In the construction industry, “complex” often describes the internal hurdles a business must overcome, ranging from intricate engineering and project management to the volatile coordination of supply chains and labour. But true resilience often comes from the world outside the site gates. At Vascroft, our nearly 50-year history is defined by our ability to keep building when the “storm” hits from external factors.
The COVID-19 Litmus Test: Perseverance in Real-Time
The COVID-19 pandemic was the ultimate test of internal resilience for the UK construction sector. While many projects stalled, Vascroft’s approach remained focused on “driving the job in the right direction”.
Take our Grand Exchange project in Reading – a massive 239-apartment residential block. Despite starting during the peak of the pandemic, our team navigated a landscape where four subcontractors went into administration due to cash flow crises. As Quantity Surveyor at Vascroft, Thushanth Mathiyaparanam, recalls:
“It was quite a challenging project to us… nearly four companies went on administration during that time because of the cash flows. Even though, we kept records and managed them very well to drive the job in the right direction and complete as per the programs.”
Delivering Under Pressure: Engineering and Craftsmanship
Resilience isn’t just about surviving a crisis; it’s about having the technical foresight and in-house expertise to handle “impossible” sites and designs.
- The Spencer Road Challenge: Near the Thames in Chiswick, we underpinned an existing house where the water table was at 3.2m but the basement depth reached 3.5m. As Thushanth noted, this required extreme care:
“It’s very, very complex and structurally you need to take extra precaution… it took nearly six months to do it. We are proud to say that we used our in-house resources to do that.”
- The Trafalgar Innovation: When designers doubted that a dual-axis curved wall cladding could be achieved for a reception area, our joinery team utilized precision vacuum machinery to turn the CGI vision into a reality. Regarding the skepticism, Jayesh Patel (Joinery Supervisor) remarked:
“Designer didn’t think that we are able to do this. They say there’s no chance that you can do this. I said – I’ll make it happen.”
- The “One-Week” Delivery: Clients often turn to Vascroft after being told a complex project will take months elsewhere. As Jayesh explains:
“The client will say… I know the one person who can do it, it will get done next week. We perform and we get it done in a week if it’s that kind of complex urgency.”
Strategic Consolidation: Choosing Quality over Quantity
The true resilience of Vascroft lies in maintaining the mindset of a boutique service provider, even as we operate at a corporate scale. Managing Director Mitesh Vekaria emphasises that while the company has grown significantly, the core ethos remains rooted in its humble beginnings.
“We started as a small two-van business in a box room and we’ve tried to keep that ethos. My dad [Chairman, Shashi Vekaria] is very keen on nurturing that through the business. My phone is available 24 hours a day, as is my dad’s and other senior members of staff because the client is happy that they’ve got someone to phone and something will be done about it as opposed to waiting until Monday morning.”
Whilst there have been numerous opportunities to invest abroad, strategic decisions have been taken to focus specifically on the UK – a conscious choice to ensure that our most valuable resource – our time – is not diluted.
A Service-First Mentality: Mitesh views the business through the lens of a local tradesperson:
“At the end of the day, we are a service provider. We may be running a corporation, but we’re no different to the barbers, mechanic, baker or chef – it just happens to be that our service involves bricks and mortar.”
The Vascroft Way
Whether it’s the restoration of a Grade II listed building or a massive warehouse we don’t just build structures; we build trust with our clients that stands firm, no matter what the next “storm” may be.
