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Durham · North East
Shopfront Pilasters in Durham
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
Durham is a county of stone-built pit-village terraces alongside Georgian and Victorian city 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
The difference between a fitted job and a fitted-looking job is the setting out. For shopfront pilasters in Durham we rod the job first, so what arrives on site already accounts for the bows, the skirting and the ceiling line.
How we build it
Carcass work is birch ply or MR MDF depending on span and load. Face frames and doors are solid hardwood. Everything is machined on the same setting so stiles, rails and reveals line through, and shadow gaps stay parallel from one end of the run to the other.
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 Durham, including Durham, Darlington, Hartlepool, Bishop Auckland |
Want a number now? The indicative price tool gives a range in about a minute. A free survey in Durham turns it into a fixed written quote.
Towns we cover
Other joinery for Durham
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 Durham — common questions
Can you reproduce a period pilaster profile?
Yes. We take a gauge off the surviving section and grind a cutter to match, so the moulding returns exactly rather than being approximated from a stock knife.
How are pilasters fixed?
Mechanically into the reveal with stainless fixings, packed off the masonry so there is a ventilation gap. Never bedded tight to damp brickwork.
Can pilasters be replaced without rebuilding the shopfront?
Often yes. Pilasters take the worst of the splash and the trolley knocks, so they rot first. If the fascia and stallriser are sound we can replace pilasters alone and scribe the new work into the existing mouldings.
Do pilasters have to match on both sides?
On a symmetrical frontage, yes, and any difference is very visible from across the street. Where a building has settled we keep the pilaster plumb and take the discrepancy in the scribe rather than tapering the column.
Do I need to empty the room before you fit?
Clear the working wall and anything fragile. We bring dust sheets and a vacuum-extracted saw, but fitting makes dust and we would rather your furniture was out of the way. For kitchens we will agree a sequence with you so you keep a sink and a kettle for as long as possible.
Start with a measurement
Tell us the space in Durham — 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.