"Too early to tell."

Too early to tell.

"Prime oak experience "

Hi, for those who are looking to work with Prime Oak, Julius Bahn, X or X - there are a couple of key points to consider. Firstly, there is no doubt that this company will provide you with a quality building, well constructed, with good quality materials - they are a top end provider of this type of works.
But there are a number of issues that any potential client needs to be aware of, and these are mainly related to the contract that you will sign with them, customer support, the costs of outsourced work and the overall experience.
The first thing to note is the origin of materials supplied. The various websites of Prime Oak will give the impression that all materials are sourced and come from the UK, but this is simply not the case. The majority of the materials used in the construction process (mainly the timber) is sourced from Indonesia and Belize. The timber is not UK sourced as the website would suggest.
Regarding the contract - please note that once it is signed, there is no wriggle room to get out of it and you will be left liable for a number of things including additional costs under certain scenarios. Firstly, you need to ensure that everything the salesperson told you, including any "extras" are included in the contract, which is more than often not the case. Clients will often be told something by the salesperson only to find out it was not included in the contract, and there is no going back to the conversation with the salesperson - as the contract is final. Also beware that 90% of the payment is due prior to any works getting started, so a change in circumstances, in health etc, will result in you having to pay the full amount for the project - even if you decide not to go ahead with the works. Also note that the warranty is voided under many conditions so please check the small print carefully - an example will be the treatment of the timber once the project is completed. You will need find a company to treat the timbers as this is not included in the Prime Oak contracts. Treatment of the timber is the owners responsibility and if they do not treat the timbers immediately after the works are complete - the Prime Oak warranty is void.
Also note that once the project is signed off, you will not be able to make any adjustments, even the smallest without penalties and additional payments.
Customer support pre-contract is fantastic, but the same levels are not applied once the contracts are signed. Of course, if the projects goes smoothly, then the experience will be fine but the moment that issues arise on site, for whatever reasons - then customer support becomes more aggressive and you only have to look at the amount of court cases the company is involved in to confirm this.
Another key point to consider is the outsourcing of works such as the roofing. If you ask Prime Oak to do the roofing (as an example), they will simply sub contract the work out to a local partner and add at least 30% to the cost. A simple way for them to squeeze some more cash from the buyers. Just a point that any potential customer needs to be aware off.
As stated, the product is good, but all to often the client experience is not and as such, many customers use the services of Prime Oak, Juluis Bhan, X & X only 1 time. Repeat business is rare, and that in itself says a lot.
Please do your homework on this company prior to signing any contracts with them, check out their reviews from past users, and most importantly, please read the contract you are signing, as once signed, there is no flexibility on any aspect of the build.
I worked for this company for just under 3 years (no I didn't get sacked or leave on bad terms) and as a contract manager, was often the first person the customer rang when they had issues, so I understand 100% how the customer often felt when dealing with this company.

"Great people to deal with"

Great people to deal with. Friendly efficient and good communication

"So far so Good!"

So far, so good... we are about halfway through our project executing our own groundworks to the specification of Prime Oak's design team. Already the team has been amazing to supply us with the information and drawings we needed to start the works.

We were particularly pleased with the Design team's interpretation of our needs and wishes for our lovely new Mansard Orangery, and also for our Garden Room which will all be happening at around the same time. A massive thank you to all the team, but in particular to Rob our designer, Neil, Jo and Warren.
We are hoping that the second half of this project will go as smoothly as the first half and can't wait to see it all finished.

"PRIME JOKE"

This company does not even deserve one star. Our saga with Prime Joke started in June 2021 and according to them was completed in July `22 (after we had accepted it was not finished to the original specs). However, the conservatory leaked and issues were not resolved until March `23. We treated the timbers as specified and sealed joints ourselves - it became evident from an early stage that we would have to do a lot of the work ourselves. However, another leaked occurred in July `23 which was never repaired by Prime Joke. Once again, it is leaking and despite a guarantee we are told it will cost us £660 for a visit from their Aftercare Team.
They have been reluctant to fix faults and we have sometimes received aggressive responses from management and directors who will try and blame the customer for problems with their structures. New customers of Prime Oak should beware that the owners have a number of other companies in their stable which may offer a similar service including Whitlock & Lowe, Julius Bahn, Montpelier Joinery and Native Joinery.

"We recently worked with Prime Oak to…"

We recently worked with Prime Oak to design and build our oak structure, and overall, it’s been a very good experience. From the initial design phase through to installation, the team was professional, knowledgeable, and responsive. Special thanks to Leighton, Ben, Simon, Richard, and the rest of the crew for their hard work and attention to detail, particularly with the fitting and roofing. The quality of materials and craftsmanship is clear, and the finished product looks fantastic, blending seamlessly into its surroundings as intended. While not the cheapest option, the result and service make it worth considering. Would recommend Prime Oak for anyone looking for a quality oak-framed building. 4 stars!

"Great job by the install team lead by…"

Great job by the install team lead by Nick. Nick communicated exactly the right amount giving details of planned works which were always followed through. Teams on site were superb, hard working, organised and respectful on our property.

"Further to our review of 20.11.24…"

UPDATE 2/1/25.
We feel obligated to comment on PrimeOak’s response so people are aware of their approach to customers that are not able to complete their contract. As mentioned previously Primeoak say they have taken action against customers on literally hundreds of occasions and we were one of those unfortunate customers. We can understand why Primeoak would want to paint a different picture to the facts, given they are trying to sell what is sold as a high end product and service, but cross them and the experience is very different.
- we entered into the contract in good faith and planned to build a cart shed costing c.£150k.
- our personal situation changed materially and we needed to defer the build - this was not possible unless we paid the next stage payment of £60k which we could not do at that point. Also, if we deferred the build we were told the price would be going up. Lose, lose situation for us.
- Primeoak repeatedly threatened legal action including sending us redacted examples of letters to other customers they had taken legal action against.
- we had to get a lawyer at great expense as the threats became too much to handle and the stress was over bearing - we needed expert help to try to stop them.
- we were repeatedly threatened with court action if we didn’t pay £60k - this the apparent ‘net profit’ from a £150k building.
- in the end we had to settle at £30k to stop their threats and our increasing legal fees.
- this isn’t about the process pre signing the contract - this is to illustrate what happened to us and apparently literally hundreds of other customers that were not able to complete their contract
- in our view, Primeoak suffered no loss - they hadn’t ordered materials, they didn’t have an idle workforce etc. etc. They received £6k from us pre the planning permission application which more than covers the cost of that process. They took £30k for doing absolutely nothing. Contracts are not completed every day for a whole host of reasons - what firm in this day and age sues their customers when they haven’t actually suffered a loss? Why would you not just move to the next customer in the production queue and show to your customers that you understand. You would receive better customer satisfaction, recommendations and returning customers.
As we’ve said previously - do not choose Primeoak unless you are 100% certain you can complete the contract or you are able to get legal advice on the contract before signing. Hopefully this review will get some customers to think twice before entering in to a contract with Primeoak and if we save even one person the horrific experience we have had then the time we are spending raising awareness is worth it.
See other reviews on trust pilot, google, Glassdoor with similar experiences too from customers and staff.
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Further to our review of 20.11.24 regards our advice not to sign a contract with Primeoak given they charged us £30k for doing absolutely nothing when our personal situation changed and we could no longer proceed. This review is re their response or lack of. Despite PO being ‘saddened’ by our review (despite them having taken legal action against us and telling us they had done this to customers literally hundreds of times), they haven’t responded even though we provide the extra information they requested. What could they say…..

"An architects' experience"

As an architect I have specified Prime Oak conservatories and garden rooms over a number of years for clients.
When it came to my own development I had no hesitation in specifying both a 3 bay garage with office and a garden studio building.

"Thorough Planning Application brings success"

Given our satisfaction with a garden room built some years ago it was a simple choice to ask Prime Oak to quote for the construction of a porch. A visit was arranged within days. The house is Listed grade 2 and in a Conservation Area, so this needed an eloquent and comprehensive Planning Application which was duly prepared and submitted shortly thereafter. The Planning Officer concurred with the views outlined in the Application and permission to go ahead achieved well before the statutory deadline.