First Choice Decorating & Refurbishments

Hi,

I'd like to add to this, as we've just used Gary Skinner and his team for the first time, and also found his details (07572 588222) through this forum. It was really helpful to have seen the recommendations and gave us the confidence to use someone completely new.

Gary has just renovated and decorated our loft stairwell - it's an unusual and challenging stairwell in that it is vaulted, so virtually double height, and very wide, and had suffered some significant settlement cracks along the wall where the staircase joins it (exacerbated by the fact we had done a large kitchen extention directly beneath it). Gary and his team did a great job of gouging out the old, very cracked filler, re-filling/painting and went the extra mile by installing invisible bolts to mninimise any further movement / future cracks. They also somehow managed to navigate their way around a glass balustrade and steeply winding staircase to paint the vaulted ceiling and walls (when it was first decorated the glass wasn't in situ) without a single drop of paint on the glass or the hanging chandelier lights (a huge concern of mine). And cleaned up all the inevitable dust from sanding and smoothing the new filler, and some woodwork, which was also part of the job. We felt that they respected our house as our home.

We both work full time but Gary kept in touch throughout the job, and was also able to fit us in to a partcularly short timeframe for when we needed the job done. We will be using Gary again in the not too distant future and would recommend!

First time posting here but have browsed for a while.

Wanted to just add my own thoughts to the above two reviews. I found Gary?s number (07572 588222)through this forum and he?s just completed a bathroom refit in our 2 bed flat in Peckham.

As you can see from the before picture the bathroom was in desperate need of an update and needed total gutting and renovating as it hadn?t been updated for at least 30 years.

After searching around for a fitter I came across Gary's reviews on this forum and he came over quickly to measure up and talk through the practicalities of the refit for such a small bathroom. He provided a practical solution of building a stud wall to squeeze a little bit of extra space in the bathroom (to include a larger bath) and was upfront about potential extra costs that may be incurred when the condition of the walls underneath the old tiles are revealed.

He provided a detailed written quote as requested, a timescale of 3-4 weeks and was able to fit us in quickly which suited us.

The whole bathroom was gutted with a new bath, shower, piping, towel radiator, floor and wall tiles and vanity unit installed.

Gary provided all the required tradesmen and their work was also to a high standard. Dave, who works with Gary, was also there throughout the fit and was diligent throughout.

Just as importantly for us the rest of the flat was kept as clean as possible and they always cleaned up at the end of the day, which disappointingly isn?t always the case with tradesmen.

We are pleased with the finish and outcome and would recommend him and his colleague Dave for any future renovations.

We have just completed 6 months of building works to our home in Dulwich. Having been untouched in over 20 years it was a huge challenge. Gary Skinner and his team came into the project after the structural work was complete. They undertook shaping and fitting new doors and architraves, fitting skirting boards, tiling the floors, fitting bathrooms, laying wooden floor and finally painting and decorating(and repairing)the entire house.

This was a big job and as with all old houses as we progressed more problems arose. Gary was very clear with what needed to be done as we encountered 'situations' behind 25 yr old wallpaper or old floor boards. His team worked steadily through until completion and were extremely friendly and polite. His work and finish are to a very high standard and we are very satisfied with how the house looks now.

Very pleased with the work conducted and the finished result.

Gary Skinner - 07572 588222

On he1enclare's recommendation we also hired Gary and his team at First Choice Decorating (07572588222) to undertake a complete renovation of our Victorian house. It was a big project - the house was in a pretty dilapidated state. Gary walked us through what would be required and helped us make choices around what could be saved/repaired and what needed replacing. He was happy for us to mix in our own trades (we used our own plumber) but could pull in electricians, plasterers, decorators and flooring specialists as and when we needed them. Many of the rooms ended up being stripped back to brick/lathes and the house has now been completely transformed. Gary was also flexible enough to be able to handle additional requests as the project progressed - fitting insulation, building new internal stud walls, fitting the bathroom from scratch. He can turn his hand to most things and has a network of professionals that he can call on so if you're looking for some advice or have a refurb you're planning, definitely give him a call!

See some pictures here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/NTDEh1YEdPbfFoSj9

Just had my house fully refurbished by Gary Skinner - who I found via ED forum - and promised him I'd give him a shout out on here.

I got a number of quotes and his was one of the most competitive - and he was very careful to help us not to stray too far from the budget when new things (inevitably) cropped up.

He project managed the whole refurbishment - from gutting, stripping wallpaper and scraping off years of grot, through to sanding floors, installing a new bathroom and kitchen and decorating throughout.

We were really impressed by Gary's team - all lovely guys who I was more than comfortable to be around with the kids.

We are happy with the end result and have recommended him to friends (he is now doing the same thing for some old neighbours of ours.)

Best to get him on his mobile: 07572 588222

 

Gary, Ray and the rest of the team have just carried out an extensive redecoration in our house over the last two months - we are pleased with the results. We have had living room, dining room, hallway and three bedrooms redecorated and new shelving and cabinets put in in the living room. Being an old Victorian house the walls weren't the easiest to work with at time, but they persevered and they look great now. Ray was there more or less full time for two months and was lovely to have around - pretty sure my other half missed him when he left! It did take slightly longer than anticipated but we are pleased with the results. thanks guys.

I just wanted to second this recommendation for Gary Skinner. First Choice Decorating have just finished work on our living room, dining room and the outside of our front bay window. We're really happy with the finish. The walls and coving were in a bad state and they've all been repaired and look as good as new. They did a great job on the woodwork which was all very chipped, repaired a broken floorboard and fitted beading to the top of the skirting in the dining room so it matched the skirting in the living room - all looks great. The sill of the front bay window was cracked & badly damaged and and again we're really pleased with how that's turned out.

They left everything tidy at the end of each day and did a great job clearing up at the end. We would definitely use First Choice Decorating again.

Builder/decorating recommendation for Gary Skinner First Choice Decorating (07572588222)

Gary and his team did an amazing job on our flat, it looks and feels completely new.

The bedroom and a few other walls were replastered.

Old shelves and cabinets were taken out and disposed of.

Walls and wood work thoroughly sanded down in preparation for paint.

The Walls, ceilings, doors and skirting were all painted.

Some of the electrical plugs had been badly installed by someone else and they rectified them.

Carpets were taken up and we now have beautiful floors, that were sanded, had the all gaps filled and lacquered. They really spent a lot of time getting the floor to a high standard and took on an extra room which we didn?t originally ask to be done.

There were some issues with the floors and pipes in the kitchen which Gary sorted out and made everything look neat and boxed up. He even helped us out with some plumbing issues we had.

We had to go away near the end of the job but they carried on with the work, even did a few extra bits out of the scope and left the house clean and clear of rubbish. They also kindly hung a blind for me.

And another recommendation for Gary Skinner of First Choice Decorating. We took on Gary after reading the many glowing references he received on the forum. With the many cowboys/rogue traders around, it was important to find someone trustworthy who could also deliver quality finishing. We found such qualities in Gary and his team of Ray, Ben & Lee. The interior decoration work included stripping woodchip wallpaper, skirting boards and dado rails, plastering, fitting new doors, painting of the porch, hallway, two large receptions and landing as well as fitting and painting new skirting boards. Throughout the job we found Gary and the team to be very accommodating and understanding; giving advice and suggestions where required and working around the schedule of the loft conversion builders. We also found Gary to be very personable and easy to get along with. Overall, the work was completed to a very high standard with an attention to detail in the finishing. We now look forward to phase two of the project which is redoing the bedrooms and will definitely be calling Gary back.

As with the other recommendations I have no hesitation recommending First Choice Decorators and sharing pictures and responding to direct messages.

Gary and his team have carried out an extensive redecoration in our house over the last three weeks and we have been extremely pleased with the results. The work required making good old plastering, stripping down and repairing walls, kitchen tiling and extensive painting throughout the house. His team has been courteous and helpful and the house kept tidy throughout. We have been very pleased and would happily recommend his services.

Thank you all for your kind reviews ,and Lorraine it must be years now wow ! Hope your all doing well and hope to see you again soon

Gary

Another recommendation for Gary - he did some tiling and replacement of a floor that had been damaged through water leaking. Very easy to communicate with, efficient and completed the job on time.

I would like to recommend Gary Skinner of First Choice Decorating for the brilliant job he and his team have just completed painting my sash windows, as well as restoring the bricks and painting the masonry in the front of my house. Gary did an excellent job getting the work done in a timely manner and with good quality. He provided helpful initial advice on what needed to be done to provide the restoration work and facelift required for the tired facade of my mid-terrace and put together a team that delivered everything under Gary's vigilant supervision. He also kept me appraised of progress on a daily basis. All-in-all a very positive experience.

Gary was able to fit a quite fiddly plaster skimming job for us at short notice at the end of February. He was easy to work with and good at keeping us updated. We would be happy to recommend him.

A.

A big thank you to all for the kind reviews and taking the time out to write them much appreciated. For anyone looking to have any work done possibly by myself I can supply pictures of all these jobs and more. I am currently taking bookings daily and have a small team, my contact details are above and I look forward to hearing from you. . .

Many thanks Gary

A further recommendation for Gary and First Choice Decorating.

Gary has spent the last three weeks in our period flat, carrying out a full decoration of our bedroom (including plastering a ceiling/wall line to make it straight), building a floating shelf, restoring and painting a damaged windowsill, painting ceilings, replacing a bath seal, redecorating our front door and fixing issues with exterior walls. The decoration of the bedroom has, in particular, been a full-on job, which required not only painting but also filling of holes and making good some pretty rubbish (and wet) walls.

Gary and team have been a pleasure to have around - they are friendly and responsive and we have always been kept fully up to date of progress. Everything has been left really clean. The final results are looking great and we are really pleased with the service that we have received.

Gillian

I can also vouch for Gary, he basically fully refurbished my house last summer, including full decoration, tiling of bathrooms, plastering throughout & reconstructing the front porch and drainage system.

I'm glad to see other people are bearing the fruits of Gary's work, a top bloke who was fully committed to the job through good and bad, please inbox me if need and more details, as above also happy to recommend verbally or can arrange to come and see the job 6 months on.

Cheers

Alec

Back in November, I was screwed over by a cowboy builder/rogue trader, who used fake and fraudulent recommendations to secure my business, before walking on the job after taking over £1.4K of my cash, leaving everything in a state of terrible chaos. Partially ripped out. No doors on either the loo or the bathroom. Carnage.

 

The bathroom and toilet (along with other jobs like hanging doors and building wardrobes) has recently been done by Gary Skinner et al of First Choice Decorating (07572588222), and he's done a tremendous job. Picking up the wreckage of bad plumbing made worse, and making it good, and presiding over complicated work like replacing the boiler, putting a mixer shower into a wall that should really be too thin, and putting in an extra basin, taking pipes up underneath the floor to do so.

 

He and his team (Ray; Dave; Steve) have worked very hard, tried to be considerate, and their finish has broadly been excellent. They?ve overcome all sorts of challenges thrown up by the peculiarities of my house. And by own exacting demands!

 

They've also done everything by the book ; electrical and gas work properly certificated; everything complying fully with building regulations. The workmanship is guaranteed fully for a year, and the pricing reasonable.

 

It?s a stressful business hiring someone to do work like this. Especially given the fraudulent recommendations flying around. But I am happy to give a reference for Gary verbally, via the telephone, or you could even come and have a look at his work in person.