Two generations of
Southampton plumbing.
One borrowed van in Shirley. Fourteen on the road today. The surname over the door hasn't changed — and neither has the standard.
A borrowed van and
a stubborn streak.
Tom Draper started out in 1987 with a van borrowed from his brother-in-law, a set of second-hand tools and a round of jobs in Shirley he'd picked up by knocking on doors. He undercut nobody. He just turned up when he said he would — which, it turned out, was rare enough to build a business on.
By the time his sons James and Robert were old enough to hold a torch steady under a sink, Saturdays meant riding along in the van. Both did their apprenticeships elsewhere — Tom insisted on it — and both came back. They've run the firm together since 2011, and Tom still phones James most Fridays to ask if the vans are clean.
“Do it properly or don't do it at all.”
— Tom Draper, 1987
The story so far.
No dramatic pivots, no rebrand, no private equity. Just one more van whenever the phone rang more than the last fourteen could answer.
Plenty of the houses we visit now are ones Tom first worked on in the nineties — same address, second generation of homeowner, second generation of Draper.
See recent projects →Founded in Shirley
Tom Draper fits his first boiler from a borrowed van. The promise that still runs the firm is made in the first week.
First apprentice
Tom takes on his first apprentice — and starts the tradition that every engineer here trains someone behind them.
Tenth van on the road
The fleet reaches double figures and the round stretches beyond the city — Totton, Eastleigh and Chandler's Ford join the map.
James & Robert take over
The second generation steps up. Tom hands over the keys, keeps his opinion on van cleanliness, and retires — mostly.
40,000th job completed
A leaking radiator valve in Bitterne, as it happens. The homeowner got a bunch of flowers with the invoice.
Today — 14 vans strong
Fourteen vans, a workshop in Meridian Business Park, and most new work still arriving the old way: a neighbour's recommendation.
The faces at your door.
Every engineer is named before they arrive and shows ID at the door. Here are four of the people you might meet.
James Draper
Tom's eldest. Quotes every big job personally and still keeps a full toolkit in the boot, just in case.
Robert Draper
Runs the schedule, the fleet and the phones. If an engineer told you a time, Robert is why they kept it.
Priya Sharma
Fifteen years on the tools and our go-to for the jobs other firms have given up on. Trains the apprentices too.
Marcus Webb
Joined at eighteen, already trusted with his own call-outs. Ask him about stopcocks — he will not stop.
Team shown is fictional — demo website.
Three rules, no small print.
Straight answers
If it's a £10 washer, we say so. The price you're quoted is the price you pay, and if a job isn't worth doing, we'll tell you before you spend a penny.
Tidy work
Dust sheets down before the toolbox opens, and the kitchen left cleaner than we found it. Tom's rule since 1987; nobody has dared break it since.
Local first
Southampton engineers, Southampton suppliers, Southampton apprentices. We sponsor the under-11s in Shirley and we answer to our neighbours, literally.
Qualified, registered, insured.
*Fictional accreditations shown for demo illustration only.
Thirty-nine years in.
Yours could be job number 41,001.
Drop us a line about anything from a dripping tap to a full refit — a Draper, or someone trained by one, will get back to you.