find a trusty tradesman

blibblob_2

and why would cash get a discount ?

that may be the route to a cheaper job but not necessarily to a trusty tradesman. what comeback might you have with a cash payment ? and how trustworthy is the tradesman who will avoid paying tax or VAT be ?

previous tips about 3 quotes and recommendations are spot on. local papers will also have adverts for various trades - if they have been listed over several months then that would be a good place to start.

as a rule of thumb, labour should never be more than £250 per day (exc VAT) for a plumber or an electrician, and less than that most other trades. think about materials and get quotes from builder's merchants and remember that trade discounts can be anywhere from 10% to 60%. if you can understand the 'cost' of the work, you'll know if any profit you are then paying is reasonable.

blibblob_2

Why not get your offspring to become tradespeople instead of going to the University of Nowhere and graduating with a 2.3 in Media Studies(going to the pictures)?


that is a great money earning tip ! construction is short of tradespeople (and technical / professionals) and offers great opportunities to young people. it is hard work, involves getting out of bed early but can be very rewarding !

I am a quantity surveyor for a main contractor, 29, got my degree paid for by my employer (on day release over five years) and pay a good chunk of 40% tax. I work with a variety of people, from very professional architects to scaffolders and no two days are ever the same. Schools won't push construction as a career but is well worth consideration, be it the professions (architects, surveyors, structural engineers, services engineers), for contractors (site managers, surveyors, setting-out engineers, buyers) or in the various trades.

the Chartered Institute of Building (01344 630700) or the Construction Industry Training Board (01485 577577) can offer more advice

System

ref :tradesmen.

golden rules :-
1 - always try to use someone that comes recommended from someone you know. Recommendation is the highest form of quality guarantee and most good tradesmen do not need to advertise often
2 - cheapest is not always best. Always try to level the playing field and make sure the quotes you have are comparable
3 - if it is fairly major work try to enter into a domestic contract agreement. These are becoming more readily available (I think that local planning offices have them and I have found them previously on the internet). This can tie down penalties for late completion etc and give both sides a peace of mind
4 - dont pay huge amounts up front. A decent tradesman will have accounts for materials in merchants and will have some time credit on paying for the goods used on your job. If they say that they need the money to get the goods this can sometimes be an indicator that they are not good payers. Not always the case but a good warning sign.
5 - keep on eye on what they are doing. If you feel they are not advancing as quick as they should, talk to them about it and assess how much they have completed from a financial basis - try not to pay for more work than they have completed.

Hope this helps

System

This is fascinating. I mean really why is it so diffilcult to find someone.
I have asked around and some people are not happy to recommend work they have had and others used big companies. Or some people are lucky enough to have a handy PERSON in the family.
Once I have a name and number of some good people I will keep them safe thats for sure.
We are still going to try MFI and see what quotes they come up with. They do have a years garauntee for their work so hopefully that will count for something. I don't feel we have much choice really. Being fairly new to the area and having no family around it is a bit of a difficult one.
Bye

ALISON
xxx
8)

System

Hi There, I live near Reading in Berkshire, this may help people in that area.
I bought a kitchen from MFI last year,( good product and deal but very average service ) and the fitter who came to install it was brilliant. He turned up on time every day, gave a good deal on extra work that we wanted, cleaned up, and did a first class installation.
his name is Steve McCormack his 'phone number is 0118 9694211.
Well worth a call.
Rick

System

Hi Alison, interested to hear of your trouble in getting a kitchen fitter. I am an expert kitchen/bathroom fitter. Been in the trade for over 20 years & can provide excellent referances . Live in Bournemouth & may be able to help you out if you can wait about 6 weeks. Booked up until then. Regards Bill.

System

Its all very good saying that you do not trust builders but if you have that attitude why should we trust you. It is very common for customers to give interim payments that were agreed prior to the job starting. I agree never give huge amounts of money upfront but a deposit of 10 per cent shows us some trust for us and we realise that you are willing to pay for the job. I also agree ask different trades to recommend other trades, I can recommend an electrician, plumber and tiler and hope that they recommend my joinery skills. So there you have it your kitchen fitted by alot of different trades that work together regularly. The other problem is that all good tradesmen have full order books and we get phone calls daily wanting it done next week. Expect to wait at least 6 weeks to get a decent job.

alison6692

Hiya

I am a member. Oooh!!! :P

Anyways. Thanks for all your messages. Maybe we coould all carry on this thread by recommending a tradesman in our area.
How about that?
MFI were suprsingly competitive. So we are waiting for our contractor to come round price up the last few bits. Yay.

Bye

System

The web site https://www.GoodNightVienna.com is for people to recommend trades persons in any field in their area.

System

If you live in Berkshire or Surrey there is a handy guide called The Little Green Book (now also online at http://www.littlegreenbook.com) - it describes itself as "The only consumer-driven guide to some of the best local restaurants, tradespeople......and much more", and I am told it's really useful.