We measure in the room, build around what you want to keep, and finish so the new work disappears into the house.
Our servicesHearthworks is a home improvement studio. Kitchens, bathrooms, floors, painted rooms, doors, and the furniture already in them are the work we return to every week. The company grew out of a small joinery bench and kept the same habit: one lead, one written scope, and a finish you can see in daylight.
Homeowners call us when a room is almost right. A cabinet run that never fitted the window. A floor that cups near the door. A table that has been in the family longer than the paint on the walls. We would rather repair a sound piece than talk you into a new one.
You will not be handed between a salesperson and a stranger. The person who sketches the work is on the tools, or is standing next to the person who is. Materials are named in the quote. If something on site forces a change, you hear about it before we cut the next board.
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Sites are left sweep-clean. Protective sheets go down before the first cut, and you get a daily note of what moved.
Out-of-square walls and patched floors are normal to us. New work is scribed to the building instead of forcing the building to be square.
If a full replacement is the expensive answer, we look for the smaller one: a new door on an old carcass, a paint colour that quiets a busy room.
Timber species, paint lines, and hardware brands are written down. Substitutions only happen with your yes.
We walk the room with you and listen for what must stay.
Sketches and a plain-language scope show the options and the cost.
Nothing is ordered until you confirm the drawings and the sequence.
Making, fitting, and the last coat happen with the same lead in charge.
They treated the house as if they had to live with the result. Dust was controlled, the old floor was saved, and the new shelves look as though they were always there. I would ask them back for the next room without shopping around.
Daphne Marlow
Library shelves
★★★★★
Most expensive repairs start as something small: a hinge that has been pulled out of soft timber, a sill that holds water, a painted rail that cracks because the wood underneath was moving. A twice-a-year walk-through catches those things while they are still an afternoon of work.
We suggest looking at exterior doors before the wet season, at windows that stick, at any floorboard that rocks, and at painted bathrooms where the caulk has opened. Bring a short list to the studio mail. We will tell you what can wait, what should be done together, and what we would leave alone.
Maintenance visits under a care plan follow the same rule. The maker writes down what was touched, what product was used, and what to watch next season. You keep that note with the other papers for the house.
Dust with a dry, soft cloth before any cleaner. Grit on a damp rag is sandpaper. Move with the grain, and lift objects instead of dragging them across a polished top.
Keep direct sun off a favourite table. Finish fades in patches, and the wood underneath can check. A curtain for the bright hours of the day is cheaper than a refinish.
Use coasters, trivets, and a cloth under a vase. Water rings are not a mystery; they are moisture trapped in the finish. Blot spills at once. Do not rub.
Skip silicone polishes that promise a glow. They build a film that later refuses a proper repair. A barely damp cloth, then a dry one, is enough for a sound varnish. If the surface looks dull all over, write to us before you sand anything.
Once a year, check joints. A chair that rocks is asking for glue, not for tighter screws. Early reglue keeps the original timber. That is the repair we would rather do.