To the loyal, existing customers of UIL, welcome back – hopefully you can see some new subtle changes to the website and it is easier for you to navigate.

To the new customers, hello and welcome! Thanks for taking a look at the blog and getting this far, hopefully you find something useful here.

Now that the site is undergoing a renovation we plan for the blog to become a regular feature: keeping you informed and up to date with the business goings on, whilst also sharing regular tips, guides, “how to” articles and even debunking some common misconceptions.

The blog will be a less formal area for some chit chat, a bit of moaning or getting issues off our chest, news, and a glimpse into personal lives and maybe even hobbies.

For those of you who don’t know about the past of Upcycle Interiors – the idea was conceived in Q1 2015, but was not formally incorporated at Companies House until June 2018, around this time Mark was a sole trader, trading as Upcycle Interiors.

With Checkatrade reviews dating back over a year, it's about time I gave you my thoughts and opinions on it, after all, this is a blog, right? So what better place to air my views!

So what do I think? It is good! Yup, that's pretty much it, CheckaTrade is good, well actually, maybe I'm being unfair- it's excellent. And no, they're not paying me to say that. Let me explain - of all the trade directories and lead generation sites I have used CheckaTrade does the most stringent checks and is head and shoulders above the rest. If you find a company or tradesperson listed on their site then personally I believe they are professional, trustworthy and serious. I don't think you will find cowboys or "fly-by-night" types on there and the monthly fee certainly puts off the people who are just looking for a little bit of extra pocket money.

I took the plunge: quit my full-time (secure) job so I could set up professionally. In June 2018 we were finally incorporated at Companies House. The step had to be taken, there just aren't enough hours in the day to work for someone else whilst trying to do my own thing and pursue my passion. To be honest, the idea has been in my mind since I was studying my GCSEs at age 14/15 and I designed a small housing development... I always thought I would have my own firm. Then in 2007 during my Post-Grad studies I really refined my style and started testing ideas.