About Renovel
A Bristol renovation firm started by Dan Pritchard in 2011. There are 16 of us, working from a yard and joinery workshop on Feeder Road in St Philips.
How Renovel started
Dan trained as a joiner in Bath and spent twelve years running sites for a firm that restored listed houses. In 2011 he started taking on extensions and loft conversions in Bristol under his own name, with one van and one apprentice.
Leila Hassan joined in 2016 as co-director. She had spent ten years as a quantity surveyor on commercial jobs, and she changed how we price work: every quote itemised, every change priced before it’s done, and a cost report every two weeks on longer jobs.
The name comes from renovation, which is still most of our work. The houses we take on are mostly Victorian terraces and 1930s semis, and the first job is often knocking two rooms into one.
Everyone below works for Renovel directly. You’ll meet Dan at the survey and Marek on the first day of the build.
Dan Pritchard
Since 2011
Founder and director
Dan trained as a joiner and ran restoration sites in Bath for twelve years before starting Renovel in 2011. He walks every survey himself and checks every steel before it goes in.
Leila Hassan
Since 2016
Co-director, design and estimating
Leila was a quantity surveyor for a commercial contractor before joining in 2016. She writes every quote line by line, and she’s the person to ask why something costs what it costs.
Marek Nowak
Since 2014
Site manager
Marek runs up to three sites at a time and is the person you’ll see most. He sends a written update with photos every Friday, including the weeks when something has gone wrong.
Siobhan Kerr
Since 2019
Architectural technologist
Siobhan draws every project and handles planning, lawful development certificates and Building Control. She spent six years at a Bristol architecture practice before joining.
Tom Avery
Since 2017
Lead joiner
Tom makes our staircases, cabinets and sash window repairs in the workshop on Feeder Road. He trained with a heritage joinery firm in Somerset.
How we work
We employ our own trades
Eleven of our sixteen staff are tradespeople on the payroll. For roofing, steel and tiling we use firms we’ve worked with for years.
We cap our workload
No more than six projects at once, so the site manager can be on every site every working day.
We tell you about problems early
If something will cost more or take longer, you hear it in that week’s Friday update, with the options and a price for each.
We come back after handover
There’s a snagging visit at three months, and the structural warranty on extensions and lofts runs for ten years.
Memberships and insurance
Ask for copies of any certificate at the survey. We send our insurance documents with every quote.
Registered with the government-endorsed quality scheme
Where we work
Anywhere within about 12 miles of the yard. Most of our work is in Victorian and Edwardian terraces, 1930s semis and Georgian townhouses.
Clifton
Cotham
Redland
Bishopston
Horfield
Southville
Bedminster
Totterdown
Windmill Hill
Westbury-on-Trym
Henleaze
Stoke Bishop
Keynsham
Portishead