Local builder · Saffron Walden & Cambridge
A friendly local builder you can trust, built on word of mouth.
JRB Builds is run by James Bruno — known to most people as James or Jamie — from Saffron Walden. We take on new builds, extensions, garage conversions, patios and the full range of building work across Cambridge and the Uttlesford district, and almost all of it comes by recommendation.
James and the team
JRB Builds is led by James Bruno, who runs every job — the consultation, the advice, the quote and the build itself — with a settled team alongside him. Reviewers name Rob and Paul among the crew, describing how they’d “take the time to explain the best way of doing whatever job” to customers taking on parts themselves. By the end of a project, one customer wrote, “it felt like we were saying goodbye to friends.”
One firm, every trade coordinated
A build touches every trade, so we run the whole thing — groundwork, structure, brickwork, roofing, patios and finishing — and bring in our trusted partners for the rest. Al Platten Electrics handle the wiring and Warmtouch the plumbing and heating, coordinated by us and, as one review put it, working “seamlessly” alongside the build so nothing falls between the trades.
Signed off, and recommended again
With a 5.0-star Google rating, our customers tell the story better than we can. Projects are finished “on time, on budget, and fully signed off by building control,” and many customers book us straight back for the next stage — a garden after a garage conversion, landscaping after an extension. Trusting a builder in your home comes down to word of mouth, and ours keeps coming back.
The team
James Bruno
Owner & director · “James” or “Jamie”
James founded and runs JRB Builds — the consultation, the advice, the quote and the build itself. He’s the person customers deal with from first visit to sign-off, described across our reviews as “incredibly communicative,” genuinely helpful, and the reason people “can’t recommend James and the team more highly.”
Rob & Paul
The build team
Rob and Paul are named among the crew in our reviews — the ones who “would take the time to explain the best way of doing whatever job” to customers taking on parts themselves. By the end of a project, one customer wrote, “it felt like we were saying goodbye to friends.”
For the wiring and the plumbing, we coordinate our trusted trades — Al Platten Electrics and Warmtouch — who work alongside the build so first and second fixes stay on schedule and everything is signed off properly.
How we work with you
On budget, even with changes
Customers tell us projects came in on budget “even though we made a few changes along the way” — practical solutions instead of a mounting bill of extras.
Signed off by building control
Structural work, extensions and conversions completed “on time, on budget, and fully signed off by building control” — the paperwork handled, not left to you.
One firm, every trade coordinated
We run the whole build and bring in our trusted trades — Al Platten Electrics and Warmtouch plumbing — so you deal with one team from groundwork to sign-off.
A clean, considerate site
Neighbours regularly comment on “how tidy they kept the site and how polite and considerate they were” with parking and deliveries — a build needn’t take over the street.
We build with Tobermore porcelain paving and garden walling and source materials through Cannonad, and we fit Howdens kitchens on our renovation projects — supplier and trade partners we name because they’re actually behind our work.
What we stand by
The things our reviews keep saying.
On budget, changes and all
"Even though we made a few changes along the way, the project still came in on budget" — Mark’s review. Practical, creative solutions instead of a growing bill of extras. That’s how we work.
Communication that keeps you in the loop
"James was incredibly communicative throughout" — Alex. "Communication was great" — Lucy. You always know where the job stands, and we accommodate changes as they come.
A clean, considerate site
"Kept the site clean and tidy" — Alex. Neighbours regularly comment on how tidy and considerate our sites are with parking and deliveries. We treat your home, and your street, with respect.
One of our favourites
“What really elevated James and his team above the rest was their help, support and guidance in the work we had chosen to take on ourselves. Rob and Paul would take the time to explain the best way of doing whatever job we had taken on. By the time their job was done, it felt like we were saying goodbye to friends. Top Work, Top Team, Very happy — 100% recommend.”
★★★★★ — Paul G Rhodes, via Google