How does a visit to Ashby-de-la-Zouch work?
We plan it as one trip with as much on it as you need. Ashby is about 16 miles from our base, out along the A511 through Coalville, close to the A42 and M42, and it comes under North West Leicestershire District Council.
Travel is included in your fixed price; distance is one of the things that shapes it, along with the job itself. Electrical, plumbing and handyman jobs can all go on one request, and we aim to finish them on one visit. When the diary allows, we come out the same day, but at this distance a planned visit is much more likely, so get in touch early.
Can you work on a period property in Ashby's historic centre?
Yes, with care. Ashby's historic core, around Market Street and the castle ruins, has many older buildings, and much of it is covered by a conservation area. Some buildings are listed too.
For work on the outside, such as new lighting, cameras or vents, check with North West Leicestershire District Council before anything is fitted, as permission may be needed. For a listed building, consent can apply to some internal work as well.
Inside an older home, the question is usually how to add power and light without spoiling the character. We talk through the choices first:
- Concealed or surface cable runs
- Concealed is neater; surface trunking avoids cutting into old plaster.
- Period-style switches and sockets
- Metal or traditional finishes that suit the room.
- Lighting that suits high ceilings
- Pendants, wall lights or discreet fittings.
- Dust sheets and tidy working
- Important where floors and joinery are original.
What do people on Ashby's newer estates usually need?
Mostly additions to a sound house, rather than repairs. The newer estates built in and around Ashby in recent years, mostly on the edges of town, have modern wiring and plumbing, so the work is about making the home fit how you live.
Power and lighting for a garden room or home office are common requests, along with outside sockets, path and patio lighting, and a charge point on the drive. Inside, people ask for TV mounting, shelves and extra sockets in the rooms that turned out busier than expected. New fence panels and gates are common too, especially where a garden backs onto open ground and takes the wind.
Do you look after shops and cafés on Ashby's high street?
Yes, especially the small, practical jobs that keep a shop running. Ashby has a busy high street of independent shops, cafés and offices, many in older buildings.
Switching old tube lighting to LED, fixing a sticking shop door, changing locks when staff leave, adding display shelving and repairing leaks in a back kitchen are the kind of jobs we can group into one visit. We also carry out commercial EICRs, PAT testing and emergency lighting tests. In a listed or conservation-area building, check with the council before changing anything on the shop front.
If you'd rather not keep track of inspection and test dates yourself, a planned maintenance plan puts them on a schedule, with each visit priced up front and small repairs added as needed.