A Conversation with David Robinson on the Building to Last Podcast
WLV Plumbing & Heating director David recently joined Andy Steadman on the Building to Last podcast to talk about his journey through the heating industry, the growth of WLV and what he has learned from seeing the trade from both sides, as an engineer and as a customer.
The conversation started with David’s own home extension project, which gave him a very different perspective on what it feels like to invite tradespeople into your home, trust them with a major project and rely on good communication from start to finish.
Seeing Things From the Customer’s Side
David has spent around 20 years working in customers’ homes, but going through a major home improvement project himself brought many of those experiences into sharper focus.
Finding the right builder was not straightforward. There were missed appointments, poor communication and companies that were only interested in completing certain parts of the job rather than managing the project as a whole.
What David wanted was simple: someone professional, reliable and able to take responsibility for the whole project.
Once the right team was in place, the difference was clear.
“We just knew at every stage what was going on.”
Good communication meant that even during the most disruptive parts of the build, the experience was less stressful than David had expected.
That experience reinforced something that has always been important to us at WLV: customers should know what is happening, who is coming to their home and what happens next.
Why Reviews and Reputation Matter
David also spoke about how difficult it can be for homeowners to know who they can trust.
Recommendations are useful, but today customers can also look at reviews, testimonials, previous projects and the overall reputation a company has built over time.
This is something particularly close to David’s heart.
“Our reviews is one of the things I’m most proud of.”
For us, the best reviews are not simply the ones saying the boiler works or the repair was completed. They are the reviews that mention our engineers as people, that the customer felt comfortable having them in their home, received good advice and would recommend WLV to friends or family.
That trust is something we never want to take for granted.
How WLV Began
WLV started with David, Scott and Adam, who all previously worked together at British Gas.
In the early days, the business was very firmly centred around boilers, gas and heating. In David’s words, they saw themselves as heating engineers rather than plumbers and would sometimes even turn plumbing enquiries away.
Over time, that thinking changed.
Customers were not interested in labels. They simply wanted somebody they trusted to solve the problem in front of them.
“People can call me whatever they want… plumber, heating engineer. We try to offer solutions.”
That approach has helped shape the wider WLV service today.
From Three Engineers to a Growing Local Team
What began with David, Scott and Adam has developed into a much larger team.
David talks in the interview about how WLV has grown to include heating engineers, plumbers and other trusted specialists, allowing the business to help customers with far more than it could in its earliest days.
But growth has never simply been about having more vans on the road.
As the business developed, David says the team:
“really found the love for what we do.”
That is something we want to protect as WLV continues to grow.
Where the Idea for WLV Really Started
David’s interest in doing things differently actually began before WLV existed.
While working at British Gas, he started promoting Hive smart heating controls through Facebook Marketplace. It was an unusual approach at the time, but it generated significant interest and led to David being given more freedom to promote Hive and other products.
That experience gave him confidence that there might be another way of doing things.
“Maybe this has given me the confidence to go on and create a company that I’m happy with, that I’m proud of.”
For David, that meant building a business where the team could make decisions based on what was right for the customer, communicate honestly and provide genuine options rather than simply following a fixed process.
Serving Rather Than Selling
One theme that comes through strongly in the interview is David’s approach to sales.
For us, it is not about convincing somebody to buy something they do not need. It is about understanding the problem and giving customers the right information to make their own decision.
David explains:
“We’re always very honest, very clear. We try and give people options to problems, not just one solution.”
And later:
“We’re serving them and making sure we give them what they need rather than selling to them something that they don’t.”
That is a simple way of explaining how we want every WLV conversation to feel.
Doing the Job Properly
The same approach applies to the practical work our engineers carry out.
During the interview, David talks specifically about boiler servicing and how WLV works towards manufacturer servicing standards rather than treating every boiler service as a quick checklist.
The team regularly invests time in manufacturer training, product knowledge and learning additional checks that can improve the service customers receive.
As David puts it:
“We try and show to them that we’re doing the absolute best job that we possibly can while we’re in their homes.”
That probably sums up the standard we want across WLV better than anything else.
Traditional Experience, Modern Service
WLV may have been founded by three traditional gas engineers, but the business has continued to evolve.
David talks about embracing online booking, reminders, on-route messages, follow-up communication, automation and newer heating technologies.
The approach to new technology remains straightforward:
“If it’s going to solve an issue, if it’s a good solution for our customers, then absolutely we want to be on board with that.”
That means continuing to learn, train and adapt without chasing technology simply because it is new.
Building Relationships That Last
Towards the end of the interview, David is asked what Building to Last means to him.
His answer comes back to relationships.
WLV does not want to complete one job, collect payment and disappear. Wherever possible, we want to become the plumbing and heating company customers return to year after year.
“We want to be that company that is returning to those customers… year on year.”
Over time, those relationships often extend beyond one customer to their friends, parents, grandparents and wider family.
“We build up that trust and we build up that relationship.”
For us, that is what building WLV for the long term really means.
Watch David’s Full Interview
In the full episode, David talks about his experience as a homeowner, the origins of WLV, customer service, reviews, training, new heating technology and what it means to build a business that lasts.
Meet the People Behind WLV
WLV Plumbing & Heating is built around experienced local engineers who believe in doing things properly, communicating clearly and giving customers solutions that are right for their homes.
