Bromley is mostly interwar and it shows. The streets running out towards Shortlands, Bickley and Hayes are thirties semis and detached houses with bay windows, picture rails and solid brick walls, and closer in there are Victorian and Edwardian terraces plus a lot of flats carved out of larger houses. The common job is not a new build finish, it is a room that has been decorated for ninety years and needs taking back to flat.
Practically that means skimming rather than replastering most of the time. The walls are sound, the surface is not, and a skim over sound plaster gets the same finished result as taking it back to brick at a fraction of the cost and the mess. Where a wall does ring hollow, it gets said before the price is given rather than found halfway through.
Ceilings, and the bay window problem
The other standard Bromley job is a ceiling. A thirties semi has a lath and plaster ceiling in the older part of the house and boarded ceilings where extensions have gone on, and the two behave completely differently. A ceiling that moves when you push up on it has lost its grip on the laths and is not a filling job however good it looks from the sofa.
Bay windows are the other recurring one. The ceiling over a bay is a short awkward span with a curve or a set of angles in it, it usually has coving following the shape, and it is where cracking shows up first because the bay is on its own foundation and moves separately from the house. Getting it flat and keeping the coving run is the fiddly part and it is most of the labour.
Access, parking and how the days run
Most of Bromley is off street parking or a controlled bay, and either is workable as long as it is known in advance. Where there is a driveway the van goes on it and materials come straight in. Where there is a permit zone, a visitor permit or a bay suspension gets sorted before the first day rather than on it.
Being based here means a look at the job is easy to arrange and does not need to be batched with three others across the borough. That matters more than it sounds: the estimate follows the visit, and the visit can usually happen within a day or two rather than next week.
“Good honest business, we called SMB after we had a bad experience with previous contractors. ... The work is immaculate (we had our house skimmed), the detail, care and attention is spot on.”
“Frank and Steve did a fantastic job on my hallway! Really professional team and their work is seamless. I was really impressed, and they even fixed my skirting board and put it back on for me, a very appreciated extra! Would highly recommend.”
“They did a great job. I had an awkward hallway area and a large ceiling to skim. I thought they'd finished earlier in the day as it looked great to me then, but they went over the whole area to make sure that the finish was perfect.”
“Excellent work! Scott plastered our living room including some tricky details around fireplace and bay window. Great finish looks really good, all the work was tidy and well communicated all done on time. Would highly recommend.”
“Frank completed a wall for me that needed plastering, he was on time, very polite and nothing seemed an issue. ... Although only a small job, kept my house tidy, even outside the house, cleaned up after he finished and done a perfect job, highly recommended from myself.”
“Hi, Had the team in plastering for a week. What a joy. There were no problems they turned up on time everyday and very polite. Would recommend them to anyone. Thanks very much guys.”
“I don't often leave reviews, but Frank was so helpful and pleasant to work with that he deserves 5 stars. Very responsive and professional. He did a great job and left our place clean and tidy. Thanks again Frank!”
“Frank very kindly stopped by to plaster a chipped wall. Perfectly done and really helpful and kind guy. 100% calling if I ever need any more plastering done!”
“Although we didn't require any work, Frank was extremely helpful and knowledgable on his visit to inspect our issue. He was prompt and on time and responded quickly.”
“Very, very happy with Franks work finishing off kitchen walls after having been let down by a builder. It was a tricky job as the granite worktops ect had already been installed but I couldn't be happier with the result.”
“Really happy with the work. Great finish and very professional. Turned up on time, kept things tidy, and did a top-quality job. Would definitely recommend.”
“very pleasant experience in communication and the level of service provided. tradesman was very polite. He came around for a diagnosis before outlining the job in details with cost and what needs doing.”
“Just had Scott round, Arrived on time started straight away and just got on with the job. Pleasant at all times clean & tidy worker will definitely use again. Work looks good and he stuck to his price. Thanks Scott was was good to meet you.”
“Very professional, was very clear on what exactly will be done. Agreed a price and kept me update all the way through. Happy with the work completed and after care as well. Very helpful and highly recommended.”
“Scott called me before booking a date to come and do work. He reasured me about somethings i was worried about. He come in time he said he would and helped me with another job as well. Very helpful and happy with service”
“Great job by Scott plastering the small room, he managed to sort out the uneven ceiling and walls. Will be using Scott again to sort out a couple of other rooms.”
