Wilson and Cole were builders. They were also our grandfathers, and Wilson & Cole Developments is named after them. That is the whole story of the name, and a fair bit of the story of how we work. We’re Dan and Craig (Daniel Webster and Craig Cook, if you’re checking Companies House), and this is the first post in a month of writing about lofts, extensions, planning rules and Bristol houses. Before the numbers, it seemed right to say who is writing them.
Two carpenters who met at college
We met nearly twenty years ago, studying carpentry at college. After that we went our separate ways for a while. Each of us ran our own carpentry business, and each of us saw the same thing from the inside: the carpentry was rarely the problem. The problem was everything around it. Quotes that changed, sites left in a state, phone calls that never came back.
So we joined forces. Wilson & Cole Developments Ltd was incorporated on 28 April 2021 (company number 13362420, and you can check us on Companies House). We work out of Units 1 and 2 on Douglas Road Industrial Park in Kingswood, and most of our sites are within a few miles of it: Bishopston, Redland, Bedminster, Easton, Fishponds, Henleaze, out to Keynsham, Yate and beyond.
Between us we’ve got 40-plus years in the trade. We still pick up tools. Ask anyone who has had us on their roof.
Wilson and Cole: the two builders behind the name
Both of our grandfathers were builders. Different men, different times, same trade. When it came to naming the company we didn’t put our own surnames on the vans. We put theirs, and the name gave us a standard to live up to.
We wrote our mission down at the start and it hasn’t changed: to give builders and construction companies a better name, and to make our grandfathers proud.
That first half needs saying out loud. Building has a reputation problem, and it isn’t undeserved. Research from the Federation of Master Builders this summer, reported by Build News, put the money lost by South West homeowners to poor-quality or abandoned building work at nearly £500 million over five years, with around one in twelve households in the region affected. Every one of those households now trusts builders a little less. We meet them at quote stage. They’ve been let down before and they’re braced for it to happen again.
You can’t fix that with a slogan. You fix it one house at a time.
What “a better name” looks like on site
Here is what the mission means on a Tuesday morning in Bishopston.
We turn up
Start time is 8am and we mean it. One of our FMB verified reviews puts it better than we could: “They would begin work at 8am without fail, communicate the process to me at all times… The site was kept immaculately clean and organised. Most importantly, their attitude around the site made them a joy to have around.”
We tell you what’s happening
Before we start you know the sequence: scaffold, structure, weathertight, first fix, plaster, second fix, sign-off. During the build you know what’s happening this week and what’s happening next week. If something changes, and on old Bristol houses it sometimes does, you hear it from us the same day, not from the skip driver.
We’re straight about money, time and mess
Quotes are detailed and itemised, so you can see what the steels cost and what the stairs cost. Every line is written down, so you can see what you are paying for. Once you’re in the diary we ask for a booking deposit of around 10%, never a large sum up front, and the rest is staged as the work goes in. If your project qualifies for the reduced VAT rate, we’ll tell you.
A dormer loft usually takes eight to twelve weeks on site. A single-storey extension, ten to sixteen. We put those ranges in writing and we don’t promise a completion date we can’t control. Weather, steel deliveries and building control inspections all have a say.
And a loft conversion means scaffold on your house, a skip outside it, and dust. We work outside-in on lofts so the house stays sealed for as long as possible, protect floors and doorways, and clean down every day. It’s still a building site. We’d rather you knew that now.
We say what we don’t do
We’re not architects. We work with trusted partner architects and structural engineers, and we can either coordinate the whole thing for you or introduce you to them directly. We’d rather do that than pretend. And we stand behind the work, in writing: the details of our guarantees are on our FAQ page, along with our answers on deposits, insurance and payment.
Who we are today
The company is a team of seven-plus now: our own crew plus vetted subcontractors we’ve worked with for years, holding SMSTS, CSCS, First Aid at Work, Gas Safe and NICEIC between them. We’re fully insured for public and employers’ liability, and we’ll send copies of the certificates if you ask.
We’re members of the Federation of Master Builders, which vets and inspects builders before letting them join, checking trading history and insurance and visiting a live site. Google has us at 5.0 stars from more than 25 reviews. Across Bristol we do loft conversions, extensions, whole-house renovations, roofs, and refurbishments for landlords and developers.
The proof we’re proudest of is repeat work. Ralph McQuillan, in an FMB verified review: “I’m a local developer and landlord. This is the third time I’ve used [their] services to build a dormer loft conversion. Dan and Craig are highly skilled carpenters, project managers, specialists in all carpentry, lofts and extensions.” People don’t come back three times for a slogan. And once, for a client who trusted us, we drove to Hereford to build a roof. He wanted it done right, by people he knew, and that mattered more to him than a local postcode. We understood.
What this blog will do in September
Every day this month there’s a new article here: what a loft conversion costs in Bristol in 2026, whether you need planning permission, what the building inspector checks, the Party Wall Act for terraces, and a series of real projects told through our clients’ own reviews. Start with do you need planning permission for a loft conversion in Bristol? or, if you’re comparing builders, the questions that separate the good ones. All of it is written the way we talk on site: specifics, real numbers, and no dressing up.
Frequently asked questions
Who runs Wilson & Cole Developments?
Daniel Webster and Craig Cook, two carpenters who met at college nearly twenty years ago and now run the company together from Kingswood, Bristol. Both still work on site. The company was incorporated in April 2021 (Companies House number 13362420) and is named after their grandfathers, Wilson and Cole, who were both builders.
Where do you work?
Bristol and around it. Most of our projects are in BS3, BS5, BS6, BS7, BS8, BS9 and BS16, plus Kingswood, Keynsham, Bath, Yate, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. We travel further for the right project and for clients we know: we’ve built a roof in Hereford.
Are you FMB members, and are you insured?
Yes to both. We’re members of the Federation of Master Builders, which vets and inspects builders before they join, and we hold public and employers’ liability insurance. Copies are available on request. Our team’s certificates include SMSTS, CSCS, First Aid at Work, Gas Safe and NICEIC.
Do you design as well as build?
We build. For drawings, planning applications and structural calculations we work with trusted partner architects and engineers. We can coordinate the whole process for you so you have one point of contact, or introduce you directly and let you deal with them yourselves.
Can I visit one of your sites before I decide?
Yes, and we’d encourage it. Seeing how a site is run at 10am on a Wednesday tells you more than any brochure or website. Ask when you get in touch and we’ll arrange it with the homeowner.
How quickly will you reply to an enquiry?
Within one working day. Call 0117 2510365 or use the contact form, and either Dan or Craig will call you back.
That’s who we are. If you’re thinking about a loft, an extension or a house that needs putting right, tell us about it. Come and see a site we’re working on. That tells you more than any brochure.