Things To Consider When Hiring A Bathroom Fitter
Updating your bathroom is a wonderful way to refresh your space, both in its form and functionality. Not only this, but a fully refitted new bathroom can even add value to your home.
However, these amazing benefits come as a result of a lot of time consuming, laborious work – bathroom installations require tons of effort, particularly if you go down the DIY route and source the materials yourself.
Putting up your chosen bathroom wall panels is a quick and simple task, but installing new plumbing and electrics certainly isn’t, and can even be incredibly dangerous if you make a mistake.
Whilst you could do your research and compile a list of must-have materials, watch a few tutorials on YouTube and attempt to re-do your bathroom singlehandedly, the easier option is, of course, to hire an experienced professional. This can be daunting, and bathroom installations aren’t cheap, so we’ve provided you with our top tips to consider when hiring a bathroom fitter.
Speak to different fitters and look at their portfolios
A bathroom fitter can be your one-stop shop for design and installation from start to finish, so it’s important to look at their previous work to ensure that it fits in with your personal style. Searching for the top tradesmen in your area will lead to page after page of results, and you can also ask friends and family for recommendations.
After gathering a list of prospective candidates, have a chat with as many as possible to gauge if your expectations are possible, and if they will be suited to the project.
Ask to see their portfolios and be sure to browse these with a keen eye – after all, they could have a certain style that you love (or hate).
Don’t be afraid to contact previous clients to ensure that their work stands the test of time, either; this is the best way to verify the quality of service.
Look for experience in your chosen style
Refitting bathrooms can be as straightforward as updating your units or hardware, but it could also be a full fixer-upper that requires a complete change in plumbing, electrics, and fixtures.
On that note, the right bathroom fitter must be able to easily adjust the scope of the tasks at hand and have experience refitting bathrooms with a similar style for a more streamlined process.
They should also be either a qualified electrician themselves, if the job involves installing electrics, or up-front about the need to hire in a second person to work alongside them.
Get as many quotes as possible
To get the most bang for your buck, source quotes from at least three different tradespeople, and try to find quotes that cover absolutely everything. A good quote should encompass every factor in the project, including labour, materials, subcontracting and removals.
Keep in mind that the price range doesn’t always reflect the quality of the service; a cheap quote doesn’t necessarily mean less experience or a shoddy job.
Ask if they will repair any damage they cause
A professional bathroom fitter is the person who should deal with anything that goes wrong during work – after all, there isn’t any point in spending money to hire someone if they can’t do the job properly.
Bathroom installations are also tricky pieces of work, and the potential for damage to be caused whilst they are carried out is high. Verify with your bathroom fitter before they begin if they will repair any of the damage they cause from their own pocket.
What costs should be expected from a bathroom installation?
When it comes to a bathroom installation, it is unfortunately hard to give a solid estimate on what kind of prices you should expect – there are too many variables involved. Everything, from the size of your space, the fixtures, fittings and even the part of the country you live in will all have a drastic effect on the price.
So, you’ll have to base the general costs on your own research and the quotes you are given.