my beautiful bay window. The workmanship is excellent and the work was done quickly with no mess. Delighted with it!

Sarah S.

Cooke and Charman were recommended to us by our architect and we are very happy that he did. I can't think of anyone I'd rather have to build our kitchen extension with downstairs cloak room and utility room. They were professional from start to finish, offering good advice and ideas we hadn't even thought of. They really do go the extra mile. We are delighted with our new kitchen and can't recommend Cooke and Charman highly enough. Will definitely be using them again in the future!

Jamie S.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I recently hired Cooke and Charman, to knock down a wall between my kitchen and lounge/dining area, fit a new kitchen, completely renovate the space, and install a media unit—and I couldn’t be happier with the results! The work was carried out to an exceptionally high standard, with incredible care and attention to detail.

The team was fantastic at communicating throughout the project. I was kept involved at every stage and appreciated their timely advice, which really helped bring everything together perfectly. They stuck to the agreed timeframe and budget, which made the whole process smooth and stress-free.

It was clear that they genuinely cared about the project and took pride in their work. I’m absolutely thrilled with the end result—it’s everything I hoped for and more. I highly recommend Cooke and Charman to anyone looking for quality workmanship and a professional, reliable team!

Erica C.

From the moment we met with Charlie, we knew we wanted to work with Cooke & Charman. And we weren’t wrong.
C&C expertly guided us through from design to completion of a two storey side extension and a large single wrap around (with many other alterations to the original part of the house).
We didn’t want to move out for various reasons, and nothing was ever any trouble. We truly felt they listened, and delivered.
The most important aspect for us was finding people we trusted, and who were perfectionists in their work. From Charlie, Ash, Martin and Sean to their incredible carpenters, we couldn’t fault them. Nothing was ever a problem and they always went the extra mile.
We can actually say with confidence this build went well, and that we found the whole process calm and enjoyable!
Also worth noting, we used their kitchen company too (Charles Ashley Kitchens) and that was pretty wow! Thanks C&C

Dee

This is the second time we have used Cooke and Charman for our house renovation project. Ash, Charlie and all of their team are extremely professional, knowledgeable and easy to work with. Their workmanship is second to none - they completed my daughter's disabled wet room to a very high standard and we are really happy with the extension, utility and driveway they also did. I would highly recommend them 👌