Who we are
A Yorkshire family business, fitting bathrooms our own way.
Watertight Bathrooms was founded in 2018 by Paul Tarbard and is run as a Yorkshire family business. Today it has two showrooms — at Coppice Gate in Harrogate and in Horsforth, Leeds — displaying full European bathroom ranges you can see and touch before you commit to anything.
What makes Watertight different is that everything stays in-house. Twelve staff, seven of them bathroom fitters, with more than 150 years of combined experience between them. No subcontractors. The designer who plans your bathroom, the fitters who build it and the team you deal with afterwards all answer to the same firm — and to you.
Read the reviews and the same names keep appearing: Tim and Alison in the showroom, Ashley, Tris and Brandon on the tools. Customers describe a process that is “stress free from start to finish”, one all-inclusive price that includes “electrician, plasterer and decorating”, and daily updates through a WhatsApp group. It earns a straight 5 stars on Google and a 10 out of 10 on Checkatrade.
We are a CHAS-approved contractor and a council-approved mobility bathroom supplier for York, Kirklees and Wakefield — so alongside family bathrooms, en-suites and wet rooms, we fit accessible bathrooms both privately and on council-funded work.
5.0★
Rated on Google
150+ yrs
Combined experience
2
Yorkshire showrooms
2018
Family-run since
The people you'll meet
Named in the reviews, again and again.
You won't be passed around subcontractors. The people who design and build your bathroom are the people customers thank by name.
Paul Tarbard
Founder
Founded Watertight Bathrooms in 2018 and built it into a Yorkshire family-run business with two showrooms and an in-house team of fitters — no subcontractors, one relationship from design to handover.
Tim
Bathroom Designer
Named by customers as the designer who plans the room with them in the showroom — 'excellent service from planning the new bathroom with Tim', and the person Linda met before her wet-room transformation.
Alison
Bathroom Designer
Praised by Karen for her design ideas on a new en-suite — the designer who helps clients picture the finished room before a single fitting begins.
Ashley
Bathroom Fitter
The fitter Sharon asked for by name a second time — 'works hard & displays great attention to detail… the tiling in particular is perfect', clean and tidy, floors cleaned every night.
Tris
Bathroom Fitter
Described by Linda as 'an exceptional craftsman' who fit out her wet room and suggested small tweaks that enhanced the finished design.
Brandon
Bathroom Fitter
The fitter behind Tony's new bathroom — 'great quality finish, great products', with updates kept flowing throughout via the project WhatsApp group.
What stands behind the work
The reasons to trust us in your home.
A team you can rely on
In-house fitters, no subcontractors
Design, supply and fit all sit under one roof. Our own seven bathroom fitters carry out the work — so quality is controlled by us, and the person who quoted your job is the person who sees it through.
Over 150 years of combined experience
The Watertight team brings more than 150 years of combined bathroom experience between them. It shows in the tiling, the finish and the small tweaks a good craftsman spots before you do.
CHAS-approved contractor
We hold CHAS accreditation — an independent check on our health, safety and competence as a contractor. It is the kind of credential that matters when a team is working inside your home for ten days or more.
Trusted by councils and clients alike
Council-approved for mobility bathrooms
We are an approved mobility bathroom supplier for York, Kirklees and Wakefield councils — installing accessible, walk-in and easy-access bathrooms on council-funded work, as well as for private clients.
Rated 5 stars on Google — and 10/10 on Checkatrade
A perfect 5-star rating on Google and a 10 out of 10 score across more than a hundred Checkatrade reviews. Two independent records, both unbroken, both pointing the same way.
Daily updates, daily clean-up
A WhatsApp group keeps you updated every day. Fitters arrive at 8am and remove all waste before they leave — reviewers describe floors cleaned each night and disruption 'really kept to a minimum'.
Care & guarantee guide
Keeping a new bathroom looking new.
A new bathroom is an investment worth looking after — and a little care keeps premium tiling, brassware and glass looking their best. Here is what the Watertight team suggests, area by area, plus a reminder of the guarantee that stands behind the work.
Brassware & taps
Protect the finish
- Wipe taps and shower valves dry after use — limescale and harsh sprays are the two things most likely to mark a premium finish over time.
- Clean with only a soft cloth and mild soapy water; avoid abrasive creams and anything acidic, which can dull or etch living finishes.
- If a cartridge starts to drip or a handle loosens within the guarantee, tell us — it's our labour and we'll put it right.
Tiling & grout
Keep it sealed
- Reseal the silicone around baths, trays and basins as soon as it discolours or lifts, before water can get behind the tiling.
- Clean tiles with pH-neutral products — strong bathroom cleaners can dull porcelain and natural stone such as Ca' Pietra ranges.
- Wipe down freshly tiled areas gently for the first couple of weeks while everything fully cures.
Showers, wet rooms & glass
Keep it clear
- Squeegee glass screens and enclosures after showering — the single easiest way to stop limescale building on the glass.
- In a wet room, keep the drain and its trap clear so the CAD-planned falls can do their job.
- Descale shower heads and handsets gently to keep the spray even — never force the nozzles.
Your guarantee
We're still here
- Private installations carry a two-year guarantee on our labour; council-funded work carries twelve months.
- Because the whole job was ours from the start, aftercare is simple — you deal with the same team that designed and built the room.
- Planning another bathroom or an extra en-suite? Come back to the showroom — we already know your home and what will match it.
What clients say
Every star earned in a Yorkshire 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…”
“I have just had a shower room built by this firm and the entire experience was exceptionally good. The room is exactly what I required and the work was carried out expertly and with minimal disruption to my routine. Everyone was extremely kind and helpful. I recommend the firm very much and will…”
“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…”