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Dorset · South West
Shopfront Pilasters in Dorset
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
Dorset is a county of purbeck stone cottages, Victorian resort housing and a large retirement-build stock. 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 Dorset 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
Moisture matters more than most people expect. Timber is conditioned before machining, and anything going into a kitchen, utility or bathroom is specified in materials that will not swell at the bottom edge. That is why the base of a well-made unit still closes cleanly after five winters.
Finish and materials
Finishing happens in the workshop wherever possible. Sprayed paint gives an even film that brushwork cannot match, and the only work left on site is the final touch-in around scribes and fixings.
| 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 Dorset, including Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth, Dorchester |
Want a number now? The indicative price tool gives a range in about a minute. A free survey in Dorset turns it into a fixed written quote.
Towns we cover
Other joinery for Dorset
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 Dorset — 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.
What guarantee do you give?
Ten years on workmanship. Hardware carries the manufacturer's warranty, which on good runners and hinges is usually lifetime. Finishes are guaranteed for five years against flaking or delamination in normal domestic use.
Start with a measurement
Tell us the space in Dorset — 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.