How we work
One person, start to finish
We would rather get to know you and your room than send you a form to fill in. From the first time we meet through to the certificate at the end, you deal with the same people — and every fire is fitted by our own HETAS and Gas Safe registered fitters, never subcontracted out.
No two rooms and no two chimneys are the same, so every quote is put together around exactly what your job needs, and we will talk you through all of it. Here is how it works.
Come and see us — bring photos, measurements and your ideas
Start with a visit. Bring photos of what you have now, taken from a few different angles and distances, and rough measurements of the existing fireplace and the opening. Bring your ideas too — magazine pages, screenshots from Instagram or Pinterest, a photo of something you liked at a friend's house. Nothing is too vague to start from.
We go through it together
This is what the showroom is for. We have fires and stoves set up on display, with materials, samples and brochures to hand, so you can see and feel the finishes rather than try to imagine them from a screen. When you book a time, we make a note in the diary and keep that time free for you.
More often than not, a package comes together
By the end of the conversation there is usually a package in front of you — the fire or stove, the surround and materials, and the work involved in making it happen. Because we have built it together, we know exactly what it consists of.
Your plan of action and quote
That package is straightforward for us to quote, so you get a plan of action and a written quote for it. You will always get a clear description of everything that is included, and we are happy to talk through any part of it with you.
Once you are happy, we survey
We arrange the survey once the quote is agreed. It is far easier for both of us that way, because we know precisely what we are surveying for — so the visit is quick, focused, and measures the right things.
We confirm the quote in writing
Back at the office we personalise the wording of your quote so it describes your room and your chimney rather than a job in general. Most of the time the price itself does not change. If the survey does turn something up — a flue that needs a little more work, or something that turns out simpler than we first thought — we tell you what it is, why it matters and what it means. Then we email it over and you are welcome to ask us anything at all before you decide.
Deposit on order, balance on completion
When you are ready, we normally ask for a 50% deposit so we can get everything ordered, with the balance due once the work is finished. We will confirm the deposit has arrived safely and start getting the job organised.
Delivery, then fitting by our own teams
Once we have delivery confirmation for everything, we will be back in touch to arrange your fitting date. The work is carried out by our own teams — the people who quoted your job are the people who do it.
Tested, certificated, and looked after
When it is finished it is tested, commissioned and signed off with the appropriate HETAS or Gas Safe certificate — for your records, your insurer, and whenever you come to sell the house. After that we service what we fit: gas fires yearly, stoves and chimneys swept, both bookable online.
What a typical stove installation involves
Assuming the opening is already suitable and no preparation work is needed, a standard wood burning stove installation looks like this:
- Line the chimney with a 316 stainless steel liner
- Fit bird and rain protection to the top of the chimney
- Seal the chimney with a metal closure plate
- Supply and fit the stove
- Connect the stove to the new flue system with black stove pipe
- Test, commission and issue the HETAS certificate
Often there is a step before that one. If your existing fireplace needs to come out, or the chamber needs opening up to take a stove, how far we go is entirely dictated by how you want it to look — so we treat it as its own piece of work and quote it separately once we have agreed the plan. If it is simply a case of disconnecting an old gas fire and taking it away, it is a much smaller job.
This is exactly the sort of thing that is quicker to settle in ten minutes in the showroom than over several emails.
Not ready to visit yet?
That is fine — we can start over email. Send us a few photos of what you have now, including some taken from a distance, and tell us roughly what you would like. We will come back to you with ideas and a realistic sense of what is involved. When you are ready to take it further, we will pick it up properly in the showroom.
Rather just talk it through?
Give us a call and we will point you in the right direction — no obligation either way.