How do I turn the water off in a hurry?
Look for the internal stopcock first — most often under the kitchen sink, sometimes in a downstairs cupboard or near the meter. Turn it clockwise. If it is seized, a combination boiler system can usually be isolated at the valves under the boiler, and a tank-fed system at the gate valve in the airing cupboard. It is worth finding and freeing yours on a calm day rather than at midnight.
Will I know the price before work starts?
Yes. Repairs are priced on the doorstep once we have looked, before any tool comes out, and installations are quoted in writing after a survey. If something hidden changes the job — a rotten joist, a pipe buried in screed — we stop, show you, and agree the new figure before carrying on.
Do you charge to trace a leak you cannot find?
Tracing is charged by time, because that is the honest way to price detective work. In practice most domestic leaks are found within the first visit. If the trail points somewhere we cannot reach without specialist equipment, we say so, stop the clock and tell you what the next step costs before you commit to it.
Can you fix a leak behind tiles without destroying the wall?
Usually. Where there is access from the other side of the wall, from below, or through a cupboard, we take that route first. If tiles genuinely have to come off, we lift the smallest number we can, keep any that survive, and tell you before we start how many are at risk. Matching old tiles is rarely possible, so it is better to know beforehand.
What happens if the part is not on the van?
Common washers, cartridges, isolators, traps and compression fittings are carried as stock, which covers most repair calls. For anything unusual we make the system safe and usable where we can, order the part the same day, and return without a second call-out charge.
Will you take over a job another trade left unfinished?
Often, yes — but we survey it as a new job rather than assuming the existing work is sound. We will tell you plainly what can be kept and what has to be re-done, and we only guarantee the parts we install ourselves.
How much notice do you need for a bathroom fit?
Two to four weeks between the accepted quote and the start date is typical, mainly so sanitaryware and any special-order items arrive before the room is stripped. Rushing that step is how bathrooms end up unusable for a fortnight waiting on a single delivery.
Do I need to be home for the whole visit?
Only at the start and the end. We need someone to show us the problem and to see the finished work tested, but not to sit through the middle. For longer installation days we agree access arrangements in advance.