Specialist main contractor

Building environments where care works

Empathy Homes is a specialist main contractor for supported living, care and children's homes — delivering new build, refurbishment, conversion and specialist fit-out for Housing Associations and Care Providers across England.

CDM 2015 Principal Contractor CQC & Ofsted environment fluent Live-setting delivery specialists
Stanley Bungalows, Knowsley — completed July 2026
01Who we work with

A construction partner that speaks your language.

We work for the organisations that commission, own and operate specialist accommodation — and we build for the people who live in it.

Housing Associations

Employer's-requirements-led delivery of specialised supported housing — from single-dwelling adaptations to whole-scheme refurbishment and new build.

  • New build and remodelling of supported housing schemes
  • Conversions and change of use to specialist accommodation
  • Void turnarounds, planned works and compliance programmes
  • Building Safety Act & golden-thread documentation

Care Providers

Environments designed around the people you support — adults' and children's services alike — built by teams who understand what it means to work in and around operational care settings.

  • Care home refurbishment, remodelling and fit-out
  • Supported living for learning disability & autism services
  • Children's homes — set up to support Ofsted registration
  • CQC- and Ofsted-driven environment improvement works
  • Phased delivery in live, occupied services
02What we do

Main contracting, end to end.

One accountable partner from feasibility to handover — whichever route your scheme takes.

New Build

Design & build and traditional delivery of new supported living and care schemes, from feasibility through to handover.

Refurbishment & Remodelling

Whole-property and whole-scheme refurbishment that brings existing stock up to modern supported-housing standards.

Conversions & Change of Use

Converting residential and commercial buildings into compliant supported living, care and children's home environments.

Adaptations & Specialist Fit-Out

Accessible bathrooms, M4(2) and M4(3) standards, robust and anti-ligature specification, sensory-considered spaces and assistive technology.

03Sector specialism

The detail generic contractors miss.

Supported living and care environments carry technical and human requirements that don't appear on a standard drawing set. This is the specialist knowledge we bring to every project.

Accessibility as standard

Part M4(2) adaptable and M4(3) wheelchair-user dwellings, level access, ceiling track hoists and future-proofed layouts.

Robust & anti-ligature specification

Fixtures, fittings and finishes specified for safety and durability in mental health and high-support settings.

Sensory-considered design

Acoustic control, lighting, colour and space planning that works for autistic people and people with learning disabilities.

Fire safety in specialised housing

Delivery aligned to fire safety guidance for specialised housing, with evacuation strategies that reflect residents' needs.

Dementia-friendly environments

Wayfinding, contrast, lighting and secure outdoor space that support independence and reduce distress.

Assistive technology ready

First-fix infrastructure for telecare, door access, nurse call and monitoring systems, coordinated with your technology partners.

Children's homes that feel like home

Homely, non-institutional environments built with Ofsted's Quality Standards in mind — safe and robust where they need to be, warm and domestic everywhere else, ready for your registration journey.

04How we work

Safe hands in live environments.

Much of our work happens in or beside operational services — homes where people are living and being supported while we build. Running a site in that context is a discipline of its own, and it is where we are most at home.

We plan every project around the people the building serves: sequencing works to keep services running, communicating clearly with staff and residents, and holding site standards that respect the fact that our site is somebody's home.

  • DBS-checked site teams for occupied care settings
  • Safeguarding-aware inductions for every operative
  • Phased programmes and decant sequencing to keep services live
  • Strict segregation, dust, noise and access management
  • Named point of contact for service managers throughout
  • Considerate, tidy sites — handovers ready for occupation
Contact

Planning a scheme? Let's talk early.

Whether you're at feasibility, working up employer's requirements, or ready to tender — send us a note about the scheme, the setting and your timescales, and we'll come back within one working day.

Email the pre-construction team
Telephone 020 3903 8012
Registered office 22 Hill Top Avenue, Wilmslow, SK9 2JE