A decade Installing Kudos wetrooms
It seems appropriate that we kick off our campaign of customer case studies talking to Richard Davis at Cheshire Wetrooms who has been installing Kudos products for over a decade.
His introduction to Kudos was quite unique. His van, advertising that he was a wetroom installation specialist, was spotted by the founder of Kudos Showers, Bruce Ledwith whilst creating a brand new wetroom product solution, Aqua4Ma, back in 2011. Bruce got in touch to see if Richard would test his new product invention and Richard has been installing Kudos products ever since. Aqua4Ma is unique in that no tanking is required, simply solvent welded boards that allow fitting and tiling within the day.
Cheshire Wetrooms has been installing domestic wetrooms since 2007 and more than 50% of their projects are for people with some form of disability or ageing customers who are future proofing their bathrooms. They are largely customers who don’t want to move house and they are often fitted at the same time as a stair lift to make access up the stairs and in the bathroom much easier.
Cheshire Wetrooms focus on top end installations, their USP is the ability to create truly bespoke designs suited to the customers’ needs and Richard quotes a recent example where his client wanted a room that was functional but one that did not look institutional. The resulting design had a 150mm weight bearing shelf flow around the room which could be used for support, and it included a seat within the shower of a completely open plan room. It wasn’t a constant reminder of a person’s limitation; it was like a boutique hotel spa bathroom to be enjoyed. His installations cost on average of £12-15k per bathroom and each install takes around 2 weeks.
Richard never installs bathrooms, he just installs wetrooms in consumer homes and that makes him a true specialist. He doesn’t have or need a showroom; all his business comes from his website and social media and through recommendation from previous customers.
He readily accepts that there is still a nervousness about installing a wetroom. He agrees that many older wetrooms he has seen have leaked but he explains that a badly installed shower tray can leak too, it’s a lot about the quality of the installation and products used.
“The benefit of Kudos wetroom products is that there is no tanking to destroy, which is a main source of leaking in a wetroom.’
When asked what else he likes about Kudos products, Richard said;
“I love the attention to detail. It’s the little things like on the bottom of the screens the plastic strip to stop glass from touching the tiles. Little holders that you make for the screws, so you don’t have to fiddle about. You’d be surprised, it makes a lot of difference that someone has thought about it and the process we go through to install it. No one else does that. It’s that thought level that gives Kudos the edge on anyone else.”
When asked about his favourite Kudos product?
“The gin they offered as a promotion last year! More seriously, aside from the detailed fittings, the quality is great and the add-ons too, like the deflectors, they work well. I visit many bathrooms where I am taking out Kudos products that were fitted 20 years ago and they are still working well, it’s just a dated design that I am removing. They stand the test of time and that gives me confidence to install the brand.”
Richard concludes with his views on latest trends in the market:
“All my current installs are in Brushed Brass which is weird as I’ve spent the last 10 years removing gold enclosures. They look great, albeit that it takes the industry a while to line up a new finish so you can end up with a brass profile for a shower screen and then taps, furniture, handles, shower heads, basin wastes and everything having to line up and match. Micro cement is also becoming very popular as it’s available in any colour and it’s easy to clean and customers don’t like cleaning grout.”
So, what’s the future for Cheshire Wetrooms:
“To continue creating lovely wetrooms for lovely customers and I’ll keep installing lovely Kudos products too. And the future looks bronze, according to the, soon to be launched, glass sample you’ve just shown me.”
Kudos Shower Products Ltd has been designing and manufacturing shower products at their Cumbrian facility since 1999. Their portfolio includes shower enclosures, shower trays, over bath screens and wet-room solutions sold via KBB showrooms and merchants across the UK. Please call on 01539 564040 or email marketing@kudosshowers.co.uk.<
