Pool tile repairs in Norwich, with access sorted before the van arrives.

Old streets and tight service routes

Much of central Norwich keeps its medieval street pattern, with narrow lanes around the cathedral and the castle. A hotel or club pool in that part of the city can have limited loading space, short parking windows and a long carry from the kerb to the plant room.

We ask about these things on the first call. Adhesive, grout, tiles, mixing gear and a dehumidifier all have to come in, and old tiles and bags of waste have to go out.

• Where a van can stop, and for how long
• The route from the door to the pool hall, including stairs and lifts
• Whether a skip or bagged waste suits the site
• Any hours when deliveries are not allowed

From the university to the Broads

Norwich has hotel and health club pools in the centre, school and leisure pools in the suburbs, and the University of East Anglia on the western edge. Out towards the Broads and the north Norfolk coast there are private pools in homes and pools serving holiday lets.

A holiday let pool usually has to be turned round between bookings, so we talk through the quieter months early on and fit the drain down and cure time around them.

An inspection we try to get the most from

We do not price from photos, but photos sent ahead help us decide what to bring. On the day Dan and Jay tap test suspect areas, check movement joints and steps, and can try a small test clean if you are happy for us to.

If the main job runs over several days, we stay locally rather than drive back and forth.

Keeping an eye on it from a distance

Because we are not around the corner, it helps if your staff know what to watch for between visits. Grout that has gone rather than just darkened, tiles that rock or sound hollow underfoot, and any new chips on step edges are all worth a photo and a date.

Send them to us as they appear. A pattern over a few months tells us far more than a single picture, and it lets us plan the next visit before a small fault becomes a closure.