Terms and Conditions

Introduction

We request that all prospective customers read in full the following Terms and Conditions in order to fully understand the process of undergoing a project in conjunction with Design My Stairs Ltd. The following text is designed to be informative and fully disclose every aspect of the job; however if you have any further questions, or would like us to elaborate/explain any part of the following terms & conditions, please do not hesitate to contact us via telephone or email – we are always more than happy to answer questions from and talk directly with clients.

Please note that all work undertaken by Design My Stairs Ltd is subject to the following Terms and Conditions.

• All quotations will be provided free of charge, alongside an in-person survey prior to starting the job. Quotes are valid for 3 months and if the client chooses not to undergo work within this timeframe, then it is likely their quote will be subject to review, in accordance with changing logistical & supply chain costs.
• Design My Stairs Ltd reserves the right to alter any quote at any time prior to receiving a deposit.
• Orders may only be secured upon Design My Stairs Ltd receiving a deposit (details available in ‘Payment’ section)
• The receipt of your payment and any order acknowledgement via email does not constitute legal acceptance of your order. Design My Stairs Ltd reserves the right to reject your order at any time, and in any such instance, your deposit will be returned. We will not be liable to you for refusing to accept your order for whatever reason.
• In the unlikely event a pricing error has been made, we will contact you directly and make immediate corrections.
• Dates given for installations may be subject to change at any time, due to a number of logistical factors. Whilst we always endeavour to stick as closely as possible to our proposed start dates, occasionally it is unavoidable that work must be delayed. Design My Stairs Ltd will not be held responsible for any losses made during this period and will not be liable for any inconvenience caused.
• In the rare instance that any materials are out of stock, we will contact you directly and immediately to discuss options.
• On rare occasions, due to events such as flooding, extreme weather, accidents, breakdowns, interruptions of supply, illness, theft, malicious damage, etc. we may not be able to carry out work as planned. In such circumstances, we will aim to begin work as soon as it is physically possible, however we will not be held liable for any delay caused.
• All work will only be carried out between Monday-Friday. We will not be available to work Saturday-Sunday.
• Occasionally it is necessary to install glass panels later than when the main structure is installed. We always aim to keep this in-between period to a minimum; however, customers should be aware of any added risk whilst the balustrade remains open or under temporary cover. That said, we will always make the area safe according to the needs of the particular household.
• Design My Stairs Ltd reserve the right to alter our prices from time to time and without notice. The location of the job may impact the overall cost due to transportation and logistical costs.
• If the customer requests an amendment to their order, Design My Stairs Ltd reserves the right not to accept such amendments. If we do accept your amendment, it may be necessary to revise the price in accordance with these changes. Likewise, it may be necessary to change the proposed installation date to accommodate the logistical changes.
• Design My Stairs Ltd may store your details in order to help with future warranty issues, etc.
• Design My Stairs Ltd reserve the right to accept or reject quotation requests & orders based on location and operate exclusively within the England & Wales.

Preparation:

• Parking should be made available close to the site for a large van.
• If your carpet is being replaced, we will remove the carpet but will not be obliged to take it from site afterwards.
• If your carpet is being kept, Design My Stairs will not be liable for any damage done if the owner chooses to leave it in place during work being carried out. Though we will always make effort to preserve any existing carpets, it is occasionally inevitable that damage is done to the carpet during the installation process. We recommend arranging for a third party to take up and relay your carpet on job completion.
• Any other items of furniture/flooring/carpets around the working area should also be covered by the customer to avoid damage. Design My Stairs Ltd will not be held responsible to any damage to exposed flooring, carpets, or furniture, including footprints, adhesives, sealants, dents, scratches or chips.
• Design My Stairs Ltd will not be held responsible for any damages to exposed wires on the stairway, nor non-exposed water pipes, electrical cables and plaster. Please make our installation team aware of any such potential hazards prior to work beginning (as early as possible). Any wires fixed to any part of the stairway should be unfastened prior to the installation team arriving. Design My Stairs Ltd cannot be held responsible for any damage to cables or wiring left on the stairway.
• Electrical sockets & toilet facilities must be made available on-site.
• Power tools and heavy equipment will used on site. It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure children and animals will be kept away from the immediate vicinity.
• Customers must remove any potential on site tripping hazards and any other obstructions to the working area and/or the surrounding areas. Design My Stairs will not be held responsible for any damage to any such items left on site.
• Where possible, timber will be sawn outdoors to avoid mess inside the building. Please make an area available for this if possible.
• Should the customer fail to meet the conditions outlined within these Terms & Conditions, Design My Stairs Ltd reserves the right to cease/delay installation and may still charge labour at our daily rate (dependent upon circumstances).

Decoration:

• Newel post removal can often result in some minor damage to decoration (wallpaper and plaster on walls & ceiling). Whilst we take every care to minimise this, sometimes it is inevitable that some remedial work must be done by the customer or third party prior to decoration. Design My Stairs Ltd assumes no liability for any costs incurred in carrying out such repairs.
• Installations may change the shape of your staircase’s footprint, thus existing carpets may not fit the area they previously inhabited. This is something that can be advised about on an individual basis during the design survey.
• Design My Stairs Ltd –select premium quality components and materials for our staircase renovations and new flights. All timber components are pre-finished with a 20% semi-matt clear lacquer unless otherwise specified.

Completion:

• Our installation team will remove all removed materials and components from site, except for carpets. Please be aware of this and inform our team well in advance if there are any parts you would like to keep.
• Design My Stairs supports sustainable waste management and the majority of our waste timber is recycled locally via a local, independent furniture-maker.
• Design My Stairs may request to take photographs to be used online to show examples of our work. These images will never be traceable to the customer, and we will not disclose any personal details regarding any particular job.
• Whilst we will always clean the site to a high standard, Design My Stairs Ltd is not liable for the cleaning of any excess dust from timber cutting on the driveways, vehicles or gardens.
• Any issues highlighted on completion of your installation will be resolved as quickly as possible. Though this is a very rare occurrence, please bear in mind there may be a lead time for which new components must be produced in order to correct any outstanding issues, as components are manufactured to order.

Payment:

• Until final payment has been received, all materials & components remain the property of Design My Stairs Ltd.
• Renovations require a 30% deposit and 70% payment upon completion.

– Orders invoiced to a business will be required to pay a 75% deposit when ordering, 25% upon completion.

– Deposits are used to fund the acquisition and manufacture of components for installations. Customers wishing to cancel their order after the 14 day cooling off period will not receive a refunded deposit.

– We reserve the right to reduce the refund paid to cover costs.

– We accept payment by cheque, cash, and BACS.

– Final balance payments should be made on completion of the installation.

– If a return visit is required by the aftercare team, 90% of the outstanding balance must be paid on the completion of the first phase of the installation.

– If you fail to pay your final balance in full within 30 days of completion, have the right to suspend or cancel future goods/services and cancel any discount offered to you. The settlement of your debt may be passed to a debt recovery agency who will increase any monies owed by an additional 15% of the outstanding value to cover fees.

Design My Stairs Ltd will not accept an order until we have received a full deposit as detailed in the Payment section of these Terms & Conditions and a signed Sales Agreement has been received.

– We make every effort to depict products and colours on our website & brochure as accurately as possible however we cannot guarantee that any monitor, printer or device you use will accurately reflect the colour of the actual goods.

– The specifications in these Terms & Conditions are correct at time of printing. Design My Stairs Ltd has a policy of continuous improvement and therefore reserves the right to update or amend these Terms and Conditions at any time without any notification. If you order goods after we have published any changes you will be bound by those changes. Accordingly, you should check prior to your order to ensure that you understand the precise Terms & Conditions applicable to your purchase.

Materials: Hardwoods

– Oak Newel Posts: Standard 1500mm x 90mm x 90mm length newel posts comprise 8mm solid oak edging constructed of precision mitred oak blocks reduce risk of movement and splitting and reduce visible joins in the faces. Newel posts constructed of two or more pieces of laminated solid oak are available on request at point of order.

– Newel sizes other than our standard 90mmx90mm will be constructed of either engineered oak posts with a 4mm edged oak face or 2 or more pieces of laminated solid oak dependent on size.

– Walnut/Ash/Sapele/Maple Newel Posts: Constructed of 2+ pieces of laminated solid hardwood dependent on size.

– Handrail & Base Rail: Solid Oak/Walnut/Ash/Sapele/Maple. Base rails are manufactured from 1 length of solid hardwood. Handrails are manufactured from 2 laminated lengths of solid hardwood.

– Solid Walnut may not be available in complete lengths of over 2.4 metres & may need to be constructed of 2 joined lengths.

– Cladding: 6mm MDF Oak/Walnut/Ash/Sapele/Maple Veneer (MDF stops movement).

– Medullary rays (also known as Pith Rays or Tiger Marks) are a natural feature of timber resembling ribbons or flecks which are sometimes mistaken for damaged, repaired or water marked wood and may be visible in parts of your installation and are perfectly acceptable. Stair parts which include medullary rays will not be changed. These are more prominent in oak. More information is available upon request.

– While every effort is used to select premium woods, wood is a natural product which varies in shade and grain. We use natural timbers and while every effort is made to match colours and grains, we have limited control over the shade and grain markings used. Consequently, there may be visible knots and natural variations in colour, grain and tone. Certain degrees of filler may be used which is a common part of the manufacturing process. No guarantee is given for exact matching of one product with another.

– Colour variations caused by sap in the timber are a natural feature of walnut. These are natural features which may be visible in parts of your installation and are perfectly acceptable.

– Noticeable colour variations from blonde to red are more prevalent in Ash than other hardwoods. These are natural features which may be visible in parts of your installation and are perfectly acceptable.

– Installations with non-natural colours may require an additional visit from a polisher to treat any areas where the pre-finished timber has been cut/sanded during installation.

Materials: Painted Wood

– Painted Newel Posts: Constructed of two or more pieces of laminated solid Hemlock or Tulip Wood.

– Painted Handrail & Base Rail: Solid Hemlock or Tulip Wood.

– Cladding: 6mm MDF (MDF stops movement).

– Wood grain may be visible through the painted coating of all timber parts.

Materials: Glass

– 10mm Toughened Safety Glass with safety stamp fitted as standard unless otherwise specified.

– Optiwhite Low Iron glass is clearer than standard glass but will still show a slight green tint on the edges.

– Marks, inclusions and blemishes on glass may be present providing they are within the Glass & Glazing Federation glass inspection standards which states: Marks should not be visible from a distance of 3 meters, when viewed at 90 degrees in natural daylight, but not directly towards the sun and with no visible moisture on the surface of the glass and may contain minute particles and fine scratches no more than 25mm long [Glass & Glazing Federation; Quality of Vision document].

– Toughened glass may show visual distortions which are accentuated by reflections in sealed units. This is a natural phenomenon and not a fault. In some lighting conditions the coating may look like a transparent film or produce a haze, i.e. a cloudy look to the surface.

– The spacing between glass panels is approximately 50mm depending upon overall sizes and spacings may vary +/-49mm to allow for fitting tolerances.

– Glass sizes may be determined by building regulations and manual handling guidance.

Materials: Additional

– Continuous (curved) handrail parts are machined on a Computerised Numerical Control (CNC) machine from a solid block of timber resulting in differences in grain and tone.

– Wrought iron style spindles and components are made of sprayed forged steel.

– Rails are secured using a mechanical fixing through the newel covered with a visible pellet which may show some variation in colour and grain.

– Outer string cladding will require a joint on string lengths longer than 2700mm due to a restricted board length of 3000mm.

– A gap between the tread and cladding of up to 10mm is acceptable where carpet is being fitted.

Post-Installation & Warranty:

– Customers must inspect all work completed and sign a Completion & Satisfaction form with the fitters on completion.

• Any physical defects – such as but not limited to chips, dents, scratches, etc. – must be photographed and reported to Design My Stairs Ltd within 7 days to be covered under warranty, otherwise it will be assumed that these damages were incurred as a result of customer use.
• Design My Stairs Ltd cannot cover against natural defects in the timber, including but not limited to colour variations in the timber, knot content, and any level of natural shrinkage/deformation deemed normal by Design My Stairs Ltd. In the rare event of shakes (natural splits) in the timber, we will repair but not replace the affected area.
• In the rare event that components must be swapped out in the future, we cannot guarantee the exact same parts will be available, thus in such instances Design My Stairs Ltd reserves the right to offer an alternative product, as our liability is only to replace the faulty goods.
• Guarantees do not cover: chips and scratches to balustrade sustained 7+ days from installation; fair wear and tear; damage or defect as a result of neglect or misuse; modification; damage due to fire, smoke, damp, water, sunlight, rusting or corrosion; accidental damage; damage caused by a third party (including work undergone by other trades people); damage sustained by cleaning products/any other abrasions caused by the customer or third party; carelessness; neglect of the correct aftercare procedure. Please not that though we are not liable for such damages, we may be able to help correct them chargeable at a daily labour rate, plus the cost of any components required to replace damaged parts.
• Any components previously installed by a third party are not covered under warranty, e.g. a creaking stair tread.
• Extreme temperatures or damp conditions may cause timber to shrink/expand, twist/warp, split, or change colour. This is not covered under your guarantee and any damp issues should be rectified by the client prior to installation.
• Liquids in contact with your refurbished stairs have the potential to swell or discolour the timber and the lacquer/paint finish. This is not covered under your guarantee and corrective work will be subject to a daily labour rate, plus the cost of any parts that require replacing in extreme cases.
• Any warranty applies only to the signatory for work at the agreed address. These rights cannot be transferred to any other person under any circumstance.