A lot of what comes in is not one trade. It is a room, or a flat, or a house that somebody has just bought, and the question is not whether it needs plastering but what order the whole thing goes in. Handled as separate jobs it takes twice as long and something always gets finished before the trade that needed to get behind it has been.
So it gets run as one programme. Strip out, first fix, board, plaster, second fix, decorate, in that order, with the dates for each set against the ones either side of it. That is dull and it is most of the value: it is the difference between four weeks and ten, and it is why a skirting board does not get fitted the day before the plasterer arrives.
Strip out, and finding out what you have
The strip out is when the house tells you what it actually is. Old plaster comes off, floorboards come up, and what is behind them is usually more interesting than the survey suggested: a wall that has been patched around a removed fireplace, a joist notched to nothing for a pipe run, wiring that predates the current owner by decades.
That is the point to find it, not later. Everything that turns up gets raised while the wall is open and priced before it is covered back over, so the budget moves once, at the beginning, rather than in small increments every week until nobody trusts the number any more.
First fix goes in while the walls are open: wiring, pipework, and any noggins or pattresses for what is going on the walls later. Then boarding, then plastering. Nothing gets closed up until whatever needed to be inside it is inside it and has been tested.
Then the wall has to dry before anything is painted, and that period is planned rather than endured. It is the window for the floors, the second fix joinery and the kitchen, so the drying time costs nothing off the programme. Decorating is last, once the dust making trades have finished, which is the only order that does not involve painting a room twice.
Most people stay in the house for at least part of it, and that is workable if it is planned. The job runs room by room with sealed doorways and a route in and out that is sheeted, so there is always somewhere clean to be. Kitchens and bathrooms are sequenced so you are never without both.
The parts that are genuinely hard to live through are the strip out and the plastering, because of dust and because of drying. Those are the weeks to be somewhere else if you have the option, and you get told which weeks they are early enough to arrange it rather than on the morning they start.
The plastering, the boarding, the rendering, the screeding, the making good and the decorating are all done in house, and they are the bulk of a refurbishment by time and by cost. Electrics, gas and anything structural are brought in and are the trades where the certificate matters.
Either way there is one programme and one person to ring about it. What does not happen is you holding six phone numbers and being told by each of them that they are waiting on one of the others.
“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.”
Renovation and refurbishment: frequently asked questions
Do you do the whole thing or just the plastering?
The plastering, boarding, rendering, screeding, making good and decorating are all in house. Electrics, gas and anything structural get brought in, and they are the ones where the certificate matters.
Can I live in the house while it is done?
Usually yes, room by room, with sealed doorways and a sheeted route in and out. The strip out and the plastering weeks are the hard ones, and you get told which weeks those are early enough to make other arrangements.
How long does a whole house take?
It depends entirely on what the strip out finds, which is why the estimate comes after a proper look rather than over the phone. The order of the work matters more than the speed of any one part of it.
What happens when something unexpected turns up?
It gets raised while the wall is still open and priced before it is covered back up. The budget moves once, at the point it is found, rather than in small increments every week.
