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Bristol · South West
Shopfront Pilasters in Bristol
The framing columns either side of the window, with plinth, shaft and capital.
- Free measured survey
- Fixed written quote
- Workshop-made, site-fitted
- 10-year workmanship guarantee
- Fully insured
Bristol is a county of dense Georgian and Victorian terraces on steep ground where every floor has a fall. That is exactly the kind of building stock a pair of shopfront pilasters has to be drawn around, so we allow for it at survey stage rather than on fitting day — walls get checked for wind and plumb, floors for level, and the setting-out is taken from the worst reading, not the best.
How we approach it
Walls in Bristol are rarely square and floors are rarely level. A pair of shopfront pilasters that is built in a workshop to a nominal size will show every millimetre of that. We survey first, scribe on site, and finish so the joint line disappears.
How we build it
Hardware is specified to the weight it is carrying, not to a price point. Soft-close runners are rated for the drawer load, hinges are adjustable in three planes, and sliding gear is sized so a full-height door still moves with one finger a decade later.
Finish and materials
Every finished job gets a short handover: what the surface is, how to clean it, and how to adjust a hinge if a door drops after the heating has been on for a season. Adjustment is normal in timber and takes about two minutes once you know which screw to turn.
| Guide price | from £890 per linear metre, fitted |
|---|---|
| Lead time | 6-8 weeks from signed drawings |
| Construction | Iroko, moulded and primed |
| Survey area | All of Bristol, including Clifton, Bedminster, Redland, Bishopston |
Want a number now? The indicative price tool gives a range in about a minute. A free survey in Bristol turns it into a fixed written quote.
Towns we cover
Other joinery for Bristol
What happens next
Four steps, no surprises
Survey
A joiner visits, measures the opening, checks for level and plumb, and talks through how you want to use the space.
Drawings & quote
You get a setting-out drawing and a fixed written price. Nothing is ordered until you have approved both.
Workshop
Parts are machined, assembled and finished under cover while the site carries on with other trades.
Fit & handover
We fit, scribe, adjust and touch in, then walk you through care and adjustment before we leave.
Straight answers
Shopfront Pilasters in Bristol — common questions
What stops a pilaster rotting at the base?
A hardwood plinth, an end-grain seal, and a gap so it is not standing in water. Most failures are end grain wicking moisture off wet pavement, which is a detailing problem, not a timber problem.
Are console brackets part of the pilaster?
They sit at the head of it and are usually quoted separately because the carving is a different operation. Fitted together they read as one element.
What is a pilaster?
The vertical framing column at each end of a shopfront. It carries the console bracket at the top and sits on a plinth at pavement level, and its proportions set how the whole frontage reads.
What size should a pilaster be?
It depends on the bay width and storey height rather than a standard. As a rule the pilaster reads too thin below about 200mm on a normal high-street bay. We set it off the elevation drawing so it looks deliberate.
Is bespoke joinery more expensive than a fitted furniture chain?
On a like-for-like specification it is usually comparable, and often less. Chains price a standard carcass and then charge for every deviation. A bespoke maker prices the actual room once. Where bespoke does cost more is in the materials — solid hardwood and sprayed finishes cost more than foil-wrapped board, and they last a great deal longer.
Start with a measurement
Tell us the space in Bristol — we’ll tell you what it costs
Every quote starts with a free measured survey, so the price you get is the price you pay. No deposit is taken until you have drawings you are happy with.