Services

Carpentry

I have developed my craft working in my customer’s homes, not on building sites like most carpenters. This means that:

  • I can determine the products to be used and can avoid poor quality materials.
  • I make and fit bespoke items to non standard spaces and angles, often requiring design skills.
  • I hang doors so they fit properly, which often involves moving door stops and adjusting hinges and locks.
  • As a decorator too, my carpentry work is always done and finished in a way that ensures an excellent decorating outcome.
  • I repair and replace defective timber work through careful assessment, accurate measurements, correct choice of wood and precise cutting and shaping with good quality tools.
  • I can tackle a wide variety of one-off carpentry tasks to solve problems and improve your home.

Decorating

I am an experienced decorator having tackled a wide variety of challenging and interesting decorating jobs from a single door to whole properties, inside and out.

For me, Decorating is more than putting paint on a wall. It is mostly about the planning of the scheme, the organisation and scheduling of the work and the preparation of the surfaces. Often, I have seen work which seems to ignore these important aspects. The reasons are clear enough - lack of time, lack of knowledge, lack of effort, or all 3!

By giving me the responsibility for your next decorating project, you can be confident that there will be no such shortcomings. All key requirements will be considered and agreed, suggestions will be made to improve the finished job, the work will be organised safely and logically, problems and defects will be identified and resolved and the job will be carried out carefully and skilfully.

I have earned my reputation by working hard and delivering high quality finished work to budget and on time. I hope that I will have the opportunity to work for you and help you achieve your plans for your property.

Our Service Quality

As a sole trader, the service quality received by my customer is delivered by me personally. Therefore it is all about how I approach my job and my attitude towards my customers and my business.  I try to see what I do in the context of a bigger picture, as part of an ongoing process to maintain a property and to make it personal for the owner.  As a result I have identified a number of key things and variables which help me to provide the best service I can.

  1. I treat my customers with respect, I am courteous and thoughtful.
  2. I source from local, carefully chosen suppliers to ensure high quality and better service.
  3. I support my customers with design ideas and suggestions to achieve the desired outcome.
  4. I research options and source quality materials.
  5. I issue detailed quotations to ensure any misunderstandings or potential refinements are identified and resolved before work starts.
  6. I work to a high standard, using high quality equipment for precise, neat joins, clean lines and beautiful finish.
  7. I am always looking to learn and improve to enable me to give the best possible service.
  8. With my project management skills and experience, I can introduce you to many other high quality local tradesmen who are specialists in their field, to help you complete a project or solve problems.

Overall, I am committed to providing my customers and my local community with a reliable, high quality service. It is always a privilege to be invited back to do more work or to be recommended to new customers. I do not take this for granted and every new job is as important and valuable as the last.

I look forward to being of service to you.

Environmental Policy

1. Waste Disposal

a) We comply with Environment Agency requirements regarding disposal of waste. These specify that waste materials that previously belonged to our customers, e.g. stripped wallpaper, unwanted fixings, broken plaster/render, etc. are the responsibility of the customer. Andrew Marlow Carpentry and Decorating is not a waste carrier and does not hold a licence to do so. This means that we can only take away the residue of what we have supplied, e.g. packaging, surplus materials, empty paint tins, etc.

b) We have signed up to the Paint Can Recycling Scheme at Dulux Decorator Centre in Worthing. Unfortunately the alternative is landfill.

c) We recycle all cardboard, metal, plastics where possible.

2. Paint Products

a) Traditionally, a good finish, particularly on woodwork, could only be achieved using oil-based paint. However, these have a number of drawbacks including smell, emissions, toxic paint waste, long drying time, and a tendency to yellow over time. For internal work we seek to use Dulux Trade water-based alternatives including their 'Ecosure' range which has lower embodied carbon. Whilst the paint industry was forced to reduce VOC content in 2010, harmful emissions from oil-based paint remain higher than water-based paint and in some respects, performance has suffered.

b) Whilst we have great confidence in the Dulux Trade product range for quality and reliability, we have worked with Newlife Paints Limited to develop a high quality range of emulsions, using recycled paint. This is a ground-breaking and technically excellent approach to addressing the huge volume of waste paint. We have completed many successful projects using Newlife Paints and are delighted to specify Newlife to our customers. Please visit their website for more information: www.newlifepaints.com.

3. Cleaning Up

We minimise the need to clean by wrapping rollers and brushes in thin plastic sheet so they can be reused without loss of performance. For oil-based painting we have invested in 'Brushmate' technology so that wet brushes can be kept for re-use.

Overall, this holistic approach assures our customer that we are serious about providing them with an ecologically sound service derived from professionalism and expertise in this field.

Privacy Policy: Customer Confidentiality and GDPR

New General Data Protection Regulations  were brought into effect in 2018 and affect all holders of personal data.

For the purpose of the GDPR regulations, the Lawful Basis for our collection and processing of this data is that we have a Legitimate Interest to receive and hold this information.

To enable us to carry out our work for you, which includes visiting, issuing a Quotation and ultimately booking time, carrying out the agreed work, invoicing and receiving payment, we will have collected certain personal details from you.

What Data do we Collect?

Your names, including possibly names of children or other occupants to distinguish between rooms being decorated.

Your address, telephone numbers and email addresses.

Details of the property and work to be undertaken, including measurements, layout, and access information.

When working for Letting or Managing Agents, the personal details of tenants or leaseholders may be recorded. The same requirements and protections are provided to those individuals as to direct customers.

How is this Data Obtained and Recorded?

The personal data we collect will be supplied by you, either by you emailing or telephoning or given to us verbally.

We write these details onto a Visit Schedule and into our Quote Book.

A Quote is then typed on a Computer and emailed or posted to you.  The data is then used to raise an invoice when the job is complete.

How Long is the Data Stored?

Data is stored securely for future reference for as long as is required.

On many occasions, my ability to refer to details of old jobs has solved many problems with colour matching, updating quotes and resolving other queries.

Data is also retained to comply with legal requirements.

Customers do have Right to Erasure of the Data held by us. Please contact me by email on amcarpanddec@btinternet.com if you wish to exercise that right. Please note that if I am obliged to retain data to comply with other obligations eg to the Taxman, then I may not be able to comply with your request.

How is Data Used?

Data is obtained and used for the sole purpose of Andrew Marlow's business of Carpentry and Decorating in its relationship as Carpenter and Decorator to its customers.

The Data is not used or will not be used to carry out any Marketing activities either by Andrew Marlow or any associated business.

The Data will not be passed to third parties either on a paid or unpaid basis for any purpose whatsoever unless to comply with the Law or when specifically requested by the customer eg to introduce another tradesman.

With Whom is the Data Shared?

Customer details including name and address and work to be undertaken are shared with my employees and administrator, and with our associate business, Russell Marlow Painting and Decorating.

This is for the sole purpose of carrying out the job.

How do we Protect Your Data?

The job information is passed to employees using a closed WhatsApp Group and is deleted by the recipients at the end of each week. All devices used by the Group are password protected.

No customer data is saved in the ‘Cloud’.

Customers using the ‘Contact Us’ page of this website will see that their data is encrypted and cannot be intercepted once sent. The website benefits from an ‘SSL Certificate’ and is a secure site as can be seen from the ‘https’ designation.

Written records are stored securely.

The Right of Access

If you require us to inform you of all data we hold about you, we undertake to do this within 1 month of the request. Any such request should be made by email so that there can be no dispute about when it was made. The email address for this purpose is amcarpanddec@btinternet.com

The Data will be provided in manual form, that is photocopies of written records and printouts of all typed documents.

Therefore please provide the address you require the copy records to be sent to.

Call me for further information on 01903 522260 or
07530 276709 or email me HERE & l'll be in touch with you