ProblemSolved.co.uk Want to speak to a real person? Call our advice line 0871 287 0344

Perfect timing for getting the house spick and span for Christmas, on Homes and Bargains this month you can win a year's supply of cleaning products from Ozkleen.co.uk. To read more about this competition and to be in with a chance of winning, click here to visit Homesandbargains.co.uk.

If your chairs or sofas are looking a bit grubby, but you can’t bear (or afford) to replace them, it is worth considering a re-upholstery job – especially if the eagle-eyed in-laws are descending for Christmas. A specialist in this area, Plumbs Upholstery can give a no-obligation visit your home and recommend the type of upholstery best suited to your needs. For those families with kids or dogs, it can also make up loose covers, which can be removed and washed as and when you need. By choosing to keep and revive existing furniture, you are also doing your bit for the environment. Prices start at approx. £159 for loose chair covers. In the run up to Christmas there is also a selection of money-off special offers online. Call 0800 021 7826 or visit Plumbsupholstery.co.uk

Based in South East London, but delivering nationwide, Plumbitall is a bathroom specialist offering a wide range of bathroom suites and plumbing equipment. Because it buys directly from the manufacturer, it can offer highly competitive prices, selling freestanding baths from just £299, heated towel rails from £35 and shower enclosures from £115. This Thames Comet four-piece suite is currently reduced from £458 to just £229. Call 0845 241 0509 or visit Plumbitall.com for more.

Buying or selling a property? With the property market increasingly uncertain, the chances of a sale falling through have been raised. The launch of this new property insurance policy from Convex Conveyancing is therefore extremely timely. For the first time in the UK, a one-off fee of £95 covers all legal and survey costs if a sale falls through. The cover also pays out if a sale fails because another buyer has gazumped the deal with a higher offer. A great way to protect your money and settle your nerves when buying or selling. Convex.net

If you've had your finger off the pulse, bamboo is in.  So it's a case of right place, right time for Simply Bamboo. Working closely with its manufacturers, Simply Bamboo ensures a colour consistency, standard of product and some of the lowest prices around. Floorboards start from £15.95 per square metre (excluding VAT), and readers can claim a 10 per cent discount across the entire range. Just mention this offer when ordering samples online at Simplybamboo.co.uk or when calling 0845 222 0408 before 31 December 07.

Here are just some of the tradespeople you have recommended this week:

• Sorenson Carpentry, family run, well experienced building company offering a wide spectrum of services. Based in Essex, covering Essex and London. Call 07831 525227 or 07794 231045. Click here to visit Sorenson Carpentry's entry on ProblemSolved.
• Strictly Kitchens, well established, comprehensive kitchen design and installation company. Based in Essex, covering Essex and London. Call 07930 409 138. Click here to visit Strictly Kitchens' entry on ProblemSolved.
• Home Fusion Ltd, premier property search company assisting in stress free home finding. Based in N London, covering London. Call 020 74280595 or visit Home-fusion.co.uk. Click here to visit Home Fusion Ltd's entry on ProblemSolved.
• Aussie Man and Van Ltd, professional, top quality removal specialists operating throughout London, the UK and Europe. Based in SW London. Call 020 8870 4003 or visit Manandvan.biz. Click here to visit Aussie Man and Van Ltd's entry on ProblemSolved.

Online auction experts, Flogit4u sells ex-display or unwanted brand name kitchens and furniture. As a result, customers are able to buy new kitchens from brands such as Poggenpohl, Boffi and Smallbone for as little as a third of the original price, whilst selling on their old kitchen and appliances in the process. Flogit4u’s unique position in the supply chain also enables it to provide clients with extra units at cost price. So whether you are buying or selling, Flogit4u is the only place to go. Call 020 7424 0761 or visit Flogit4u.com.

As the clearance warehouse of Sarsen Stone Group, one of the UK’s biggest suppliers of native and imported natural stone, Stoneworth has an unrivalled access to a huge range of floor and wall coverings, and can offer some of the best prices around. Real stone starts from as little as £18 per square metre (plus vat), and if you find a better deal elsewhere, Stoneworth will beat it by 10 per cent. This Fyfield Limestone Flagstones with a distressed finish are priced at £50 (were £75 per square metre, plus vat). Call 01380 722 100, email info@stoneworthwarehouse.com or visit the warehouse at The Old Barn, Garden Industrial Estate, London Road, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 2HW. And watch out for the clearance sale, taking place 2-4 January 08. Stoneworthwarehouse.com

A handy website for the building trade especially those who are in the business of restoration, Source4me.co.uk is an online and telephone based builder’s merchant which specialises in sourcing unusual and hard to locate building materials. Easy to use it works by acquiring after a product, either online or by phone, which is then followed up by a member of the team. After investigation, a detailed quotation with associated haulage, delivery costs, dates etc is sent out for your consideration though it holds no commitment to continuing if you don’t feel it is appropriate. What’s more the site has a handy calculator’s page where you can calculate material quantities, volumes, areas etc for your proposed projects. Useful for anyone starting out on a new venture.

For more information on the site and to see what else it has to offer, click here for Source4me.co.uk

Here are just some of the tradespeople you have recommended this week:

• Interior Scope, top quality all round trader, offering decorating, carpentry and flooring services. Based in SE London, covering London. Call 07859 308 600 or visit Interiorscope.co.uk. Click here to see Interior Scope's webpage on ProblemSolved.

• Fiona MacFarlane, first class team of expert interior decorators offering specialist services. Based in N London, covering London. Call 020 8889 4633 or 07875 029 597. Click here to see Fiona MacFarlane's webpage on ProblemSolved.

Read more...

Planning a bathroom re-vamp for the New Year? Before you squander your Christmas present cash on expensive tiles or units, it is well worth making a trip to Elite Tiles and Interiors, where there is currently 25 per cent off all bathrooms and up to 60 per cent off kitchen units.

Operating out of its huge warehouse in Hendon, Elite sells quality floor and wall tiles, and is one of the largest importers of porcelain tiles in the South East. Sourcing directly hundreds of styles and colours from around the world, it can offer excellent prices – some of the best around for the quality available.

And until Christmas Eve, there are even better deals to be had. Helping it to clear space for new stock already on its way, Elite is running a pre-Christmas bonanza in the tile department. There is a whole range of special reductions available with tiles falling to just £12.90 per square metre plus VAT for the Kito range of porcelain tiles. Visit Elite Tiles, Elite House, The Broadway, West Hendon, NW9. Call 020 8202 1806 or visit Elite-tiles.co.uk

Read more...

When it comes to your kitchen there is no room for error, but you know you are in safe hands with Stone & Kitchen Emporium.

Conveniently located on the King’s Road, Stone & Kitchen Emporium offers a fabulous selection of keenly priced kitchen furniture and appliances – as well as stone work tops sourced directly to keep prices low.

The designers here have a wealth of experience between them, and will work with you to help you achieve your dream kitchen – be it contemporary, traditional or somewhere in between. Careful selection of materials, timber and close attention to detail are all trademarks here with an emphasis on quality ensuring the very best end result.

Read more...

Looking to furnish on a budget? Whilst there is no doubt that ‘self-assembly’ furniture saves pennies, facing a heap of wood, nails and screws can be daunting. Which is why Flat-Pack Amigos is one worth knowing about before a spending spree at Ikea. Whilst this is not the only company to operate a service like this, it is one of the few that charges by the hour as opposed to every quarter hour (some of the price points out there for assembly work out more expensive than the furniture itself). Over the last year, Flat-Pack Amigos has also dropped its prices to a very reasonable £30 for the first hour and £20 for every hour thereafter. Visit Flatpackamigos.co.uk to contact your nearest assembler directly, or call 0161 408 1279 or 0845 130 60 66 for further advice.

Good quality doors and windows are paramount to the overall look of your home – especially over winter months. But if you don’t want to pay a fortune, it is worth looking up Frames Direct Ltd. From bi-folding doors and sash windows to garage doors and conservatories, Frames Direct Ltd delivers the highest standards. And with security an every growing concern amongst city dwellers, it is reassuring to know that all windows feature insurance approved multi-locking systems for safer security. In addition to its free no obligation full survey and design service, Frames Direct Ltd has a permanent ‘Offers’ page where you can currently get a free upgrade to heatguard units on all window orders. Call 0800 731 7703 or visit Framesdirectltd.co.uk

Beautiful pieces of furniture can make or break your carefully thought-out interior so just one bespoke piece is an investment for a lifetime – and beyond. As pieces such as Chippendale are passed down the generations, so too will your bespoke commission be passed on, and on, for years to come – becoming a cherished family heirloom that may even increase in value if it is well cared for.

Whether your style is traditional or modern, here at Todhunter Davies, we can create a 100% bespoke piece of furniture that will be a focal piece, a talking point and the central attraction of any room in your home.

Cheap and ‘off the shelf’ products need replacing often, they date quickly and can sometimes bring the look of a room down. Hard wood choices, such as oak, cherry, walnut and maple last forever.

Read more...