WILLIAM WAUGH & SONS (BUILDERS) LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC039169 · ltd · incorporated 1963-08-23
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
74/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other building completion and finishing
Sector: Construction
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (71/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
No charge records returned
50
Directors & officers
11 officers (1 active, 11 linked, 6 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
125 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
74/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Mar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Average employees32003400

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (36 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-03-28
    ➖
    WAUGH, Robert David resigned
    director
  3. 2025-03-28
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  4. 2024-06-04
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  5. 2024-06-04
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  6. 2024-06-04
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  7. 2024-06-04
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  8. 2024-06-04
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  9. 2024-06-04
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  10. 2024-05-31
    ➖
    MCGAHAN, Karen Christine resigned
    secretary
  11. 2024-05-31
    ➖
    MCGAHAN, Karen Christine resigned
    director
  12. 2024-05-31
    ➖
    MCLAUGHLAN, Thomas Mark resigned
    director
  13. 2024-05-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2023-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2022-12-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  16. 2022-05-17
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  17. 2022-05-09
    ➕
    WALLACE, Craig William appointed
    director
  18. 2021-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  19. 2020-12-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  20. 2019-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  21. 2018-12-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  22. 2018-11-02
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  23. 2013-01-07
    ➕
    MCGAHAN, Karen Christine appointed
    director
  24. 2013-01-07
    ➕
    MCLAUGHLAN, Thomas Mark appointed
    director
  25. 2010-12-31
    ➖
    MCLEAN, James Milne resigned
    director
  26. 2010-04-05
    ➕
    MCGAHAN, Karen Christine appointed
    secretary
  27. 2010-04-05
    ➖
    WAUGH, Robert David resigned
    secretary
  28. 2008-05-09
    ➕
    WAUGH, Robert David appointed
    secretary
  29. 2008-05-09
    ➖
    WHITE, Morag resigned
    secretary
  30. 1999-07-09
    ➕
    WHITE, Morag appointed
    secretary
  31. 1999-07-09
    ➕
    WHITE, Morag appointed
    secretary
  32. 1999-07-09
    ➖
    WHITE, Morag resigned
    secretary
  33. 1998-07-31
    ➖
    MILLER, James Robert Anderson resigned
    secretary
  34. 1997-07-23
    ➕
    MCLEAN, James Milne appointed
    director
  35. 1996-06-05
    ➖
    WAUGH, William Fergusson resigned
    director
  36. 1963-08-23
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As WILLIAM WAUGH & SONS (BUILDERS) LIMITED

Owner dependency

75/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

55/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 63 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Group structure

Burnhead Holdings Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Burnhead Holdings Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
⬇
WILLIAM WAUGH & SONS (BUILDERS) LIMITED
This company · SC039169

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Burnhead Holdings Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/05/2021
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Mr Thomas Mark Mclaughlanceased 06/05/2021· 25-50% shares
  • Miss Karen Christine Mcgahanceased 06/05/2021· 25-50% shares

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Construction · DG postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
DAVID HARDIE ENGINEERING LTD.→
SC162759 · est 1996
£1.92M
£1.37M–£2.46M
——6830y8766y
ACON LIMITED→
SC277386 · est 2004
——£29.0k—21y8362y
ICM DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED→
SC332169 · est 2007
——£515.5k—18y8368y
A & H FLOOR COVERING SPECIALISTS LIMITED→
SC229101 · est 2002
———50024y8273y
A.I. TONNAR LIMITED→
SC221253 · est 2001
——£264.5k—24y8268y
BELL ELECTRICAL GROUP LIMITED→
SC150935 · est 1994
——£990.5k—32y8279y
BORDER HOMES LTD→
SC388242 · est 2010
———140015y8269y
BUILDING CRAFTSMEN (YEOVIL) LIMITED→
SC104994 · est 1987
——£2.34M—39y8268y
DONALD C. MCROBERT & SON LIMITED→
SC271631 · est 2004
——£107.3k—21y8279y
ENERGY CENTRE SCOTLAND LIMITED→
SC395458 · est 2011
——£200.6k—15y8266y
G & A MACDONALD LIMITED→
SC298295 · est 2006
——£328—20y8267y
GALLOWAY PLANT HIRE LIMITED→
SC151067 · est 1994
———30032y8263y
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1963-08-23
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC43390 — Other building completion and finishing

Registered office

Broadford
Auldgirth
Dumfriesshire
DG2 0RT

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-29
Last: 2025-09-15

Officers (1 active · 10 resigned)

WALLACE, Craig William→
director · ~43y · appointed 2022-05-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MCGAHAN, Karen Christine→
secretary · appointed 2010-04-05 · resigned 2024-05-31
Resigned
MILLER, James Robert Anderson→
secretary · resigned 1998-07-31
Resigned
WAUGH, Robert David→
secretary · appointed 2008-05-09 · resigned 2010-04-05
Resigned
WHITE, Morag→
secretary · appointed 1999-07-09 · resigned 2008-05-09
Resigned
WHITE, Morag→
secretary · appointed 1999-07-09 · resigned 1999-07-09
Resigned
MCGAHAN, Karen Christine→
director · ~64y · appointed 2013-01-07 · resigned 2024-05-31
Resigned
MCLAUGHLAN, Thomas Mark→
director · ~57y · appointed 2013-01-07 · resigned 2024-05-31
Resigned
MCLEAN, James Milne→
director · ~84y · appointed 1997-07-23 · resigned 2010-12-31
Resigned
WAUGH, Robert David→
director · ~79y · resigned 2025-03-28
Resigned
WAUGH, William Fergusson→
director · ~124y · resigned 1996-06-05
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (125 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-26
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-03-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-27
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2024-06-04
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-06-04
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-06-04
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-06-04
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-06-04
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2024-06-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-12-30