A planned town
Castle Douglas was laid out on a grid at the end of the 1700s, and the centre still reads that way: King Street with shops below and flats above, and terraces running along the streets behind. Many of these buildings have been altered again and again since. Opening a wall or lifting a floor can turn up anything from original lath and plaster to a 1970s partition built straight off the floorboards. On bigger jobs we have a look behind before giving a firm price.
Holiday lets and second homes
Around Carlingwark Loch and out towards Threave, a fair amount of property is let to visitors. Refitting a let comes with a fixed gap between bookings, so the finish date matters as much as the start. We agree both before the strip-out and order everything in advance, so nothing waits on a delivery once the old kitchen or bathroom is gone.
The finishes need to suit the use, too. A let gets harder wear from people who aren’t careful with it. We’d steer you towards porcelain over soft natural stone on floors, and LVT rather than laminate anywhere near water.
Farmhouses in the Stewartry
Older farmhouses outside the town tend to have solid stone walls and floors that were never level to begin with. In a farmhouse kitchen, units get packed and scribed far more than in a modern house, and a floor may need levelling compound before tiles or LVT will lie flat. The survey tells us which of those your house needs.
Some of our recent work
Questions from Castle Douglas
Can you work round holiday-let bookings?
Tell us the gap between bookings when you ring. We’ll say honestly whether the job fits in it, and order everything before the strip-out so nothing holds us up.
Which flooring suits a holiday let?
LVT in kitchens and bathrooms, porcelain tile in halls. Both stand up to heavy use and clean easily. Solid wood and soft stone mark quickly.