About Us

At Bircher Build, we believe your home deserves better than the industry standard. That’s why we combine modern professionalism with traditional values, delivering building projects with honesty, pride and care – every time.

Building has always been in my family, grown up around it. Geoff Rocke was my grandad, and he had numerous building projects around the local area (Herefordshire) including building the houses on his own street – Mayern Close in Leominster, which he named after his parents, combining May & Ernset. I fell into the world of building straight out of school, aged 16, after helping out a few days a week with my uncle, who is a builder also and owns a large construction company in the Shropshire area. His company helped put me through college and after three years of intense work I received a NVQ Level 3 Higher qualification through City & Guilds. Over 12 years I gained experience building everything from garden walls to complete new build houses. As a company we also specialised in the restoration of period properties which further expanded my skills and knowledge as well as my appreciation for traditional British architecture. I was lucky enough to start out with a wealth of knowledge, that most would hope to earn over a whole career.

My brother, Vinnie, who is also City & Guilds trained in carpentry and joinery, and I spent many years together working side by side and getting to understand each other’s processes. Our combined professional knowledge and experience mean we are yet to come across a project we can’t handle. There are always challenges on the horizon, but our core values always remain the same and that provides us a platform to express our skills when given the opportunity. It seems like a long time since it was just Vinnie and I. Greg, another family member, came on board shortly after and since then we’ve gone from strength to strength and the team has grown significantly in the years following our inception as a company. At present 15 people make up the Bircher Build family. We now have a wealth of experience in every area and are self-sufficient, meaning from start to finish we’ve got you covered.

Jake Garibbo

Founder

History

Bircher Build was born through a desire to follow in the footsteps of those I had grown up admiring and learning from. In 2016 I bought a small van, using inheritance money from my Grandad Geoff and set out on my own path. That van is still on the road and currently used by one of my young apprentices, for whom I hope will one day take the same leap. Predominantly I am a brick layer by trade, I am also a qualified plasterer and with the experience gained from previous employment I have learnt to understand the entire workings of the house building process and have had a hand in every process.

Our Core Values

Bircher Build Limited was established in 2015 in the North Herefordshire village of Bircher. With over 25 years of building experience, brothers Jake and Vinnie Garibbo began laying the foundations for what the business has become today.

Qualifications

As a team we are City and Guilds trained and are approved by the Federation of Master Builders.

Schedule

We are aware that any works of this kind to your property can be a big step. Whether this is your first project or even if you have had work done before, it can be a daunting process. We would be on hand at all times to walk you through it and can offer full management of your project if you require.

Workmanship

We offer full project management. Customer satisfaction is our priority and we always work to the highest of standards on extensions, restorations and new builds.

Feedback

"Heritage work isn't easy - but Bircher Build made it look effortless. Their experience with the National Trust gave us hope and confidence, and they treated our property like it was their own. True craftsmen."

What Our Clients Say about Us

I am a 55-year-old homeowner living in Leominster. I have been a homeowner for over 30 years and have experience of commissioning several building projects in previous properties at that time.

In 2017 I engaged Jake to build a small gate and adjacent wall on my house. I was very impressed with the accuracy of his quote, his punctuality and the quality of the work. In 2018, when my wife and I decided to build a full 2 storey extension to our house we therefore contacted Jake once again.

Throughout the planning process Jake was invaluable. He responded to our (numerous) enquiries swiftly and often in person. He made pertinent suggestions to help keep costs down and enhance the appearance of the finished article. The project was technically quite demanding, involving the removal of a chimney, extensive structural alterations and all with a strong aesthetic consideration.

Jake started the project promptly on the agreed date in 2019, and throughout the 4-month build kept us abreast of progress, making constructive suggestions to help overcome the inevitable problems as they appeared. His team were always polite and hardworking, showing particular consideration of the fact that they were working at someone's home. They kep the site as tidy as possible during the working day and made a special effort to clean up each weekend.

Whilst we wanted to keep to the original brief as closely as possible, there were a few occasions when my wife and I decided to change something that we had previously agreed with Jake. He was always both considerate and receptive to these changes, often making further suggestions himself to enhance the project. I have absolute confidence in both his professional judgement and standards.

My wife and I are both delighted with the extension that Jake and Bircher Build have constructed. It was built on time and within budget, and has exceeded our expectations in appearance and quality. I have absolutely no hesitation in acting as reference for Jake. He has demonstrated high standards of professionalism and workmanship throughout the two project I have commissioned and a sincere desire to meet client expectations.

Mr Nigel Pearson

Bircher Build worked on this grade 2 listed property in 2019. Their brief was to demolish and old coach house, fuel stores, boundary wall, fell and remove several trees and clear the site.

The fuel stores and felled trees were replaced by an extension to the main property, boundary walls were rebuilt, a three bay timber garage was erected, the site landscaped and dressed with stone.

All work was to be done within strict council guidelines as per the requirements of the listing. The men were attentive, efficient and approachable. The standard of work was first rate.

We are most happy and pleased with the final outcome and would feel happy to recommend Bircher Build for consideration to anyone. Well done gentlemen.

Mr. Chris Nicholls

We are pleased to be able to provide a reference for Bircher Build. We engaged the services of Jake Garribo and his team last December to build a modern two-story brick extension with slated roof on to our house which dates from the 1920's. The extension comprises of a much-enlarged kitchen, now transformed to a spacious kitchen/diner with French windows opening onto our garden. On the first floor is a much enlarged third bedroom - a room which was previously very small. The room now has a beautiful vaulted ceiling, spacious storage facility, plus en-suite shower, toilet and wash-basin. The project has also included an enlarged family bathroom with a full-size bath replacing an inadequate 'mini tub' plus an enlarged and remodelled first floor landing with pine panelling.

We are delighted with the work carried out by Jake and his team. They coped with minor changes to our plans in their stride and took great care in carrying out a job with a few complexities, including a difficult join to an all-glass sunroom with pitched roof and integral guttering. Jake 'kept us in the loop' consulting us frequently and going to great lengths to carry out our wishes. We were pleased when he was able to source bricks to match our existing (near) 100-year-old brickwork - bringing samples for us to choose from.

This little team of multi-skilled craftsmen proved to be steady workers unphased by whatever the weather threw at them - storm Dennis and all the rest! Lastly, they were good at giving the project a great 'finish'. We are very pleased we chose them to improve our home.

Councillor Felicity Norman
Mr Peter Blench

Awards & Achievements

Bircher Build established in 2016. A family-based company, with collectively over 30 years’ experience. We cover all aspects of construction. As a team we are City and Guilds trained and are approved by the Federation of Master Builders.

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We offer full project management. customer satisfaction to the highest of standards on extensions, restorations and on new builds.