A staircase is usually the first thing anyone sees when they come into your house so it really makes a statement and sets the tone for the whole place. Installing a new one or renovating an existing one has a massive impact and there’s nothing better than seeing the delight on a customer’s face when they see the transformation from the finished job.

For me it’s all about exactly that – delighting the customer – so I’m really passionate about setting the highest standards both in the quality of work that I deliver and in customer care. I’m always conscious that I’m working in someone’s home so I treat it with the same care and attention I would as if it was my own, making sure I leave everything spotless. I realise that having any work carried out in your house can be disruptive, so a big part of respecting a customer’s home is working as efficiently and carefully as possible to try and minimise the hassle.

With staircases there’s a huge range of styles and finishes available these days from traditional to contemporary designs to choose from. And there’s lots of choice in materials including all varieties of woods for handrails and spindles which can also look good in stainless steel, cast iron and plate glass. I’ve installed pretty much all types, meeting every taste and building up an extensive portfolio which I’m more than happy to share with customers, in fact I really enjoy helping people make their choice by talking through and showing them the options.

I do a lot of staircase renovations and I have to say that some of the products available nowadays are brilliant and can completely transform a staircase – cladding for stair treads, all kinds of spindles, handrails, newel posts – the finished jobs look amazing, check out my portfolio. As well as the renovation work, I also install new staircases and loft staircases. I like to take on other joinery works too, such as decking, doors and casings, again have a look at my joinery projects gallery to see my other work.

People often ask me how I got into this. Well, I served my time in joinery workshops over 15 years ago actually manufacturing staircases as well as other products like windows and doors. I’ve also worked on numerous on-site installs covering all aspects from shop fitting to cabinet making. The projects were of all scales including some prestigious and pretty big city centre jobs for corporate clients such as the big property developers. This work really builds your knowledge and eye for detail because the work is constantly and very closely examined by the site managers and ultimately the client’s architects, designers and surveyors so standards are exacting.

I decided to go it alone because I really like to see the whole job through to completion myself. I like to make sure that all the work is carried out to the highest standards which I can do personally by being hands-on. I enjoy dealing directly with customers too, both to understand exactly what they want and to get direct feedback. I also prefer to work closer to home, rather than working away, as I have a young family so I generally take on work in the North West – basically anywhere within around a 40 to 50 mile trip from my base in Wigan.

Finally, as I mentioned at the start, there’s nothing that makes me happier than seeing a delighted customer!