Girl's Guide to Plumbing.. Top Tips on Choosing a Good Plumber in London

When I first decided to set up My Plumber, believe me, I knew nothing about plumbing.  I was just a posh girl from the City.  Quite honestly, changing careers from being a commercial solicitor to owning a plumbing company was like walking into a different world. 

Ladies, you need to have your wits about you when choosing someone to work in your home. This is not just about plumbers.  These tips apply across the board to all trades.

Day 6 - How to get your shower room refurbished

We are getting to the more interesting stages of the job now where some of the bathroom furniture has been fitted.

Day 5 - Top tips on refurbishing a shower room

The tiling seems to be getting finished really quickly now despite the fact that the tiles are porcelain and the cuts can be quite difficult. Always check the type of tiles with your tiler before you buy them.  If you can think about it, ask him where the cuts will be so that this is agreed in advance.  You definitely do not want any irritations at the end of the job when you are looking at your wonderful new shower room. 

Day 4: Considerations when refurbishing a shower room

Today was a long day for our fitter. Not only did he finish fitting Aquaboard around the room (which is a waterproof board base) but also he has started tiling.  Even though only half the wall is tiled, you can get an idea of what the finished shower room will look like.

Day 3 - Plumbing in a new shower room

We are just at the end of Day 3 of our case study.  A considerable amount of progress was made today and I am pleased to say that it is becoming much clearer where things will be going.  The recessed shelves in the showering area were created today so we can see where our "his" and "hers" bottles will be stored in only a few days time! 

Day 2 - Starting a shower room refurbishment

Yesterday I got in from work at 7pm to see what progress had been made through the day. Our fitter had completely removed everything from the room.   It was clear to see some rotten wood from our leak and this will need to be replaced.  Interestingly enough, the leak was a result of some poor workmanship by bathroom fitters who fitted our shower room before we had purchased the property.    A lot of bathroom fitters cut corners by using normal MDF in the shower area (as in our case).  This is such a big mistake because if the water does seep through the tiles, the MDF rots and you then have problems with leaks.  At My Plumber, we always use high quality materials including waterproof backing board onto which the tiles are fixed. This ensures that our bathrooms are even more watertight.  It also explains why people have no problems even 10 years on.

Update: Day One Shower room Refurb

We are half way through day one and our fitter has stripped out most of the main pieces of bathroom furniture. You will remember that I told you that there was a leak coming through to the kitchen, well once the shower tray was removed, it was possible to see that there was damage to the wall. 

Here are some pictures: 

 

Real Life Shower Room Refurb Case Study - Day One

I have decided to do a real life video case study of a shower room refurbishment to show people what to expect when they are having work done in their home.  For the first time in a long time, I am going to be the client.  The client from hell probably! but I will try to be reasonable!  I started recording last night and will get up some video footage really soon to show you what my shower room looks like at the moment.  We are going to do a day by day breakdown of a real shower room refurbishment so you can see what it is really like before you take the plunge!   I must admit, I feel very excited to think that, in a couple of weeks, I will have a beautiful new shower room which will last me 10 years or so.

How to find your stopcock in an emergency!

WHY DO I NEED TO FIND MY STOPCOCK?
In moments of crisis people often panic and have no idea what to do. That is why we always recommend to our clients to be proactive and prepared.  You never know when a leak might happen; leaks are unpredictable.  They will require you to take action promptly to prevent water damage from occuring to your property and possibly to other properties around you.     The most obvious first step is to turn off your stop cock. Your stopcock is a valve which turns off the mains water within the property.