Fiona Bailey has renovated many properties, which meant she knew what she was doing when hiring tradespeople to design and install a stylish new bathroom, a modern shower room (and a classic kitchen) in her home in Rowtown, Surrey.
Fiona found Aspire using Check-a-Trade. She invited us along to chat through her project and we got on well straight away. “I felt immediately that Ben was right for the job. I’ve been through a few renovations and his approach and attention to detail was just what I was looking for. I instantly trusted his knowledge and thought his suggestions were spot on,” said Fiona.
We are obsessed with finer detail and planning and, with a large project like this, we’ll always spend three to four days at the outset ensuring all is just right and anything that could arise is taken into consideration. Fiona said, “They looked ahead and anticipated any problems that could arise, putting options forward to avoid them.”
It’s all in the Aesthetics
Without a doubt budget is very important for any project. But something else we rate incredibly important is aesthetics. We believe you should be comfortable what you are living with on a daily basis and that perfection is crucial when you’re having a new bathroom designed and installed.
Fiona was aware of Megaflo water heating system by Heatrae Sadia and was keen to have one in her latest property. The system has numerous benefits, but it’s so important to get the placement of the cylinder right, otherwise it could affect the finish of the new bathroom. We discussed various options with Fiona and settled on a solution that would keep the aesthetics intact. “A builder who cares about aesthetics – very unusual! Ben was very particular about how it would look. It was all very well thought through.”
It’s a Home, not a Building Site
During the works we were very careful to ensure Fiona’s hous
e was not made to resemble a building site, because she was living there throughout. She commented, “They were so clean whilst working and really couldn’t have done more. I was amazed at how they kept everything contained. Every day they cleared the area they were working on and left no dangerous tools laying around.”
Dealing with Surprises
You can do as much planning as you wish, but the fact is that occasionally, surprises will surface as you proceed through the works. But we believe that providing they’re dealt with in an efficient manner, with expert solutions, they shouldn’t pose a problem.
One issue we met whilst working on Fiona’s new bathroom was that the walls of the property were not as thick as we had anticipated. Fiona had bought some beautiful shower valves, so was disappointed to learn they were too deep for the walls.
There are always ways round things, however. We discussed a few options with Fiona and, using with clever carpentry and adjustments, found a solution so that the valves could still be used. There was another issue too, this time involving the quality of the bathroom floor be poor. We didn’t want Fiona to have problems with the floor in the future, so we suggested a higher grade floor covering as a solution.
Fiona was over the moon with the results, and she was happy with the final invoice too. “What was great was that we agreed a price, and that was the price I paid,” she said. “I liked the way they factored in a contingency to deal with the unexpected, such as the thin walls and the flooring. It was a clear quote and any extras that arose were discussed and agreed, so no surprises. That’s really so refreshing!”
“I would definitely recommend Aspire. They’re extremely professional and I was amazed at the things they thought of and how they found solutions to the challenges that cropped up.”
Fiona’s New Bathrooms – What we did
Bathroom
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Bathroom design
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Bathroom installation
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Bath with shower over
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Flooring & Tiling
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Installation of Heated Towel Rail
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Lighting Design & Installation
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Electrics & Plumbing
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Megaflo Hot Water Cylinder Installation
Shower Room
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Shower room design
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Shower room installation
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Walk-in shower with ‘invisible’ surround
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Flooring & Tiling
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Installation of Heated Towel Rail
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Lighting Design & Installation
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Electrics & Plumbing
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Megaflo Hot Water Cylinder Installation
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