Fiona Bailey is no stranger to renovating properties, so she had a very good idea of what to look for when taking on a builder to design and install a classically styled kitchen, a bathroom and a shower room in her Rowtown home.
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After selecting Aspire from the listings on Check-a-Trade, Fiona invited us to her home to discuss her project. We got on well from the beginning. Fiona said, “I felt straight away that Ben was right for the job. I’ve done plenty of renovations so I know what to look for. I liked his approach, his attention to detail. I trusted his knowledge and agreed with his suggestions.”
There was clearly a lot to do on such an extensive project. We’re obsessive about planning, so we spent several hours over three to four days at the outset ensuring everything was just right and everything that might arise was accounted for. “They looked ahead and anticipated any problems that could arise, and made suggestions to avoid them,” said Fiona.
All-Important Aesthetics
Whilst budget is obviously an important consideration, we believe that aesthetics play a vital role. After all, it’s the look that you have to live with day in, day out. A new kitchen or new bathroom is a wonderful thing to have, and perfection should always be demanded.
Fiona had knowledge of the Heatrae Sadia Megaflo water heating system, and we discussed the installation of a cylinder to supply hot water directly from the cold water mains supply. The system offers great benefits, such as higher pressure and flow rates at the hot taps. But there are considerations to be made as to the siting of the cylinder and its pipes.
We discussed various options with Fiona and came up with a solution that would keep the aesthetics in check. “A builder who talks about aesthetics – very unusual! Ben actually cared about how it would look. It was all very well thought through.”
Careful & Clean
During the works we were very careful to ensure the house was not turned into a building site, as Fiona was living there throughout. “They were very clean when they worked,” said Fiona. “They couldn’t have done more and I was amazed at how they kept everything contained. Every day the area they were working on was cleared.”
Dealing with the Unexpected
Of course you can plan as much as possible, but still unexpected issues can arise. It’s the way they’re dealt with that makes all the difference. One thing we did find was that the walls of the property were not as thick as anticipated, which meant the shower valves Fiona had chosen were too deep. Not a problem though – we looked at a few options and discussed them with Fiona, and worked around the issue with some clever carpentry and adjustments.
Fiona was very pleased with the finished results, and with the final invoice. “The great thing was, we agreed a price, and that was the price I paid. It was good the way they worked in a contingency to deal with the unexpected, such as the thin walls. The quote was clear, any extras were agreed upfront and there were no surprises. That’s a very refreshing experience for me.”
“I would definitely recommend Aspire. They’re very professional and I was amazed at the things they thought of, like gearing up to put a TV in the kitchen. Even the Sky fitter was impressed and asked for their details, saying he’d not yet come across anyone who had the foresight to install a telephone point for the Sky box!”
Fiona’s New Kitchen – What we did:
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Appliance Fitting
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Lighting Design & Fitting
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Flooring & Tiling
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Vertical Radiator Installation
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Megaflo Hot Water Cylinder Installation
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Plumbing & Electrics
