MEET THE CRAFTSMEN

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Croft Craftsmen is a family-run business built around a genuine love of good properties, thoughtful work, quality craftsmanship and doing things properly.

I’m Kirk (the one on the right), the older of the two brothers and usually the one taking the lead on our projects. I started in the trade straight from college as a painter and decorator, but over the years my skills have developed far beyond where they began.

A lot of that has come from my love of working on properties, particularly period homes, and, if I’m being truthful, being a bit of a perfectionist. There have been many occasions where I’ve needed another trade to complete part of a project but haven’t been satisfied that someone else would approach it with the same level of care. So, rather than compromise, I’ve learnt how to do it myself.

Over the years that’s given me a broad range of skills and an understanding of how the different elements of a property come together. It’s also probably why I’m drawn to the projects that can initially seem a little overwhelming.

I enjoy a challenge, working through problems and finding a way to achieve something that at first might not seem straightforward.

While I tend to be the one coming up with ideas and taking the lead on our projects, Jake brings his own skills and strengths to the business.

Before joining me in the trade, Jake studied landscaping and horticulture at college — something he still has a real passion for today. He has a wide knowledge of plants, gardens and landscaping, and a natural eye for how an outside space can complement the character of a property.

That knowledge is particularly valuable when we’re working on properties where the relationship between the house and its garden is often just as important as the building itself. Whether it’s choosing planting that feels appropriate for the setting, improving an existing garden or considering how external work will sit within the wider property, it’s an area Jake genuinely enjoys.

He’s also definitely the more organised one of the two of us. Jake likes to have a plan in place, thinks ahead and takes a lot of pride in keeping our working environment clean and tidy.

We have different strengths, which is probably why we work so well together. I’ll often be looking at the challenge, thinking about what’s possible and how we can make it work, while Jake makes sure there’s a plan for getting us there.

And being brothers, there’s a level of understanding and trust between us that would be difficult to replicate.

Croft Craftsmen wasn’t created simply because we wanted to start another building business.

I wanted to build something as a family that we could genuinely be proud of.

Something that would allow Jake and me to spend our working lives doing the type of projects we both enjoy, surrounded by beautiful old properties and interesting challenges, while building a reputation based on the quality of our work rather than how quickly we can get through it.

But there was another reason that was just as important.

Our families are precious to us, and we wanted to create a business that could give us a good working life while also allowing us to be present for the people who matter most to us.

That’s still at the heart of Croft Craftsmen today.

We’re two brothers who genuinely enjoy what we do. Our names are attached to every project we complete, and we want both our clients and our families to be proud of the work that carries the Croft Craftsmen name.