Poles may be found trading as general builders, kitchen fitters, door and window fitters, electricians, polish architects, etc., often working as sole traders or small limited companies.
However, an internet search for Polish Builders in London reveals that they are not confined to small businesses, toiling away to install damp courses or complete conservatories: they are also playing with the big boys. Golden Houses, five minutes’ walk from the Angel tube station in Islington, is unusual not just because it is a Polish major development company, specialising in construction of high-end residential properties, but because in the hyper-macho field of construction, this development company is led by a woman, Monika Slowikowska.
Similarly, Polish Construction Businesses, operating across the entire M25 area, is a highly professional company, members of the prestigious Federation of Master Builders.
The burgeoning Polish builders’ merchant chain: IBB, with its head office and main branch in London, has opened branches in Croydon, Birmingham and Manchester.
The positive stereotype of the efficient, reliable and competitively-priced Polish builder extends beyond the M25: Wikipedia has a curious entry under Polish Plumber, which reflects a mostly positive image of Eastern European tradesmen in countries across Western Europe.
The internet is buzzing with discussion on the merits of hiring Polish for alterations and extensions: even Mumsnet has a busy thread on the subject!
PBLink set up and ran the UK’s first 1st British-Polish Construction Forum in March 2017. The full-day event attracted big name backers, including NatWest Business Banking & Simpkins Solicitors, as well as keynote speakers from across the industry. The success of the well-attended event speaks volumes about the multitude of Polish Builders in London, as well as the thriving Polish community employed in related trades.
Want to find out more? Get plugged in to the national network of Polish Building Contractors via Polish Business Link, which offers advice and runs business networking events and seminars in English with expert Polish and British business speakers, diplomats and politicians. In addition, their members’ website is a treasure trove of resources, links and technical information about all aspects of Polish/British business, not just Polish Builders in London.