Skinner Construction

What Skinner Construction does

Skinner Construction Ltd is a privately held, Sidmouth-based (Devon, UK) construction firm founded in 1882 that delivers building contracts, small works, conservation projects, and joinery services to both public and private clients across South West England. The firm operates four interconnected service lines: Contracts (projects up to £4m for Residential, Healthcare, Leisure and Education sectors using partnered and traditional Design and Build procurement), Small Works (projects up to £500k for private, public and commercial clients including extensions and refurbishments), Conservation (specialist historic-building restoration covering stonework, lime pointing, specialist leadworking, stained glass, cob wall repairs, lime plastering, thatched roofing, and heritage timber replication), and Joinery (bespoke in-house manufacturing of staircases, windows, doors, fire doors, kitchens, and counters from fully equipped workshops).

The firm employs a directly hired workforce of over 30 staff and positions itself as one of the longest-established and largest builders in Devon. Its technical differentiation rests on traditional craft skills (many of which are scarce in the UK construction labour market), specialist conservation expertise, and a vertically integrated in-house joinery workshop that supports both project delivery and standalone product sales. Technology is conventional construction craft rather than digital platform; revenue is generated through one-off project contracts, quote-based pricing, and direct client engagement, with no subscription or recurring revenue streams.

Name

Skinner Construction

Legal name

Skinner Construction Ltd

Website

https://skinner-construction.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1882

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Skinner Construction is a Sidmouth-based, 140-year-old construction firm delivering building contracts (up to £4m), small works (up to £500k), specialist historic-building conservation, and bespoke in-house joinery to public and private clients across South West England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Services

NAICS

Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520), Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works General Contracting (IMAFAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Renovation, Remodeling & Tenant Improvements (General Contracting) (IMAFAAAE)

Keywords

• Building construction services
• Historic building conservation
• Bespoke joinery manufacturing
• Construction contracts Devon
• Small works refurbishment

Headquarters

HQ city

Sidmouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Contracts: Larger construction projects up to £3-4m value including new builds, refurbishments and extensions for Residential, Healthcare, Leisure and Education sectors. Both partnered and traditional Design and Build procurement methods.
2. Small Works: Projects valued up to £500k for private, public and commercial sector clients covering extensions, major refurbishments, alterations and conservation repairs on listed buildings.
3. Conservation Services: Specialist restoration and conservation work on historic and listed buildings including churches and heritage structures across the South West.
4. Joinery Services: Bespoke joinery manufacturing including staircases, windows, doors, fire doors and fire door sets, kitchens, bars and counters produced in-house.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Skinner Construction delivers building contracts (up to £3-4m), small works (up to £500k), specialist conservation of historic and listed buildings, and bespoke in-house joinery manufacturing for public and private clients across South West England. The firm serves education, healthcare, residential, leisure, and heritage sectors through directly employed tradespeople and four interconnected service lines covering new builds, refurbishments, extensions, and traditional restoration techniques.

Product overview

Skinner Construction operates as a unified building services company offering four interconnected service lines: Contracts (main construction contracts up to £3m for Residential, Healthcare, Leisure and Education sectors), Small Works (projects up to £500k for private, public and commercial clients), Conservation (specialist historic building restoration including stonework, lime pointing, leadworking and thatched roofing), and an in-house Joinery department producing bespoke timber products. Founded in 1882, the company employs over 30 directly hired staff and handles projects from private individual works through to multi-million pound contracts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contracts

Quantifiable outcome

• All 10 Passivehaus properties passed airtightness criteria of 0.60
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Asbestos Specialist ContractorsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngaged for licensed asbestos removal including full compartmentation, air testing and disposal on appropriate projects.
• Archaeological ConsultantsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngaged on heritage projects requiring archaeological monitoring, such as the United Reformed Church project under instruction from English Heritage.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Morgan Sindall Group: UK-listed construction and regeneration group with construction, fit-out, property services and urban regeneration divisions. Overlaps with Skinner on education, healthcare and refurbishment work, but at significantly larger scale and national scope.
• Galliford Try: UK construction group with strong building and regeneration capabilities including education, health and heritage work. Comparable in end markets served, but with substantially greater capacity and national reach.
• Kier Group: National UK contractor operating across buildings, infrastructure and housing. Comparable in service breadth (general contracting, refurbishment, public sector), but operates at materially larger scale and across a much wider geographic footprint.
• Sir Robert McAlpine: Privately held UK contractor delivering major building and civil engineering projects. Comparable on heritage/conservation experience and directly-employed craft skills, but operates at a fundamentally larger contract scale and geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• Cliveden Conservation: Specialist UK heritage conservation contractor covering stonework, plasterwork, joinery and traditional craft restoration. Direct peer to Skinner's conservation offering and indicative of the specialist niche Skinner occupies.
• Midas Group: South West England-headquartered construction firm delivering commercial, residential, education and healthcare projects across the region. Closely comparable to Skinner in geographic focus, mid-sized contract range, and public-sector client mix.
• Stonewest: UK heritage masonry and stonework contractor specialising in conservation, restoration and repair of historic structures. Direct comparable to Skinner's conservation service line on craft skills, client types (churches, listed buildings), and traditional construction techniques.
• Beard Construction: Regional UK contractor with strong South West presence, undertaking education, healthcare, commercial and heritage projects of comparable scale. Matches Skinner on regional focus, public-sector exposure, and directly-employed workforce model.

Regional players

• Ward & Associates (construction): Indicative South West regional contractor competing for similar mid-sized education, healthcare and private residential contracts. Comparable by territory and ticket size, though limited public data on their conservation capability.
• Pollard Construction: Devon-based regional contractor delivering new builds, extensions and refurbishments across the South West. Operates in the same territory and customer pool as Skinner, but without the specialist conservation and in-house joinery capability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Skinner_Ltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skinner-construction-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Skinner Construction