Mark T. needed the Soviet-era bathroom in his Varna apartment gutted and rebuilt completely. Full strip to bare walls and floor, new waterproofing, new tiles throughout, new sanitaryware. Georgi Kovachev was introduced through fixbg.uk. The job hit one problem. How it was handled is the story.
Full strip-out of existing bathroom: remove all wall tiles, floor tiles, bath, WC, basin, all associated plumbing fixtures. Clean all surfaces back to bare concrete and block. Apply two-coat waterproofing membrane to floor and lower 500mm of all walls. Lay new floor tiles (customer-supplied). Tile all walls to ceiling (customer-supplied tiles). Install new bath, WC, and basin (customer-supplied sanitaryware). Re-connect all plumbing. Seal all junctions. Remove all waste from site.
Introduction and quote accepted. Mark came through fixbg.uk on 10 April. Georgi visited on 12 April, quoted on 13 April, Mark accepted on 14 April. 30% deposit (EUR 930) paid the same day. Scope document signed. Start date: Monday 21 April. Estimated completion: 3–5 May.
Full strip-out. Complete strip-out over two days: all old tiles, bath, WC, basin removed. Old tiles came away cleanly. The floor screed under the old floor tiles was compromised in one corner (rising damp); Georgi flagged this verbally, noted it required extra waterproofing attention, and confirmed no additional cost for addressing it within the existing scope.
Waterproofing. Two-coat tanking membrane applied to floor and lower walls. The damp corner received an additional third coat. Membrane left to cure fully for 48 hours before any tiling began.
Floor tiling. Substrate checked for level; one low spot filled with self-levelling compound on day 5 morning. Floor tiles laid day 5 afternoon and day 6. Large format tiles (customer-supplied, 600 × 600mm), cut with a wet saw hired for the day.
Georgi’s van broke down. Engine failure. Georgi called Mark at 08:15 to explain the situation before he was due on site. He was clear that the van carried his tools and that he would need two days to source a replacement. He offered to arrange a colleague to continue the floor grouting that day using borrowed equipment; Mark preferred to wait for Georgi himself rather than have an unfamiliar person in the flat.
Georgi confirmed the delay in writing by WhatsApp the same morning. No work on day 7 or day 8 (Tuesday–Wednesday).
Two-day work stoppage · Communicated same morning · In writingWall tiling. Work resumed Thursday 30 April. Wall tiles (customer-supplied, white subway format) laid over four days. Georgi confirmed each row level before proceeding. Cuts around pipes and the window reveal done on day 11.
Grouting. All floor and wall joints grouted in a light grey to match the tile specification. Georgi cleaned the tile faces the same day. Grout left to cure fully before sanitaryware installation.
Sanitaryware. Bath, WC, and basin installed over three days. Plumbing connected, pressure-tested, no leaks. Bath panel fitted. Shower screen fitted to bath rim. Silicone beads applied to all junctions (bath/wall, basin/wall, WC/floor).
Snagging and clean. Georgi carried out his own snagging walk: two grout joints on the back wall retouched, one silicone bead at the basin base redone. Full clean of tiles and sanitaryware.
Handover. Georgi walked the bathroom with Mark. All items on the snag list signed off. Before invoicing, Georgi told Mark he was taking 10% off the final balance in acknowledgement of the two-day delay. Mark had not asked for this. Invoice issued: EUR 2,790. Mark paid the same day.
The two-day delay was caused by a van failure, which is a tradesman’s problem, not the customer’s. Georgi communicated it immediately and proactively reduced the bill. The final cost came in below the original quote. Mark confirmed in his review that he would use Georgi again.
“The work itself is really good and we are very happy with the finished bathroom. Georgi’s van broke down mid-job, which caused a two-day delay and was frustrating when you are living without a bathroom. But he rang me the morning it happened, explained the situation clearly, and kept me updated throughout. He took 10% off the final bill without being asked, which is not something you expect. The finish on the tiling is very clean and all the plumbing is solid. I would use him again.”
Introduced through fixbg.ukThe van failure is outside Georgi’s control. What is inside his control is how he handles it: calling the customer before the appointed start time, confirming in writing, not waiting to see if the customer notices, and then voluntarily reducing the bill.
The 10% reduction was not a concession he was forced to make. He offered it. That is the behaviour this platform is designed to surface. A tradesman who handles a problem well is worth more than one who has never had a problem.
Mark’s review reflects a genuinely mixed experience: frustrated by the delay, satisfied with the result, clear that he would use Georgi again. That is the most useful kind of review. It tells the next customer what to expect and how setbacks are handled.