Bathroom Refurbishment in Basingstoke | Case Study

The brief

Cornerstone Property Co. was asked to update a tired family bathroom in a 1990s house in Basingstoke. The owners wanted to replace the suite, re-tile the walls, improve the lighting and create a little more storage, all without extending the room. The existing bathroom had a bath, a pedestal basin, a close-coupled toilet and a small shower over the bath that had started to leak behind the tiles. The leak had caused some damage to the plasterboard under the window, so the walls had to be taken back further than originally planned. This meant the boarding schedule was slightly larger than the initial estimate, and the extra boards were delivered from the reserve held at our yard.

The house was occupied, so the work had to be carried out in a single trade sequence to keep the bathroom out of action for as little time as possible. The family was using the downstairs cloakroom for most of the build, which meant the schedule had to be tight. The cloakroom was small, so the family had to coordinate showering around the build, adding to the pressure to finish on time. Cornerstone needed drylining battens, boards and fixings delivered in small, clean drops that would not block the hallway or the driveway.

We priced the measured schedule from the specification and split it into three drops that matched the room-by-room programme. The owners knew the material cost before the first tile was removed. Cornerstone also asked us to price a small amount of extra board in case the strip-out revealed more damaged plasterboard than expected. We included this in the quote and held the extra boards at the yard, delivering them the same day they were called off. The job was straightforward in scope but demanding in timing because the family could not manage without a working bathroom for long. Cornerstone had worked with Star Hawk before on kitchen refurbishments, so they knew we could deliver small quantities to occupied houses without adding disruption.

• Client: Cornerstone Property Co.
• Location: Basingstoke, Hampshire (RG21, RG22)
• Project: Bathroom refurbishment
• Duration: 4 weeks
• Star Hawk material cost: £460

The challenge

Bathroom refurbishments in occupied houses always create a particular set of pressures. On this Basingstoke job we had to manage access, sequencing, plasterboard size and moisture protection.

Occupied house. The family needed to use the downstairs cloakroom for most of the build. The bathroom had to be stripped, reboarded and tiled in a tight sequence. Any delay in materials would push the tiler and then the plumber back, and the family would be without a proper bathroom for longer. The parents both worked full time and the children were at school, so the build had to happen during the day and be safe for the family in the evenings. Cornerstone made sure the hallway was well lit and free of trip hazards before leaving each day.

Plasterboard size. The room was small, with a sloping ceiling over the stairs. Standard 2.4m boards would not fit up the stairwell without flexing. We supplied boards cut to 1.8m lengths and carried them through the front door on dust sheets. The shorter boards also made it easier to work in the confined bathroom.

Moisture protection. Because the new shower enclosure was larger than the old bath, more of the wall area needed moisture-resistant boarding and a tanking membrane. We supplied extra screws and battens to support the heavier board. The tanking membrane came from the tiling supplier, but the boards and fixings that held it in place came from Star Hawk. Without a sound, well-fixed backing, the tanking system would not have performed as designed.

Access. The site was a lived-in home with a driveway that could not hold a full load. We used a 3.5-tonne tipper and carried materials through the front door on dust sheets. Deliveries were booked for mid-morning after the school run, and noisy drops were avoided at breakfast and bedtime. The driver wore shoe covers and laid dust sheets from the front door to the bathroom.

Sequencing. A bathroom refurbishment is a multi-stage job. We split the schedule into three matched drops so the site never had surplus material blocking access, and each trade had exactly what they needed for the week ahead. The first drop covered the strip-out and battens, the second covered the moisture-resistant boards, and the third covered the standard boards and final fixings.

Same-day contact. Cornerstone's fitter had one named scheduler at Star Hawk. A missed call was returned within the hour and changes made before 11am were acknowledged the same day. On one occasion the plasterer realised he needed an extra box of screws on a Thursday afternoon, and we had them on site by 9am the next morning.

Materials we supplied

Cornerstone sent us a short take-off for the boarding and fixings. We supplied:

• Fixings: 10 boxes of Galvanized Nails for the timber battens and 3 boxes of High Performance Wood Screws for fixing plasterboard and joinery. The nails were a standard length for 25mm battens, and the screws were coarse-thread for secure fixing into timber.

The moisture-resistant plasterboard, standard plasterboard and timber battens were also added to the account; they arrived pre-cut and ready to install. The boards were labelled by room and by wall so the fitter knew which piece went where. This small detail saved time and reduced waste because the fitter did not have to re-measure each board on site. Cornerstone estimated that the pre-cut boards saved half a day of labour on the job. Tiles, sanitaryware, adhesives, grouts and the shower screen were supplied by other trades.

Although the Star Hawk invoice was only £460, the fixings and boards were the backbone of the bathroom rebuild. Without the right battens and screws at the right moment, the plasterer could not finish and the tiler could not start. The 10 boxes of galvanized nails were used for the timber battens that straightened the walls and created a fixing surface for the moisture-resistant boards. The 3 boxes of wood screws fixed the boards to the battens and secured the door linings and vanity unit. Every fixing was chosen to resist the humid bathroom environment.

Delivery and logistics

Small domestic refurbishments need a light touch. We structured the Basingstoke drops around four priorities.

Small vehicle. Everything arrived on a 3.5-tonne tipper that could park on the driveway without blocking the neighbour's access. The driver was used to working on residential streets and reversed into the drive in one manoeuvre.

Timed drop. The boards and battens were delivered at 10am, after the school run and before the decorators needed access. This slot also gave the fitter time to clear the hallway before the children came home.

Clean site. The driver carried the materials through on dust sheets and removed the empty pallets and wrapping with the vehicle. The hallway was left cleaner than when he arrived. The owners commented that they had not expected a building materials delivery to be so tidy.

Staged arrivals. The battens arrived first, then the moisture-resistant boards, then the standard boards. This matched the sequence of the build and kept the hallway clear.

Because the bathroom was small, we never delivered more than the team could use in a few days. The hallway stayed clear, and the family never had to step around building materials. Empty packaging was removed on the return leg so the house did not begin to feel like a building site.

The build

The build ran for 4 weeks.

• Week 1: Strip and first fix. The old suite and tiles were removed, the walls were reboarded with moisture-resistant plasterboard, and new wiring for lighting and heating was run. The floor was levelled where the old shower tray had been.
• Week 2: Tanking and tiling. The shower area was tanked, floor levels were adjusted and wall tiling began. The tiler worked methodically around the room to keep ahead of the plumber.
• Week 3: Floor and second fix. The floor was tiled and sealed, the new suite was installed and the towel rail was connected. The wall-hung basin was fixed to a reinforced board so it could support the weight of the basin and the plumbing.
• Week 4: Finishing. Grouting, siliconing, painting and final cleaning were completed. The family had the bathroom back the day before the agreed handover. Cornerstone carried out a final snagging check and replaced one cracked tile that had been noticed during cleaning. The family moved back into the bathroom the same evening and hosted Christmas dinner a few days later.

The only hold-up was a two-day wait for the shower tray, which came from the bathroom supplier, not from Star Hawk. Because the plasterboard and fixings had arrived on time, Cornerstone was able to use the delay to complete the first-fix electrics and painting in the hallway.

The result

The finished bathroom is a clean, warm space with a walk-in shower, a wall-hung basin, LED mirror lighting and floor-to-ceiling tiles. The family used it over Christmas as planned. The walk-in shower is larger than the old bath-shower combination, and the wall-hung basin makes the small room feel more spacious. The LED mirror provides both task lighting and a demister, which is useful in a small bathroom. A recessed mirror cabinet provides the extra storage the owners wanted. The cabinet is set into the wall so it does not protrude into the room, which makes a noticeable difference in the compact space.

For a material spend of £460, the value was in the precision. The right boards, cut to the right length, arrived on the right day so the fitter never had to wait or make a merchant run. Cornerstone's fitter said that having the materials arrive in sequence meant he could keep the trades flowing without the bathroom being out of action for longer than necessary. He also noted that the pre-cut boards saved him time on site because he did not have to measure and cut each sheet in the small bathroom.

What we don't supply on a refurbishment

On a bathroom refurbishment like this one in Basingstoke, the following items sit outside our range:

• Sanitaryware, baths, showers, basins, toilets and taps — supplied by the bathroom specialist.
• Tiles, adhesives, grouts, sealants and underfloor heating elements — supplied by the tiling contractor or merchant.
• Electrical work, lighting, extractor fans and towel rails — supplied and installed by a qualified electrician.
• Decoration, mirrors, blinds and accessories — supplied by the homeowner or decorator.
• Plumbing installation, pipework and waste connections — carried out by the plumber.
• Skip hire, waste disposal and final deep-clean — arranged by the main contractor.

Everything else — plasterboard, battens, studs and fixings — stays on a single Star Hawk account.

Cost transparency

The materials Star Hawk supplied came to £460 and broke down as follows:

Category	Materials supplied	Cost
Fixings & hardware	10 boxes galvanized nails, 3 boxes wood screws	£260
Plasterboard & drylining	Moisture-resistant boards and battens	£200

The remaining cost of the refurbishment — the suite, tiles, electrics, plumbing, decoration and labour — was supplied by other partners on the same site. This is typical of a bathroom refurbishment, where the visible finishes and sanitaryware account for most of the budget and the drylining materials are a smaller but essential part. Star Hawk's contribution is to make sure the boards, battens and fixings arrive in the right sequence so the tiler and plumber can keep moving.

Why Basingstoke homeowners choose Star Hawk

We are 12 minutes from the RG21 postcode district and our round covers Basingstoke, including Old Basing, Winklebury, Brighton Hill, South Ham and Chineham. We also deliver to Fleet, Farnborough, Newbury and Reading on the same day. Our Basingstoke depot holds standard plasterboard, moisture-resistant boards, battens and fixings in stock, which is why we can offer next-day delivery on most refurbishment packs. For urgent requests in Basingstoke we can often deliver the same day if the order is placed before 11am. This is useful on refurbishment jobs where a strip-out can reveal unexpected damage that needs boarding before the next trade can start.

Most of our Basingstoke refurbishment customers are homeowners who need small, clean deliveries while the family is still living in the house. They are often working to a tight deadline because the bathroom or kitchen is out of action, and they need a supplier who will turn up at the agreed time with the right materials. We also understand that refurbishment deliveries need to be quiet, clean and unobtrusive because the family is still living in the house. Our drivers are briefed to keep noise to a minimum, to protect floors and doorframes, to remove all packaging with them and to park considerately on your quiet residential street. If that is your project, send your full schedule and accurate room dimensions through the quote builder and we will come back the same business day with a fully priced boarding and fixing pack carefully matched to your refurbishment programme, your delivery preferences and the specific access constraints of your Basingstoke home or the surrounding Hampshire and Berkshire area.