When was the work done?
The work began in September 2020 and took about 6 weeks. It would have taken 3 weeks but because of Covid, Colin split the work crews so that there weren't too many people in the house at one time. What was involved?
It was a complete internal renovation of the ground floor of our house. A wall separating our kitchen and dining room was removed, all new floors and skirting boards were put in and a larger, glass back door was added. The whole of the downstairs looks totally different now, it's great.
How did you choose Domestic Fitouts?
We found Colin on the Pickapro website. A couple of months beforehand we had looked at different builders around and got quotes. I used to work as a buyer so I'm used to doing background checks and I checked up on some of the builders we had spoken too. The addresses some of the builders gave us didn't exist, others weren't VAT registered or their accounts were only set up 6 months before. It pays to check. I called Colin from Pickapro and when we met him, we just knew that we wanted to work with him. I really liked the reviews we read about Colin. By the way, all of his background information checked out.
Had you definite ideas in mind before you talked to Colin Clare?
I actually had some bits and pieces of ideas from Pinterest and put them into a Powerpoint. Things like colours, types of wood, tiles, internal doors and the overall look we were going for.
Did Colin introduce new ideas?
Colin was very good with all of our ideas and sent us around the Dublin area to be able to see firsthand what was available. He had given us rough costs and made recommendations based on our budget. That was important because when you're starting out you want the best gear and the highest specs. Colin gave us his estimates of what everything was going to cost. Once the final job quote was delivered, Colin stuck with it all the way through. There were no surprises when we came to the last payment.
How did the project run?
it was so good, Colin completely project managed the whole thing from start to finish. Every single member of his team that came through, whether it was demolition, plasterers, electrics, they were at it for 9 hours and they would never stop working. They also left the place cleaner than it was before they started. There was never a day where work wasn't being carried out. I couldn't get over how good they were and if I ever needed to contact Colin by call or text about anything, he would get straight back to me. Colin told me that nothing would be a problem and they could do anything I wanted. Colin put in a lot of time, made a lot of calls and project managed everything.
What was the biggest benefit to you of using Domestic Fitouts?
Honestly the biggest benefit was trust and it was like that from the very first meeting. You can sometimes tell after meeting someone if they're a waffler or if they're sound. My husband and I just knew that we could work with Colin. It was great to be able to head out for the day, work and just know that when you came back, everything was going to be ok. It is strangers in your house but I never looked at it that way. Everyone from Colin and his whole team was really sound. and we trusted them to finish the job.
What's your favourite part now?
My favourite part is the light now that's in the whole of downstairs, it's unreal. The kitchen and dining room used to be so dark but when they took down the wall separating the two and put in the big, glass sliding door at the back, it made everything bright. To me that's the biggest impact.
Would you recommend Domestic Fitouts to others?
I can't recommend Colin enough and I've already been giving out his cards. Colin and everyone on his team were brilliant and we got on so well together. My husband and I are going to do up the bathroom next and we'll be getting Colin to do that as well.
Any tips for other people?
It's hard to find a builder if you don't know one, so for me, the big issue is trust. You want to find someone who is transparent and who you feel can finish the job within your specs and budget. Do your due diligence and background checks so that you know who your dealing with. If there's something in the back of your head that doesn't feel right, don't go with them. Trust your gut.
