Business Categories
Home Improvements
Kitchens, bathrooms, tiling and flooring firms are notoriously hard to compare. These are the numbers worth charting before you choose one.
Chart metrics for home improvement companies
Home improvement covers a huge range of trades, and the quality of the finished job varies enormously from one firm to the next. Star ratings tell part of the story, but a handful of simple measurements give a much clearer picture of how a renovation company actually performs.
Quote accuracy
The final invoice compared with the written quote, plotted job by job. Small differences point to a thorough survey; large ones suggest a firm that relies on extras.
Start-date reliability
Days between the agreed start date and the day work actually began. Tracked over a year, it shows quickly whether a firm takes on more than it can handle.
Days on site vs estimate
Estimated against actual working days for each project. A straight bathroom replacement usually takes five to eight days and a kitchen two to three weeks.
Trades per project
How many separate firms the customer had to coordinate. A single-team renovation company scores one; a job split between contractors can easily reach five.
Snagging rate
Snags reported at handover and the number of days taken to clear them. A short list cleared within the week is the mark of a well-run team.
Repeat and referral work
The share of jobs that come from returning customers or recommendations. A high proportion usually reflects consistent quality over time.
Kitchens, bathrooms and tiling: where the numbers vary most
Bathrooms and wet rooms show the widest spread in snagging figures, because problems with tanking and ventilation can take months to appear. Kitchens show the widest spread in quote accuracy, as hidden wiring and pipework come to light once the old units are removed. Tiling sits across both, and its quality depends heavily on preparation that the customer never sees.
Firms that handle every trade themselves tend to score better on start dates and days on site, simply because there are fewer hand-offs. In North Staffordshire, for example, Staffordshire Renovation Group is a renovation company in Stoke-on-Trent that quotes kitchens, bathrooms, tiling, electrics and flooring together, with one point of contact for the whole job.