One accountable team
Our own maintenance team does the work, so there is no gap between who found the problem and who fixes it.
Joinery in ShetlandRepairs, Replacements andImprovement Work
Get the timber work done by the same team that maintains the rest of the property, repairs and improvements carried out properly, by people who will still be here next year.
17 years' property experience · Our own maintenance team · Free, no-obligation estimate
17 years' experience
In Shetland property
Shetland & Orkney
Lerwick-based team
Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm
Local office hours
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Overview
What joinery involves
Our joinery service covers repairs, replacements and improvement work in timber, carried out by Arthur & Simpson's own maintenance team rather than subcontracted out.
That ranges from the small and urgent, a rotten section of fascia, a door that no longer closes, a failed sill, through to planned improvement work inside and outside the property.
Because we also clean and maintain the outside of buildings, we are usually the ones who found the problem in the first place. Fixing it with the same team removes the gap where a job gets reported, quoted by someone else, and then sits for six months.
Why professional work matters here
Timber repair in an exposed island climate is about detailing as much as carpentry. Work that does not shed water simply fails again in a couple of winters.
Rot is rarely where you first see it. Opening up properly, finding the extent and dealing with the moisture source is the difference between a repair and a recurring problem.
Our own team carries out the work, so accountability does not disappear between a main contractor and a subcontractor.
Who it is for
- Homeowners with timber that has failed, moved or worn out and needs putting right
- Landlords and property managers needing reliable repair work between or during tenancies
- Owners carrying out improvement work who want one accountable team
- Anyone who has had a repair reported by a survey or a previous trade and needs it actioned
When it is needed
- Soft, discoloured or crumbling timber at a fascia, sill, frame or wallhead
- Doors and windows that stick, drop, or no longer close and seal
- Damaged, storm-affected or weather-worn external timber
- Rot found during gutter clearing, roof work or a property inspection
- Planned improvement work where good timber detailing matters
What It Costs To Ignore
What happens if it is left
Timber decay does not stay local. Once water is getting into a fascia, a sill or a frame, the damp spreads along the grain and into whatever is fixed to it, and by the time the paint is visibly blistering the section behind it is usually well gone.
Wind-driven rain accelerates all of it here. A small open joint on a sheltered mainland property might take years to cause trouble; on an exposed elevation in Shetland it is taking water directly, repeatedly, every time the weather comes in.
Delay changes the job. A length of fascia replaced early is straightforward joinery; the same defect left for three winters can mean rafter feet, wallplate and internal finishes, and by then it is scaffolding and a considerably bigger invoice.
Common mistakes we are called out to
- Filling and painting over rot instead of cutting back to sound timber
- Replacing the damaged section without fixing the water source that caused it
- Using unsuitable or untreated timber on an exposed elevation
- Leaving end grain unsealed and unprotected where water will sit
- Waiting for the repair to become urgent, by which point it has doubled in scope
Our Process
How we carry out joinery
Step 01
Inspection
We look at the affected timber, probe for the extent of any decay and work out where the water is coming from.
Step 02
Diagnosis and clear pricing
You get a straight explanation of what has happened, what the repair involves and what it will cost, including honest scope where opening up may reveal more.
Step 03
Preparation
Access is set up, materials are selected for the exposure and location, and the working area is protected.
Step 04
The work
Decayed material is cut back to sound timber and new work is fitted and fixed properly, with the detailing set up to shed water rather than trap it.
Step 05
Finishing and protection
New timber is finished and protected appropriately so it survives what this climate throws at it.
Step 06
Completion and tidy
We clear up, take the waste away, and walk the work with you so you can see exactly what was done.
Benefits
What you actually get out of it
The cause dealt with
We fix why the timber failed, not just the timber. Otherwise the repair is on a timer.
Detailing built for this climate
Work specified and finished for wind-driven rain and salt air, not for a sheltered mainland street.
Small jobs actually get done
The repairs that nobody wants to turn out for are exactly the ones that stop bigger bills later.
Combined with other work
Joinery can be carried out alongside roof, gutter or cleaning work while access is already in place.
Property-owner perspective
This business grew out of property management, so we price and plan work the way an owner needs it.
In Detail
Joinery, methods, materials and situations
Work we carry out
- Fascia, soffit, bargeboard and external trim repair and replacement
- Window sill, frame and door frame repairs
- Door hanging, adjustment, replacement and ironmongery
- Decking, steps, handrails and external timber structures
- Internal joinery: skirtings, facings, doors, shelving and fitted work
- Floor and stair repairs where timber has moved or decayed
- Sheds, outbuildings and timber-clad structures
- Storm damage repair to external timber
Repair or replace
Where decay is limited and the surrounding timber is sound, cutting out and splicing in new material is often the right answer: less disruption, lower cost, and it keeps the original detail on older properties.
Where decay is extensive, or the component has simply reached the end of its life, replacement is more economical than repeated patching. We tell you which situation you are in and why, rather than defaulting to whichever suits us.
Timber and exposure
Material choice matters more here than almost anywhere. Exposed elevations need properly treated or naturally durable timber, correct fixings that will not corrode in salt air, and finishes that can be maintained rather than stripped back every few years.
Detailing is the other half: drips, falls, sealed end grain and ventilated construction. Timber that can dry out lasts; timber that cannot, does not: regardless of what it was treated with.
Where we usually find rot
- Under and behind gutters that have been overflowing
- At sills and the lower rails of window frames
- Bargeboards and verge detail on exposed gables
- Door thresholds and the base of frames
- Wallhead timbers where the roof drainage has failed
- Decking joists and the point where timber meets masonry or ground
Residential and commercial
For homeowners, most of this is reactive work that needs doing properly and without fuss, and we are equally happy taking on planned improvement projects.
For landlords and managing agents, timber repairs are usually about keeping property lettable and preventing a small defect turning into a void period. We can schedule work around tenancies and report back on condition.
Planning and scheduling the work
Urgent repairs, anything letting water into the building, get treated as urgent. Planned improvement work is scheduled properly, with materials ordered in advance so the job runs continuously instead of stopping for a delivery from the mainland.
Being an island business shapes that. Lead times on materials are longer here, so we plan for them rather than discovering them halfway through your job, and we tell you up front where a delivery affects the programme.
Where We Work
Joinery across Shetland and Orkney
We are based on Commercial Street in Lerwick and travel across both island groups for cleaning and maintenance work.
Shetland
- Lerwick (base)
- Scalloway
- Brae
- Sandwick
- Whalsay
- Bressay
Orkney
- Kirkwall
- Stromness
- St Margaret's Hope
More detail on the areas we cover is on the homepage areas section.
Questions
Joinery: the things people ask first
How much does joinery work cost?
Every job is different, so we look at the work, explain the scope and give you a clear price. Where opening up may reveal more decay we tell you that up front rather than surprising you mid-job. Estimates are free.
How quickly can you start?
It depends on our current schedule and what the job involves. Call 01595 747045 during office hours, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, and we will be straight with you about timescales.
Do you take on small repairs?
Yes. Small timber repairs are exactly the work that prevents large bills later, and they are a normal part of what our maintenance team does.
Can you repair rot rather than replace the whole thing?
Often, yes: where the surrounding timber is sound, cutting out and splicing in new material is a proper repair. Where decay is extensive, replacement is the better value option and we will say so.
Do you do internal joinery as well as external?
Yes. Doors, skirtings, facings, fitted work, stairs and floor repairs are all within what the team does.
Will the repair last in island weather?
That is the point of specifying it properly: suitable timber, corrosion-resistant fixings, detailing that sheds water, and a finish that can be maintained.
Can you do joinery at the same time as roof or gutter work?
Yes, and it is usually more efficient. If access is already set up for cleaning or roof work, related timber repairs can be done in the same visit.
Do you cover Orkney?
Yes. We work across the Shetland Islands and Orkney from 68 Commercial Street in Lerwick.
Can you carry out improvement projects, not just repairs?
Yes. Property improvement work is how the business started, and the same team handles joinery, insulation, roofing and maintenance.
Related Work
Other work the same team handles
Free Estimate
Get the timber work priced and done
Tell us what has failed or what you want built. We will look at it, explain what the repair involves and give you a clear price: free, with no obligation.
property@arthurandsimpson.com
68 Commercial Street, Lerwick, Shetland ZE2 9EZ
Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm · Closed Sat & Sun
17 years' property experience · Lerwick-based team · Free, no-obligation estimates