How to choose a bathroom fitter near you

Start with a proper look at the room

Nobody can price a bathroom well from photographs alone. The condition of the floor boards, the age of the pipework, where the soil stack runs and what the walls are made of all change the job. A fitter who is happy to quote without seeing any of that is either guessing or planning to find out on the day, at your expense.

Our own process starts with a free home survey. Martin measures, lifts the obvious questions and talks through what you want before any figure is written down. It is the same starting point we would expect from anyone else you invite round.

Questions worth asking at the survey

A good fitter will not mind being asked direct questions. The answers tell you far more than a brochure or a star rating on a directory.

• Who will be on site each day, and who do I call if something is wrong?
• Is tiling, plastering and plumbing done by your own team or passed to others?
• How will the shower area be waterproofed before it is tiled?
• What happens if you find rotten boards or old pipework once the room is stripped?
• Can you fit products I have already bought?
• Will I get the scope and price in writing before I agree to anything?

What a written quote should actually say

Comparing quotes is only fair when they describe the same job. Look for the strip out, disposal of the old suite, any first fix plumbing and electrics, boarding or plastering, waterproofing, tiling, second fix, and making good. If one quote lists all of those and another simply says supply and fit bathroom, the cheaper number may just be the shorter list.

Check who is supplying the sanitaryware and tiles. Some prices include products and some are labour only. Neither is wrong, but mixing them up is the most common reason two quotes look far apart when the work is similar.

It is also worth asking how extras are handled. Hidden problems do turn up when an old bathroom comes out. A fitter who explains in advance how they will tell you, and agree any change with you before doing it, is far easier to live with than one who presents a bigger bill at the end.

One team or several trades

A bathroom touches plumbing, electrics, plastering and tiling. When each is booked separately, the gaps between them are where days disappear and where responsibility gets blurred. If the tiles crack, is it the tiler, the board or the floor?

We run bathrooms as one local team, managed by Martin, so the person who planned the room is also the person answerable for how it turns out. That is not the only sensible way to work, but whichever fitter you choose, make sure you know who owns the whole result.

Warning signs to take seriously

Most bad bathroom experiences share a few early clues. None of them prove a fitter is poor, but two or three together are worth listening to.

• A price given before anyone has seen the room
• Pressure to decide on the day or lose a discount
• No clear answer about waterproofing behind the shower
• Vague replies about who will actually do the work
• Reluctance to put the scope in writing

Near me, without the guesswork

A fitter based nearby can survey quickly and return easily if something needs looking at later, so location does help. We are based in Middleton and work across the Greater Manchester and Cheshire towns listed on our areas page. If you are outside that list, the questions above still apply to whoever you choose.