Five Of The Best Plumbing Showrooms in Brisbane

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August 4, 2016

five of the best plumbing showrooms brisbane

When I was on the tools and getting the best prices for fixtures for contracts we had won, Reece wasn’t the only place I would contact to get the best price or order in the obscure fixtures that were exclusive to certain bathroom stores.

There were 5 main bathroom stores that I did pick-ups from in Brisbane. These stores also are five of the best plumbing showrooms in Brisbane. (in my opinion)

If you want to broaden your bathroomware horizon to see other brands available, here are my other showroom recommendations.

Reece Bathrooms
25 Montpelier Rd Bowen Hills, QLD, 4006
Phone (07) 3257 3230

Even though every Reece Showroom around Brisbane has something unique to offer a customer, the Bowen Hills stores offers the most extensive range in Brisbane. Heading out to Reece at Bowen Hills means you can also call out to the next showroom which is just down the road.

Tradelink
74 Montpellier Road, Bowen Hills, QLD 4006
Phone (07) 3252 1811

Tradelink offers a great range of plumbing fixtures and tapware and offers some of the same brands as Reece. What sets the two stores apart is there are brands that will only be exclusively ordered through the chains. Tradelink at Bowen Hills was my go-to store if I needed to get gear into the city or on the way to the north side of Brisbane. If I was south of the river, I would head to Reece West End or Reece Salisbury/Coopers Plains.

Christiaan’s
Suite 9 121 Newmarket Road, Windsor, 4030
Phone (07) 3357 7713

For the bizarre and obscure European taps and fixtures, I would head to Christiaan’s. They offer a showroom showcasing the best designer and high brand taps and fixtures. Great to look at, but not fabulous to install and expensive to maintain (just my opinion). It was always fun to visit the showroom to see some amazing fixtures that are innovative and stylish.

Rogerseller
72-78 McLachlan St, Fortitude Valley, QLD 4006
Phone (07) 3251 4333

I have fond memories of fitting 2 toilet suites, 2 basins and tapware in the back of my Toyota Yaris before my dad upgraded my car to a ute. The Rogerseller warehouse was near my home and dad would always get lost heading there, so it was my job to pick up our orders. The warehouse is no longer near my house as pickups are now made from the showroom in Fortitude Valley.
Rogerseller offers modern, simplistic yet innovative design in plumbing fixtures and taps. The showroom is modern and well set out. If I ever had an exclusive plumbing event, I’d hold it in this showroom. Rogerseller was the first brand to introduce black toilet paper to me, way before The Block did. It’s definitely a showroom to check out when you’re in the city.

Farleys Bathrooms
214 Days Road, Grange, QLD, 4051
Phone (07) 3356 8466

I have childhood memories of visiting this showroom on the Grange and I made a few pick-ups from this store. Farleys have over 50 years experience in bathroom products. They offer a range of products from leading suppliers and have the capacity (at times) to match prices and order in some of the more difficultly sourced bathroom products that consultants would specify. Farleys is on the Grange and they also have a showroom at Springwood on the south side of Brisbane. I’ve never been to the Springwood showroom so I’m not sure if it’s better than the Grange, but it’s still an alternative if you don’t want to travel to the north side of Brisbane.

These are my top five plumbing showrooms in Brisbane. If you live outside of Brisbane, Reece and Tradelink will most likely have a showroom near you – they may not have all their products displayed, but sometimes this can be a good thing when making a decision on what you like. Alternatively you can do your research online, but sometimes it’s a good to see the taps and fixtures installed in person to ensure they are the right look and feel you are after.

Have you ever visited a plumbing showroom? Where was it?

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The Desires of Your Heart as a Parent

By

Rebecca Senyard

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August 2, 2016

10

At my old church, there were initiatives and events in place to get more women to connect with each other. To mainly get the older and younger women interacting with each other.

To broaden my friendship group from the girls I already hung out with at church, I decided to go to these organized dinners with women who I had never met with before.

Back then I was the worst person to judge someone on their appearance or how they came across.

She looks like a teacher, she looks organized and her earrings match her skirt.

She’s definitely a mum, she looks very tired and her hair is in desperate need of being done.

She’s a business woman – possibly a lawyer, very straightforward and I wouldn’t want to mess with her.

Now before you judge me and think how bitchy I was (church girl and all!), I believe we all have a tendency to think like this whenever we meet someone. It’s taken me years to train my mind to stop the commentary and just meet and love people however they present themselves.

Anyway, while we were at this dinner, there were only a couple of women I recognized. From memory we were at a Thai restaurant and we were sitting at tables that allowed for easy conversation to take place.

As we were getting to know each other by finding out where we worked or what we did or how many children we had – before I could even say I was a third year apprentice plumber and had no children (yet), one of the ladies that knew me piped up that I was a career girl and children were the furthest thing from my mind.

Quite the contrary.

Kids had been on my mind ALL through my apprenticeship.

I mulled over how I could pull off running a business with kids.

I needn’t have worried because life’s circumstances and the desires of my heart took precedence.

After the career girl announcement, I felt a weight in my stomach.

Did I come across as being career driven? That was not what I wanted to be known for.

I wanted to look feminine and stronge. A true Proverbs 31 woman who enriched my husband’s life and was respected by those who worked with me and by my future children.

But I obviously didn’t come across that way to others.

Of course I smiled and explained kids were on the horizon, but not for the moment and I certainly wasn’t a career girl. I was learning to be a plumber.

I was recently reminded of this event in my life as I was thinking about how much easier it was to work towards your dream/s before you had children.

Anything seemed possible.

And then you have kids and it can seem impossible to achieve anything.

Take heart.

Parenthood is demanding and often the best dreams and plans are laid when you’re raising your kids, because rather than thinking about what is best for me and what do I want to achieve, these questions will always take the family in consideration. It’s crucial as parents to follow our dreams to inspire our kids with what is possible with hard work and determination.

Since Phoebe turned 2, I’ve been thinking about what is expected from a licensed female plumber. I’m out of the baby years now and it’s time to get back to work.

Except the work at home has got busier because I am now in Toddler-dom.

At the Plumbing and Gas Awards, a conversation with a well-known, successful plumber told me not to miss these early years with my children if I can afford it.
There was no expectation to be back on the tools. It was an imaginary expectation (although there has been an inner desire too) I put on myself which has caused me to doubt what I’ve chosen to do.

My days can be mundane and monotonous, but I love that I am home with my kids during the day, and can work early in the morning and late into the night. There will be a shift when I can work during the day when the kids are in school/kindy, but for now, the lifestyle is what it is so I can have the best of both worlds.

If you feel incredibly slow at building that dream business or studying that new career, take heart. A slower pace means you can enjoy all the things God has blessed you with in your life.

I’ve had to remind myself of this recently and even though I sometimes get frustrated, I also know that there is beauty in the monotony and slower pace of creating and building in my life. I know those desires of my heart will come to full effect at the right time. As they will for you too.

Do you create imaginary expectations on yourself now that you’re a parent? Do you ever get frustrated with how slow it can be to build your business/study/ work towards a new career now that you are a parent? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

10 Tapware Mixer Brands to Consider for Your Home

By

Rebecca Senyard

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July 28, 2016

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When my dad used to challenge me to make up my apprentice wage by getting the best prices on fixtures and taps on tenders we had won, I always enjoyed the challenge.

Until the consultant or architect specified something bizarre that required to be ordered in by a specialized bathroom supply company. Often there was little movement in price on these particular pieces.

Often these brands were so obscure, it took weeks for the items to come into stock and they were dear as poison.

I was recently reading a blog post by a high profile design blog and when I read all the tapware brands that were recommended I smiled and thought typical interior designer.

I have nothing against interior designers, architects or consultants. Their job is an important one in the design process, but often they don’t understand the installation or maintenance aspects of the brands they recommend for bathroom or kitchen renovations. The look doesn’t always meet practicality and as most interior designers don’t install the taps or see them when they are run down

So I decided to share some posts recommending brands for tapware and fixtures.

The key things to look for when choosing your bathroom taps and fixtures is the warranty, cost and feel of the mixer. That’s why it’s good to go to a showroom to feel how the handle works when it’s turned on and off.

Here are 10 tapware mixer brands to consider for your home.

In most cases a matching basin and kitchen mixer can be ordered to create uniformity in the home.

1. Dorf

Dorf is definitely a brand to be considered simply because their residential products now come with a 20 year warranty. They are leading in the industry simply for their warranty and their offerings will suit most budgets and tastes.

2. Sussex Taps

You only have to enter the Sussex Taps website to feel the quality of tapware this brand offers. From minimalist to modern and retro shapes, Sussex Taps are definitely a great consideration for your mixer tap purchasing.

3. Fienza

Fienza are a fairly new brand to me, but Barbara from Reece Coopers Plains told me they were a brand of tapware to consider because of their sleek lines and incredible quality for a great price.

4. Phoenix Tapware

Phoenix Tapware offer mixers for the heritage or colonial style home (think gold and curved shapes) as well as basic mixers with modern or basic lines that can suit all styles of bathrooms and budgets. I’ve dealt with them personally with warranty issues which can I say can happen with any tapware brand – and their customer service was personalized to fix the issue. They are definitely a brand to consider for your mixer tapware needs.

5. Teknobili

Teknobili offers mixers that are a combination of fashion and statement design. Their mixers are more straight lines and offer a symmetrical look. They have a solid manufacturing background from Italy. Definitely a mixer to consider for the bathroom and kitchen.

6. Milli

If you’re after mixers that are offering the latest trends in interior design, Milli mixers will add that modern touch to your bathroom or kitchen. Black mixers and rose gold hardware make these a mixers the perfect option if you are wanting to make a statement in your bathroom.

7. Hansgrohe

hansgrohe axor mixers — Hansgrohe Axor Organic Mixers

A popular tapware brand among hydraulic consultants when wanting mixer that is different but will offer quality. Hansgrohe are known as a high quality tap that offer innovative and interesting designs in tapware.

8. Nobili

Nobili offers tapware that is affordable using European styling for an Australian market. Another quality mixer that offers great design and style.

9. Laufen

Laufen is becoming a popular name in bathroom brands due to its Swiss roots. Laufen offers innovative and out of the box options for bathroom tapware and fixtures. Loved what I saw in the Reece showroom. A quality tap that is known for it’s design and extra features.

10. Posh and Porcher

For a basic mixer that will do the job in high traffic areas, where design is not the focus, but quality is, Posh and Porcher mixers are the perfect solution. Many plumbers keep these brand of mixers in stock on their ute (we did) for the clients who weren’t particular about a mixer style, but needed a quick fix.

Have you had to choose new tap mixers? Which brand of mixers did you choose? Which mixers would you choose from this mix?

Last week on Home Improvement Thursday, Michelle from Jarrah Jungle shared how they painted the eaves on their home which they have been renovating.

We also had Tash from Home of Marble and Mint give an update with her house renovation – sharing a setback that all too often rears it’s head when you renovate.