About Us

Giles Harrison set up G V Harrison Building Contractors Ltd in 2008. Formally in precision engineering, Giles’s yearning to be working outside combined with his keen interest in building resulted in a transition into the construction industry.

His first step was to overhaul a development property. Following this he was asked to undertake a number of building contracts for private clients, and G V Harrison Building Contractors Ltd was formed.

Over the years Giles and his team have worked on hundreds of different projects - both domestic and commercial – consisting mainly of building extensions, loft conversions, structural alterations and VELUX window installations.

Having completed an installer training course with VELUX in 2013 Giles found himself specialising more and more in the installation and maintenance of VELUX products until finally in 2018 he made the decision to focus exclusively on VELUX projects. The move to become a VELUX specialist allowed the family-run business to have more control over the work and therefore ensure the delivery of the extremely high standard of work for which Giles is well known.

Core team

The core team consists of Giles, his sister Claire and Nick. They are, and always have been, based in Cottenham, Cambridge.

Surpass expectations

Of utmost importance to them is leaving their customers with high quality work. They aim to surpass the expectations that customers usually have of builders and their workmanship.

The team works hard to achieve an outstanding job every time and this shows in their testimonials. They also look to make the customer experience a good one – communicating efficiently, minimising disruption and leaving the site in a good, clean condition.

Get in touch to discuss how the team can help you.

Giles Harrison

Managing Director

Giles set up the company in 2008, following 13 years in a precision engineering role. Although Giles enjoyed his time in the engineering sector, it was time for a change. Since then the company has grown from strength to strength with the team completing hundreds of jobs. Giles enjoys meeting new customers and being out on the tools - especially when it’s a sunny day! He works hard to keep customers satisfied and is constantly rewarded with good reviews.

Claire McDonnell

Office Manager

Claire is the first point of call for our customers. Sister of Giles, she joined the team in 2014. She enjoys the flexibility her role brings, working alongside her brother and ensuring customers are happy. She also gets to bring her four-legged pooch Matty to work with her! Claire organises site visits, liaises with customers, and looks after all the paperwork and administration for the company.

Nick Jenkins

VELUX Installer

Nick, our installer, is a carpenter by trade. He has been working with us since 2017. He most enjoys the variety that the work brings – in job, location and the different people he gets to meet. The advice he most regularly gives to customers is – ‘if you can, go solar’. Prior to his work in this industry Nick was in the armed forces.

Our charity of the year for 2021 will be the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity. They support people in Cambridgeshire living with an advanced serious illness or other life-limiting condition. Find out more here: www.arhc.org.uk

For 2020 we donated £1110 to Myositis UK. Myositis is a muscle-wasting disease that results in fatigue and reduced strength. Find out more here: www.myositis.org.uk

For 2018/19 we donated £1380 to Target Ovarian Cancer. Target Ovarian Cancer is the UK’s leading ovarian cancer charity. They work to improve early diagnosis, fund life-saving research and provide much-needed support to women with ovarian cancer. Find out more here: www.targetovariancancer.org.uk

These charities are close to our family’s hearts and we’re proud to support them.

If you are a charity and would like to be considered as a future charity of the year, please get in touch.

As VELUX specialists and members of the VELUX Certified Installer Partnership, we give our customers peace of mind - our workmanship has been rigorously assessed by VELUX through on-site inspections, our trading history has been checked and references from previous customers have been collected. VELUX are also a TrustMark scheme operator, giving you additional comfort in knowing that we are members of the only government-endorsed scheme for tradespeople.

TrustMark

TrustMark is the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme covering work a consumer chooses to have carried out in or around their home. When a consumer uses a TrustMark Registered Business, they know they are engaging an organisation that has been thoroughly vetted to meet required standards and has made a considerable commitment to good customer service, technical competence and trading practices.

Find us on the TrustMark website.

Certass

Certass is a government authorised scheme which enables registered installers to self-certify replacement window installations providing you with the peace of mind that our work is carried out to the highest standard and complies with Building Control Regulations. Membership of the Certass certification scheme is not automatic. Member companies are assessed in line with the standards laid down in EN17065 and specific license requirements of MHCLG, TrustMark, PAS2030 or Certass. This means that Certass financially and technically assesses its members to ensure they meet required standards.

Quality Assured National Warranties

With the majority of VELUX installations we provide a 10 year Workmanship Guarantee, and an Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG) provided by QANW. This added level of protection (that isn’t offered by all tradespeople) will offer you an increased level of reassurance.

CITB construction skills

Providing the people of East Anglia with a level of building excellence that they can trust is our primary objective. For that reason, we have close affiliations with local and regional institutions, building the future of the industry to our own impeccable standards.