Guides
Answers to the questions people actually ask before committing to a bathroom, kitchen or renovation — written by the people doing the work rather than by a marketing department.
No hedging, no upselling, and where the honest answer is "it depends", we explain what it depends on.
All Guides
17 guides on bathrooms, kitchens, joinery and what a renovation actually involves. Filter by what you're planning, or read straight down the list.
Every one is written from jobs we have done, and updated when the rules or the prices change. We publish a new one every few weeks — follow the feed if you want them as they land.
Underfloor Heating in a Bathroom: Is It Worth It?
Electric underfloor heating is the right choice for almost every retrofit bathroom: it adds 5 to 15mm to the floor, costs little to install alongside a…
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Renovating a Bathroom in a 1930s Semi: What to Expect
A 1930s semi bathroom is usually a small room over the kitchen or at the back of the landing, with 100mm to 150mm floor joists, lath and plaster or early…
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Eight Signs Your Bathroom Needs Replacing, Not Repairing
Most bathrooms are replaced because they look dated, which is a perfectly good reason. The ones that need replacing are different: they are showing signs…
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The Best Bathroom Flooring: An Honest Comparison
Porcelain tile is the most durable bathroom flooring and the best choice for wet rooms. Luxury vinyl tile is warmer, quieter and cheaper, and copes well…
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How to Prepare Your Home for a Renovation
Before a renovation starts: clear the room and the route to it, agree access and parking, plan a temporary kitchen or bathroom, sort pets and deliveries…
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Small Bathroom Ideas That Actually Work
The changes that gain most in a small bathroom are structural rather than decorative: removing the wall to a separate WC, replacing a bath with a walk-in…
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Kitchen Worktop Materials Compared: Which Should You Choose?
There is no best worktop material, only the right one for how a household actually cooks. Quartz is the most practical all-rounder and resists almost…
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What Is Tanking? The Bathroom Waterproofing Nobody Sees
Tanking is defined as a continuous waterproof membrane applied to walls and floors before tiling, so that water passing through grout and tile joints is…
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Fitted Wardrobes vs Freestanding: Which Is Worth It?
A fitted wardrobe is built into the room and uses its full height and depth, including the awkward space around chimney breasts and under sloping ceilings…
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Do You Need Building Regulations Approval for a New Bathroom?
Replacing a bathroom in the same layout generally does not require building regulations approval. Approval is needed where you add new electrical circuits…
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Kitchen Layouts Explained: Which One Fits Your Room?
Kitchen layout is decided by two measurements before it is decided by taste: the width of the room and the gap you can leave between opposing runs. A…
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How Long Does a Bathroom Renovation Take?
A full bathroom installation takes 7 to 12 working days from strip-out to handover. A like-for-like replacement in an unchanged layout is often nearer…
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Questions to Ask a Kitchen Fitter Before You Book
Ask a kitchen fitter four things above all: will you survey the room before I order, is fitting quoted separately from supply, who does the electrics and…
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What Order Should a Bathroom Be Renovated In?
A bathroom is renovated in this order: strip out, first-fix plumbing and electrics, floor preparation, boarding and plastering, tanking, floor tiling, wall…
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How Long Does a Kitchen Installation Take?
A full kitchen installation takes 5 to 10 working days from strip-out to handover. A like-for-like replacement in the same layout is at the short end…
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How to Choose a Bathroom Fitter (and What to Ask Them)
Choose a bathroom fitter on three things: whether the trades are in-house or subcontracted, whether the quote states what is excluded as well as what is…
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Cost Guides Are Coming
We are not going to publish price ranges we have not checked.
Plenty of sites publish national averages that fall apart the moment somebody gets a real quote, and directories publish aggregates drawn from thousands of jobs that have nothing in common with yours. Neither helps you budget.
Our cost guides will publish genuine ranges for this area — what a bathroom, kitchen, wet room and fitted wardrobe actually cost around Worksop, Mansfield, Chesterfield and Bolsover — with the date they were last reviewed, what is included, and what moves the figure up and down.
Until then, call or WhatsApp us on 07811 466054 and we will give you an honest ballpark for your room over the phone, then a fixed written figure after we have seen it.
Read up first, then get it priced properly. The survey and the written quote are both free.
Still Got a Question?
Ask us. We would rather answer a question honestly and lose the job than win it on a promise we cannot keep.
Much of our work comes from repeat customers and recommendations, reflecting the standard we work to.