G Cook & Sons Ltd

G Cook & Sons Ltd is a plastering company founded by George Cook in Cambridge in 1887. George Cook became a Master Plasterer, and his six sons all worked for the company. Fourth and fifth generation descendants work for the company, making it a long-lasting family business. The company uses traditional and modern plastering techniques.

Specialist areas of work include lime rendering and plastering for conservation, reinstating existing plaster, and new carbon neutral buildings, as well as fibrous plastering such as ornate plasterwork and cornice, and breathable insulated retro-fit systems using materials such as cork, woodfibre, foam glass, hemp and aerogel. The company carries out surveys and reports. It carries out all types of plastering projects including many domestic properties in Cambridge and the surrounding area, and has been involved in many prestigious projects all over the world.

Plastering and decorative plasterwork form the core of the work described by customers of this Cambridge firm. Several reviewers write about the quality of the finish, including the recreation of period features such as cornices and coving that match original Edwardian detailing so closely that the new work is indistinguishable from the old. Customers also highlight the care taken in occupied homes, with dust sheets and protection mentioned as evidence that the team looks after the property throughout.

Communication is another recurring theme: the team is described as talking clients through each stage, explaining the process and keeping them informed before and after the job. Reliability and punctuality come up often, with reviewers noting that work started when promised and was completed on schedule.

The team is repeatedly called friendly, courteous and professional, and the same mould was even retained for a second room completed months later, which customers describe as a thoughtful touch. Work has ranged from domestic plastering and cornice casting to repairs and restoration in a church and church hall, and the willingness to handle awkward or unusual jobs is praised. More than one review highlights that nothing seems too much trouble, and one notes that the same high standard was maintained across two separate projects.