Fiona Bailey is a seasoned property renovator, so she knew what she was looking for in hiring tradespeople to design and install a new bathroom, an ultra-contemporary shower room and a classically styled kitchen in her Rowtown home.
Take a look through our photo gallery for this project – click on each thumbnail below to zoom in and see greater detail. Then use your back button to return to this page. You can scroll down to read more about this project.
Fiona found us on Check-a-Trade and asked us to come along to discuss her project. We hit it off straight away. Fiona said, “I felt immediately that Ben was right for the job. I’ve been through a few renovations and his approach and attention to detail was just what I was looking for. I instantly trusted his knowledge and thought his suggestions were spot on.”
Because we are obsessed with detail and planning, and with such an extensive project, we spent several hours over three to four days at the beginning to make sure all was just so, and anything that could arise was accounted for. “They looked ahead and anticipated any problems that could arise, putting options forward to avoid them,” Fiona said.
Because Aesthetics Matter
Budget is of course a vital consideration. But we also feel strongly that aesthetics are crucial because you have to be happy with what you are living with day to day. Perfection is so important when you’re installing a new bathroom.
Fiona had previous experience of the Megaflo water heating system by Heatrae Sadia. We discussed installing a cylinder for a supply of hot water directly from the cold water mains. It’s a good system with various advantages, but the placement of the cylinder needs careful consideration so as not to spoil the overall effect of the new bathroom.
We talked through a few options with Fiona and settled on a solution to maintain the aesthetics. “A builder who cares about aesthetics – very unusual! Ben was very particular about how it would look. It was all very well thought through.”
“Couldn’t have done more”
Whilst the works were in progress we took great care to make sure the house was not treated as a building site, because Fiona was living there throughout. She said, “They were so clean whilst working and really couldn’t have done more. I was amazed at how they kept everything contained. Every day they cleared the area they were working on and left no dangerous tools laying around.”
Handling the Unexpected
Whilst you can plan to your heart’s content, it’s a fact of life that from time to time unexpected issues can crop up. As long as they’re dealt with efficiently though, there shouldn’t be a problem.
One issue we did come across was that the walls of the property were not as thick as we thought they’d be. This meant the shower valves Fiona had selected were too deep. So we discussed a few options with Fiona, and worked around it with some clever carpentry and adjustments. Another issue involved the bathroom floor not being such good quality. So to avoid potential future problems, we fitted higher grade flooring.
“Very Refreshing!”
Fiona was delighted with results, and with the final bill. She commented, “What was great was that we agreed a price, and that was the price I paid. I liked the way they factored in a contingency to deal with the unexpected, such as the thin walls and the flooring. It was a clear quote and any extras that arose were discussed and agreed, so no surprises. Very refreshing!”
“I would definitely recommend Aspire. They’re extremely professional and I was amazed at the things they thought of and how they worked around the challenges.”
Fiona’s New Bathrooms – what we did
Bathroom
-
Bath with shower over
- Custom Fitted Furniture
- Custom Designed Mirror Feature
-
Flooring & Tiling
-
Installation of Heated Towel Rail
-
Lighting Design & Installation
-
Electrics & Plumbing
-
Megaflo Hot Water Cylinder Installation
Shower Room
-
Shower room design
-
Shower room installation
-
Walk-in shower with ‘invisible’ surround
- Custom Designed Vanity Unit
-
Flooring & Tiling
-
Installation of Heated Towel Rail
-
Lighting Design & Installation
-
Electrics & Plumbing
-
Megaflo Hot Water Cylinder Installation
