Now the kitchen has been completed, it’s already time for our next project which is to refit the bathroom !
We want the work to commence when we’re away for a few days, so although it’ll take two weeks to do the job, at least we’ll miss most of the hassle and mess.
Our main criteria for the new bathroom is we want to fit in a bath with shower above. Also wanted to make best use of space as the bathroom is pretty small..
So small, that even with wide angle lens, is tricky to get good pictures of what it looks like now!
First thing is to find a supplier, so got three quotes:
We are happy with the work they did on the Kitchen, so are an obvious choice for doing the bathroom as well
The plan they came up with looked good and quote was just within our budget. Only concern was a small lack of attention to detail and not entirely convinced the layout will work in practise. Obviously can get the plan changed to allay any concerns if we wanted, but also not all that impressed by the showroom facilities, as you can’t really see everything you’re getting “in the flesh” before you commit.
We have spoken to them for work on a previous house and were impressed by Jim’s enthusiasm and technical knowledge, so wanted to give them an opportunity again
The plan looked good and the price was bang on budget (with stone rather than ceramic tiles as well!). Visiting the showroom you can see all the bits and pieces in situ and certainly got the impression that all the materials are good quality and will be fitted by appropriately skilled craftsmen.
My only concern was that they do seem very busy (which is probably a good thing overall) and although the original quote turned up within the time Jim indicated (just) I had to chase them up for the re-quote.
We got their details from CheckaTrade.com and they seemed to have a lot of good reviews, so got them in as well.
They seemed to be skilled technicians and am sure any job they do will be well thought out and well fitted. Despite the quote being only about 60% of the other two, it was disappointing that there was no plan, artists impression or scale drawings of any kind… the only thing we got was a list of materials and costs. Also there was no offer to see the materials being proposed, so can’t get a feel for the type of quality being quoted for.
We had this with small one/two man small companies with the kitchen quotes as well…. although you are sure it would all end up OK, all the detail are in the builders head and you have to explicitly trust a stranger with a great deal of responsibility. Employing this kind of company seem to be similar to buying the stuff yourself from Wickes or B&Q and just getting them to fit it. I can understand why they don’t have time to do all the fancy stuff on the quote, so it’s not a criticism as such, but sadly for us means we can’t even consider them for the job.
So our short list was Stone & Chrome or Oakwood. It was a close decision as both had pro’s and con’s, but in the end the enthusiasm and knowledge of Jim and Mel swung it for us, so have placed our order with them. The fitting will commence in July, so will do an update once work has commenced.
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