First Gate Homes painting and decorating

We hired Brian after getting recommendations from others that have used his services. He is a lovely guy, who is so easy to get on with ( have not laughed so much in ages) we asked him to do some wallpaper at our old house, and having been impressed, asked him to decorate our new bungalow, painting all rooms and wallpapering the lounge and Bedroom. Brian moved other small jobs so that he could go into our new house the week before we moved our furniture in, the finish and attention to detail was amazing and we would highly recommend him to anyone wants any area of their home decorated. While talking to Brian, we found that he also does gardens, so asked him to make over the blank space of a garden we had in our new home! With a mixture of plants we brought with us and new plants, he converted a very plain space into another room but outside, so again would recommend his work if it’s garden services you require? Not only is Brian’s work amazing, it’s all done at a very reasonable price. Thank you Brian

Brian recently decorated our hall, stairs and landing. We are delighted with the work, and just as important, Brian was prompt, reliable and a pleasure to have in our home. Will definitely use again.

Brian decorated my mum house, three rooms, he was very polite, friendly and punctual He also worked to high standard we were very happy with his work

Brian is a wonderful painter, he turned on time and did what I asked of him, he was reliable and trust worthy and the painting was great if you want any interior painting done then call Brian it will be worth it - thanks Brian it looks lovely Helen

Having purchased my first house and selecting trades to renovate the property, I chose Brian from First Gate Homes to paint the property entirely throughout. Unfortunately due to unforeseen events, the timescale got reduced to one week for the painting to be completed by. Brian being the confident decorator assured me he and his team were up to the job, and had no concerns completing the job on time. During the job I noticed a number of inconsistencies, which I highlighted to Brian. Mainly these included white patches on the freshly painted grey walls. Brian would go round “touching up” these areas, but unfortunately the walls had not had sufficient grey paint applied. In many of the areas of the hallway where the touch up paint was applied, darker streaks can be seen against the original paint. After completing the job, I paid Brian in full, but shortly after noticed a number of problems throughout the house listed below. In every single room in the property I’ve had at least one grey wall, every single grey wall the mist coat can still be seen, which shows white patchy marks all over. One room no skirting boards had been painted whatsoever. The finish between the walls and ceilings is terrible in every room, and paint is on the ceilings where masking tape hasn’t been used at the edge of the walls. (Most noticeable is one of the photos attached which is in the landing above the stairs which is out of reach for me to get to, to rectify) One door has been completely missed in the lounge which still looks yellow Inside the cupboards haven’t been painted whatsoever, just mist coat. In one room I attempted to “touch up” the grey paint having used the paint Brian left, but it comes out an entirely darker shade than the original paint. I can only assume this is because I was advised it’s fine for the walls to be painted whilst the plaster is still wet. I contacted Brian asking for the long list of issues to rectified. Brian called me and tried to blame me for the faults, assuring that it had been done to the best standard. I advised that I wanted the works to be rectified as I was hoping to leave a review. At this stage Brian advised “if you leave a bad review I’ll advise every decorator in Portsmouth to avoid you.” Now, 6 months on, having attempted to resolve the issues, I once again contacted Brian asking for a date for him to visit. Brian advised he’d visit after his 2nd Covid jab. Understanding, I asked what date he’d be able to visit following the vaccination, but Brian refused to confirm a date, and instead told me to “grow up” and “show some maturity” A very strange way to talk to a customer who has been perfectly polite. Brian has since threatened that I’ll be hearing from his solicitor, which is amusing as all I’ve simply asked is a date to be confirmed to rectify the issues. I’m now having to pay a professional painter and decorator to visit my property to rectify some of the issues. Throughout recent months I’ve spent numerous hours rectifying paint issues throughout, time I unfortunately will not get back.