W L
WIRRAL LIFE TALK TO JOHN EVANS OF BORTRAM LUXURY HOMES
Tell us about how Bortram homes began ?
I ’ ve ridden horses all my life for pleasure and at a competitive level throughout Europe , still to this day I play polo regularly . This instilled a passion in me and my father , so we started building our own bespoke horse boxes when I turned 18 from our family home .
How did you progress from a small family business to what it is today ?
We fortunately had first hand experience of using the vehicles every weekend , this only inspired us further . Without acknowledgment and our determined passionate minds , we envisioned ideas that seemed impossible , but we challenged ourselves to make them possible . This lead to a very successful luxurious horse coach business , with much growing interest . It wasn ’ t long before we were getting requests for motor racing transporters , mobile hospitality vehicles and disaster recovery vehicles - all from high profile companies .
What made you decide to switch from luxurious horse coaches to home renovation ?
It seemed like a natural transition as our clientele where so impressed with the bespoke high end service we provided , it wasn ’ t long before they asked us to get involved with their own properties . We are very fortunate to have a unique range of suppliers primarily supplying the super yacht industry . Therefore supplying our clients with what I believe is an unbeatable level of standards , that they hadn ’ t witnessed before . Incorporating cutting edge lighting and sound techniques , which is also a passion of mine .
Was the switch immediately successful ?
It ’ s been 33 years now as a small company and it was very much a hands on approach for both myself and my father . We worked relentlessly to realise the clients dream / passion and thus delivering unique bespoke creations . Couple this with my personal morals to strive for perfection , it honestly doesn ’ t seem like a job , as my father always said “ every day is a school day ”.
What ’ s been your proudest renovation to date ?
Most definitely Farr Hall ( there will be a feature on this next month ) in Lower Heswall , the ground floor was more than an acceptable one bedroom Victorian flat within a beautiful hall . When the flat directly above my client became available to buy there was no hesitation from the client , he wanted to make his “ forever home ” and turn the property into a duplex . This was a challenging project , however the client was very open to ideas which let my creativity run wild . Thus resulting in a bespoke shower cube , creatively masterminded so he could look through the vast windows over the Dee estuary and into Wales .
Where do you see the future of the Bortram group ?
Whilst continuing with our elite high end horse coaches , we are taking on more and more prestigious house renovations with enquiries for builds . We ’ ve gone from strength to strength and have become synonymous with bespoke creations since it ’ s inception . We are beyond proud that everything we build is a true one of a kind , delivering high end solutions above and beyond our clients expectations .
50 wirrallife . com