Meet the Member – Craig Gilhome

Studying traditional subjects such as maths and English didn’t come easily to Craig Gilhome. Like 10% of the population, he has dyslexia, which makes it difficult for him to process and remember information. However, when it came to practical tasks, Craig thrived.

“My parents suggested that I go into a trade,” he recalls. “I loved solving problems, so I chose plumbing and heating engineering.”

Craig enrolled on a two-year Youth Training Scheme (YTS), just shy of his 16th birthday. The course, managed by the Manpower Services Commission, provided on-the-job training for school leavers. Alongside this, Craig also earned a City & Guilds Craft and Advanced Craft qualification at Newcastle College, working for a local plumber.

“As an apprentice I was given a variety of jobs, bending pipes and installing washbasins and toilets,” he recalls. “In college, we did a lot of practical work like fitting pipes in a mock-up house. Knowing how expensive materials are now, I imagine apprentices don’t have as much hands-on experience.”

Career progression

Shortly after completing his apprenticeship aged 21, Craig started work at M Wilson Plumbing & Heating in Hexham. He worked on gas, oil and solid fuel heating systems, and also did some building work, such as creating oil tank bases.

“I worked with M Wilson for a decade on a range of projects – from country estates to new developments,” explains Craig. “I started out as a jobbing plumber and went on to run sites, working unaided for months on end.”

Craig then worked for a fireplace showroom installing gas fireplaces, before moving to Simpson & Gregg, where he fitted boilers, radiators and bathrooms into new-build houses.

Going it alone

Craig’s experience running sites for his previous employer, and the fact that he was being asked to do work for other companies, gave him the confidence to start his own business in 2003.

“At the time I was buying a house, and my wife Suzanne and I were expecting our first child,” explains Craig. “I was at a crossroads and it felt like the right time to go it alone.”

It wasn’t easy though. Craig worked 80 to 90 hours a week for the first three or four years, never turning down work and trying to build a reputation. Suzanne does all the administration work for the business.

“I now mostly work on large, bespoke new-build homes – the type you see on Grand Designs,” explains Craig. “I get to work in some fantastic places and carry out prestige work. I recently finished working on a large five-bedroom house which had a ground source heat pump, MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery), as well as a solar PV system. I installed the bathrooms and underfloor heating, which were connected to the low-temperature heating systems.

“I seem to have found a niche in the market between the domestic and commercial sectors. A typical plumber doesn’t want to take on a job this big, while it’s too small for commercial set-ups. I don’t have a website, but I’m so busy that I don’t need to advertise.”

Team building

Craig decided to take on an apprentice in 2023 – Jack is now in his second year and has started to work independently.

“The subcontractors either weren’t up to the standard I expected, were unreliable or wanted too much money,” explains Craig. “Taking on an apprentice is definitely an investment because the government only covers the cost of the course, which can be difficult for lone installers. However, an apprentice can be a big asset, as you can mould them into the type of tradesperson that you want them to be.”

According to Craig, it’s increasingly difficult to get younger people interested in careers in the plumbing and heating industry. “I’m in my fifties and most people I know in the trade are around the same age. The question is, who will be carrying out manual work in 20 years’ time if there aren’t enough people entering the heating and plumbing industry?

“The UK education system is stacked towards A Levels and degrees, and careers like plumbing are viewed as a last resort. It’s important that kids learn about different careers and the ways in which they can enter the plumbing and heating sector.”

Sharing skills

Craig has been a member of the CIPHE for over 20 years. He started attending local meetings in Newcastle after a friend suggested that he join.

“It’s important to be a CIPHE member – it offers professional recognition, as well as practical support and continued professional development,” he explains. “People like Jerry Whiteley (technical manager) and Mike Maskrey (training manager) are knowledgeable and passionate, provide great support to members and are working hard to make improvements to the industry.

“I volunteer on the CIPHE Plumbing employers’ group, offering feedback on a potential new plumbing qualification. That’s important, because when the government makes decisions that can have a big impact on the industry, they often don’t hear enough from the people on the ground.”

Keen to give back to the industry, Craig founded a group with fellow installer, Richard Weir. With a focus on low temperature heating for installers, they meet for a couple of hours each month, covering topics such as heat pumps – including heat loss calculations – pump sizing, controls and adjusting radiators to work with low-temperature heating.

“We need to educate from within and dispel the misconception that heat pumps don’t work,” asserts Craig. “I encourage members to take CIPHE’s low temperature heating and hot water qualification, as well as others. We also have a WhatsApp group where people can ask questions, which has proved really helpful.”

CRAIG'S ACHIEVEMENTS

Qualifications

• City & Guilds Craft and Advanced Craft in plumbing
• OFTEC 10 & 105: installation of oil and bio-liquid-fuelled fixed combustion appliances and systems
• OFTEC 600A: oil storage requirements
• ACS Core: gas boilers, cookers and fires
• LCL Unvented Hot Water
• CIPHE Low Temperature Heating and Hot Water Systems
• NIBE Ground and air source heat pump heating and maintenance
• Heat Geek Awakening and Mastery
• Warmur Academy Hydronics for Domestic Heating Engineers

Awards

• Heating Installer Awards North East winner for the past three years