Who we are
A Yorkshire family firm, built on doing it properly.
Watertight Bathrooms was founded in 2018 by Paul Tarbard and remains a genuinely family-run Yorkshire firm. It grew from a straightforward conviction: that a bathroom should be designed and fitted by one team you can actually get to know — not passed between a designer, a plumber, an electrician and a tiler who have never met.
So everything is in-house. There are twelve of us, including seven dedicated bathroom fitters, and between us we carry over 150 years of combined bathroom experience. Read the Google reviews and the same fitters are thanked by name — Ashley, whose “tiling in particular is perfect”; Tris, “an exceptional craftsman”; Brandon, Tim and Alison on design. Nothing is subcontracted, which is exactly why the finish is so consistent.
You can see the ranges in person at two Yorkshire showrooms — Harrogate (Coppice Gate) and Horsforth, Leeds — with displays from Porcelanosa, Hansgrohe, Ca' Pietra, Novellini and more. Every project runs the full length: a design appointment, a 3D CAD presentation, a home survey, then installation over a typical ten-plus days, with the old suite removed, waste cleared daily, and the price fixed and all-inclusive — electrician, plasterer and decorating included.
We're a CHAS-approved contractor and a council-approved mobility-bathroom supplier for York, Kirklees and Wakefield councils. And the record speaks plainly: a five-star rating on Google, a perfect 10/10 across more than a hundred Checkatrade reviews, and a two-year labour guarantee behind every private installation.
5★
Rated on Google
150+
Years combined experience
2018
Family-run since
Inside our Harrogate showroom — the team talking a project through in front of a full bathroom display.
The people you'll meet
One team, named in the reviews.
You won't be handed between strangers. The people who design and fit your bathroom are our own — twelve of them, including seven fitters — and the same names customers thank in their reviews.
Paul Tarbard
Founder
Founded Watertight Bathrooms in 2018 and still leads the family-run firm today. The person behind a team with over 150 years of combined bathroom experience — and behind the promise that every project is fitted by our own people, never subcontractors.
Our in-house fitters
Seven bathroom fitters
Reviewers thank them by name — Ashley, Tris, Brandon and the rest of the team. They arrive at 8am, clear and clean the house every evening, and are singled out again and again for attention to detail and tidiness.
Our showroom designers
Tim, Alison & the design team
The people who sit with you in the Harrogate or Horsforth showroom, plan the room in CAD and visit your home before any work begins. Named in the reviews as the ones whose ideas transformed the finished bathroom.
What stands behind the work
The reasons to trust us with your home.
A Yorkshire family firm you can rely on
Founded in 2018 by Paul Tarbard
A genuine family-run Yorkshire business, not a national franchise. Paul still leads a team that between them carry over 150 years of combined bathroom experience — twelve people, including seven dedicated bathroom fitters.
Two Yorkshire showrooms to visit
See full European bathroom displays in person at our Harrogate showroom (Coppice Gate, HG1 2DR) or in Horsforth, Leeds (LS18 4QB). A bathroom is a considered purchase — the showroom lets you compare finishes before you commit.
CHAS-approved contractor
We are a CHAS-approved contractor — independently assessed for health, safety and competence. It is the kind of accreditation that separates a professional operation from a one-van outfit, and it matters most on the work you can't see.
The record behind the work
Rated 5 stars on Google
An unbroken five-star rating on Google — customers describe a 'stress free' process, work carried out 'expertly and with minimal disruption', and fitters they'd welcome back. Read them and the same praise recurs: quality, tidiness, and being kept informed.
10/10 on Checkatrade, 100+ times over
On Checkatrade — the independent trade-vetting platform — Watertight holds a perfect 10/10 across more than a hundred verified reviews. It is the clearest, most independent signal there is of how consistently the work lands.
Council-approved for mobility bathrooms
We are an approved mobility-bathroom supplier for York, Kirklees and Wakefield councils — trusted to deliver accessible, adapted bathrooms to a public-body standard. Private accessible work is welcome too.
Care & maintenance guide
Keeping a new bathroom looking new.
A new bathroom is worth looking after, and a little routine care keeps quality finishes looking their best. Private installations carry our two-year labour guarantee, so anything that isn't right, we'll put right — but here's what the Watertight team suggests to keep a bathroom in top condition, area by area.
Tiling & grout
Keep it sealed
- Wipe walls and screens down after a shower — it's the simplest way to stop soap and limescale marking the tiling and grout.
- Re-seal the silicone around baths, trays and basins as soon as it discolours or lifts, before water can get behind it.
- Clean natural stone and porcelain with pH-neutral products; strong bathroom cleaners can dull the very surface you chose.
Brassware & fittings
Protect the finish
- Dry brushed and coloured taps after use — limescale and cleaning sprays are the two things most likely to mark a premium finish.
- Use only a soft cloth and mild soapy water; avoid abrasive creams and anything acidic on living finishes.
- If a tap starts to drip or a handle loosens within the guarantee period, call us rather than forcing it — that's what the guarantee is for.
Showers & wet rooms
Keep it clear
- Squeegee glass screens and enclosures after each use to stop limescale building on the glass.
- Descale shower heads and handsets gently to keep the spray pattern even — never force the nozzles.
- Keep wet-room and shower drains clear of hair and debris so the CAD-planned falls can do their job.
Guarantee & aftercare
We're still here
- Keep a note of your specification — knowing the exact products fitted makes any future match or repair straightforward.
- Private installations carry a two-year labour guarantee (12 months on council-funded work) — keep the details to hand.
- Planning another bathroom or an adaptation? Come back to the showroom — we already know your home and what will match it.
What customers say
Every star earned in someone's home.
“Excellent company! We wanted advice regarding changing our very small en-suite with shower cubicle into a wet room so visited both the Horsforth and Harrogate showrooms. After an initial discussion with Tim the designer in the showroom, followed by a home visit we decided to proceed and wow what a…”
“This is the second time I've used Watertight Bathrooms, this time for my ensuite & again I am very happy with the results. The whole process from my selection of the high quality products to the actual fitting was stress free. I was pleased to have the same fitter, Ashley who works hard & displays…”
“Excellent service from planning the new bathroom with Tim to the fitting done by Brandon. Great quality finish, great products. Kept informed throughout via the Whatsapp group. Very happy with the result. Would definitely recommend.”
“We're delighted with our new en suite bathroom and enjoyed working with the team at Watertight Bathrooms. Alison really helped us with her design ideas and the installation team were friendly, tidy and hard working. As ever with these projects there were a few hiccoughs along the way but the whole…”