Bathrooms - how do I avoid a rip off?

[andymadmak]

Any recommend a decent bathroom fitting company in Derbyshire? I'm not looking to create a Hollywood stylee experience - but I do need a whole new room and I don't want to get ripped off.
Already had a couple of sales men around from so called reputable national firms and all I can say is what a bunch of crooks!

All recommendations gratefully received.

Andy

edited to correct keyboard timing errors

>> Edited by andymadmak on Tuesday 18th October 18:20

[alfaman]

Andy - your best bet to avoid getting ripped off is to sub the work out separately - you will save a fortune.

(I recently had a new bathroom put in while off overseas ).

buy the suite yourself from a proper plumbers merchant .

choose your tiles / floor etc.

then all you need is a local plumber to plumb it in for ( say ) £300 , and a tiler to tile ( c. £20 / m2 ) -and thats basically it.

No need to go to a specialist company - it will cost a shedload .


edit to add : your plumbers merchant will know of good plumbers and tilers in your area .

>> Edited by alfaman on Tuesday 18th October 18:27

[rich1231]

Glue it down firmly

[Flat in Fifth]

andymadmak said:

Any recommend a decent bathroom fitting company in Derbyshire? I'm not looking to create a Hollywood stylee experience - but I do need a whole new room and I don't want to get ripped off. Already had a couple of sales men around from so called reputable national firms and all I can say is what a bunch of crooks! Al recommendations gratefully received. Andy

Good luck!

We just phoned round the small ads for local plumbers and asked then to visit to quote.

First hurdle. Getting them to turn up. One bloke arranged to visit 6:30pm Friday, his choice of time and date. Phones at 3:30pm, just passing can I visit now, if not forget it. FFS he lives two miles up the road!

Having got a few visits, second hurdle, sorting wheat from chaff.
Helps if you have some DIY idea and have done your homework. Quickly sort out the real experienced guys from the chancers.

Third hurdle, getting an actual quote. The plumbing equivalent of the bloke who rings up to view your car advertised in the paper. "Just round the corner, be round in 10 minutes mate." Alien abduction obviously follows.

Fourth hurdle. Keeping them on the job. They ALL seem to book far too much work and then nick bits out of your day to do odd emergencies, nip to the merchants to get some bits, and Christ knows what else. I haven't a cure for that other than being helpful, providing lots of refreshing hot / cold beverages according to the weather.

The eventual bill came to less than a third of that from the rip off kitchen and bathroom merchants. He commented that he subcontracts from the rip-off merchants and can't believe what they get away with. He even split his trade discount with me which can't be bad, plus gave some good design ideas.

Sadly not much help to you in sunny Derbyshire.

HTH

FiF

edited because I originally typed "his choice of time and venue" You Muppet FiF!

>> Edited by Flat in Fifth on Tuesday 18th October 18:33

[bridgdav]

Have a look on here...

www.kitchendraw.com/index.htm

Free download software... Design your own.

You can get a visual and fly by view as well as tell the fitter exactly what you want / Cost..

[blaineuk]

don't know what part of derbyshire you are in ,i can recommend a company local to me {hinckley}, customer of mine and all their work is excellent, not the cheapest but very high quality

better with address www.hinckleytileservices.co.uk

>> Edited by blaineuk on Tuesday 18th October 18:58

[chris watton]

Well, we avoided being ripped off by first getting a very reputable plumber to put a shower, new sink and toilet in for £500, and my wife, Chan, did the rest!! including all the tiling

[wedg1e]

Do it yourself.

[2 Smokin Barrels]

chris watton said:

getting a very reputable plumber to put a shower, new sink, toilet and my wife

[chris watton]

2 Smokin Barrels said:

chris watton said: getting a very reputable plumber to put a shower, new sink, toilet and my wife

[andymadmak]

wedg1e said:

Do it yourself.

Engines? yes OK.

Plumbing? well lets just say it would be a quick way for me to get onto one of those DIY SOS TV shows.

Honestly though, it is something I ought to be able to do myself, but I've never tackled anything like it. Still hoping for a good name.....

Andy

[UpTheIron]

Plumbing is easy. Just like basic electrics / wiring and any of the DIY that our nanny state is trying to stop us doing.

I replaced my bathroom and despite generous use of some choice anglo-saxon it was pretty straightforward - including re-routing of most pipework.

However, plastering and tiling are artforms best only attempted by professionals in my experience.

[BliarOut]

andymadmak said:

wedg1e said: Do it yourself. Engines? yes OK. Plumbing? well lets just say it would be a quick way for me to get onto one of those DIY SOS TV shows. Honestly though, it is something I ought to be able to do myself, but I've never tackled anything like it. Still hoping for a good name..... Andy

Plumbing, it's just some compression fittings and some screws if you match the dimensions up in the first place. If you can do engines, you can do plumbing. Just stick to compression fittings.

[trevorw]

andymadmak said:

wedg1e said: Do it yourself. Engines? yes OK. Plumbing? well lets just say it would be a quick way for me to get onto one of those DIY SOS TV shows. Honestly though, it is something I ought to be able to do myself, but I've never tackled anything like it. Still hoping for a good name..... Andy

I did my own Kitchen & Bathroom (helped Father in law is a plumber though)

Never done it before either, had a go and voila nice Kitchen & Bathroom, all done myself apart from the plumbing and felt rather smug afterwards. Great sense of achievment.

You never know unless you try

[jas xjr]

if i can do plumbing and tiling, anyone can. good tradesmen are busy and expensive. if there is already a suite in the room,it will not be too difficult.
just think all that money you save can be spent on optimax

[Pigeon]

BliarOut said:

andymadmak said: wedg1e said: Do it yourself. Engines? yes OK. Plumbing? well lets just say it would be a quick way for me to get onto one of those DIY SOS TV shows. Honestly though, it is something I ought to be able to do myself, but I've never tackled anything like it. Still hoping for a good name..... Andy Plumbing, it's just some compression fittings and some screws if you match the dimensions up in the first place. If you can do engines, you can do plumbing. Just stick to compression fittings.

I reckon soldering is easier; it's certainly cheaper.

Requirements: decent blowtorch (£25 max from DIY shop), plumbing solder (proper stuff with lead), flux, wire wool.

Wire wool parts till mating surfaces are shiny
Apply flux
Assemble
Heat with blowtorch
Dip end of solder in flux
Apply solder, watch for it to appear all round the joint
Allow solder to solidify
Wipe off surplus flux with damp rag.

Only difficult if:
- you don't get it shiny enough with the wire wool
- you have a poxy blowtorch that takes ages to heat it.

Get a few spare solder fittings (for the price of one compression fitting) and a bit of pipe and practise on the bench first if you're doubtful.

[Ferg]

Better still......

Buy proper solder (without lead - it's much stronger)

Buy a decent self cleaning flux (E.G. Everflux)

Throw wire wool in bin.

[spaximus]

Just doing the bathroom now if I could have found a tiler for £20 a m2 I would have paid it. In Bristol cheapest was £35 m2, booked solid until Feb 2006 dearest was £65 m2 and extra if lots of cutting.

If you must do it yourself look at the new push fitting from speed fit, sponsers racing at coombe as well, they basically just push on and clip in place with no leaks really easy peasy. I used solder joints because I can and have luddite tendancies but take time thinking about what you want. B&Q will come and do a design service FOC just pinch their ideas.

Final tip is don't get a wife who wants to replace kitchen bathroom and all furniture in a house not yet ten years old.

[BliarOut]

Pigeon said:

BliarOut said: andymadmak said: wedg1e said: Do it yourself. Engines? yes OK. Plumbing? well lets just say it would be a quick way for me to get onto one of those DIY SOS TV shows. Honestly though, it is something I ought to be able to do myself, but I've never tackled anything like it. Still hoping for a good name..... Andy Plumbing, it's just some compression fittings and some screws if you match the dimensions up in the first place. If you can do engines, you can do plumbing. Just stick to compression fittings. I reckon soldering is easier; it's certainly cheaper. Requirements: decent blowtorch (£25 max from DIY shop), plumbing solder (proper stuff with lead), flux, wire wool. Wire wool parts till mating surfaces are shiny Apply flux Assemble Heat with blowtorch Dip end of solder in flux Apply solder, watch for it to appear all round the joint Allow solder to solidify Wipe off surplus flux with damp rag. Only difficult if: - you don't get it shiny enough with the wire wool - you have a poxy blowtorch that takes ages to heat it. Get a few spare solder fittings (for the price of one compression fitting) and a bit of pipe and practise on the bench first if you're doubtful.

Blowtorch, wall, beginner...... And you didn't even mention an asbestos mat Compressions are easier if you are used to mechanical assembly such as engines..... Which the original poster is.

[Parrot of doom]

Thing about compression fittings is, if they're that good why not use them for gas?

Cos you're not allowed to.

And I've never seen a decent plumber use them either. Or plastic pipes for that matter.


As for the bathroom, I'd do just about as much as I could myself, then I'd ask my neighbours for a good plumber (and check their bathrooms if they'll let you) and use that guy. Never use classifieds if you can help it.