BUILDING CRAFTSMEN LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC184995 · ltd · incorporated 1998-04-20
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 Aug 2024
Net worth
£51.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Non-trading company
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Dormant / non-trading with a 68-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 68). 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 (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: high (80/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 1 with DOB)
74
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
65 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
🔒Estimated company valuation

Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £51,457
Cash YoY
+21%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£209k
↑ 21% YoY
Net Worth
£51k
↑ 156% YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£42k£83k£125k£167k£209kAug 2023Aug 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-08-312023-08-31
Total assets£51.5k£20.1k
Cash£208.7k£172.5k
Net assets£51.5k£20.1k

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

🔒Filing-note intelligence

2 signals 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
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-05-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-05-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-05-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-05-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-05-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2020-05-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-05-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2018-05-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2017-05-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  10. 2016-05-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  11. 2016-04-20
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  12. 2015-05-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  13. 2015-04-20
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  14. 2014-05-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2014-04-22
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2009-05-13
    ➖
    HEWITSON, David resigned
    secretary
  17. 1998-08-07
    ➕
    HEWITSON, William James appointed
    director
  18. 1998-08-07
    ➕
    HEWITSON, David appointed
    secretary
  19. 1998-08-07
    ➖
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  20. 1998-08-07
    ➖
    COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  21. 1998-08-07
    ➖
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  22. 1998-04-20
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As BUILDING CRAFTSMEN LIMITED
  23. 1998-04-20
    ➕
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  24. 1998-04-20
    ➕
    COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  25. 1998-04-20
    ➕
    COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

100/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 28 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

95/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 68. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 28 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 28 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

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

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr William James Hewitson
Individual · Scottish · DOB 08/1958 · age 68
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting06/04/2016

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

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
J. KELLY & SONS (HAMILTON) LIMITED→
SC020771 · est 1939
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£6.60M–£8.93M
—£7.77M—87y8263y
ROGERSON MOTORS LIMITED→
SC055796 · est 1974
£205.8k
£174.9k–£236.7k
—£205.8k—51y8283y
MATHER PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT LIMITED→
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—£1.0k—19y8269y
CAULDHAME LIMITED→
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—£57—22y8063y
CINNAMON 2007 LIMITED→
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———019y8281y
CLAN CENTRE LIMITED→
SC113050 · est 1988 · no financials extracted
————37y8162y
ELRIG ESTATE COMPANY LIMITED→
SC133061 · est 1991
———10034y8175y
THE COUNTRY TRADER LIMITED→
SC127204 · est 1990 · no financials extracted
————35y8162y
ANTARTEX LIMITED→
SC071934 · est 1980 · no financials extracted
————45y8062y
CLARK CORRA LTD→
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————17y8064y
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————49y8067y
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 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
Incorporated1998-04-20
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC74990 — Non-trading company

Registered office

The Hollies
Peatford
Lockerbie
DG11 1BJ

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-05-31
Last made up to: 2024-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-04
Last: 2026-04-20

Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)

HEWITSON, William James→
director · ~68y · appointed 1998-08-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HEWITSON, David→
secretary · appointed 1998-08-07 · resigned 2009-05-13
Resigned
COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1998-04-20 · resigned 1998-08-07
Resigned
COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1998-04-20 · resigned 1998-08-07
Resigned
COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1998-04-20 · resigned 1998-08-07
Resigned

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

Recent filings (65 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-05-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-05-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-04-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-05-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-05-02