What kind of tradespeople should I be looking for?

DumbMuscle

I'm a first time buyer, moving towards completion on a property, and have a few bits of work I want to get done between completion and moving in. I'm trying to get quotes, but running into a problem - there seems to be a dizzying array of builders, all of whom specialise in different bits, and it's not clear which ones I should actually be contacting!

The work I am planning is:
- Removing a chimney breast and stack (partly to give me more usable room in the living room, partly due to other works that would be required if I didn't, since I'm removing a back boiler from the chimney and it needs repointing - but already have quotes for that!)
- Replacing the existing fascias on the roof
- Insulating the flat roof of the extension.
- And of course, replastering/decorating once the internal work is done

Are there any particular buzzwords I should be looking for to find local tradespeople with experience in these jobs, or is it just a matter of ringing round everywhere and asking? I've asked friends for recommendations - but only got one suggestion, who haven't got back to me. I've also posted jobs on mybuilder, but not sure they're in the right category

Furts

Buildings Regulations are your legal responsibility. You need to determine what is happening with your fireplace. How much stack to be removed? Are you involving a Structural Engineer? Only you know what you have in mind but many builders are very busy. Any vague enquiries from consumers who do not know what they are proposing are likely to be ignored.

Why replace the existing fascias? Whilst this is a fashionable must have these days it is frequently a grotesque waste of money and resources. So can they simply be given a lick of paint or stain?

Insulating a flat roof needs careful thought. Is it a warm roof or a cold roof construction? The former is a non starter without renewing the covering, whilst the latter has implications with ventilation and Buildings Regulations - so is in comparison a bad news area.

My intuition is you have not properly sorted what you require, nor drawn up a Specification for these works, nor investigated the Buildings Regulations. Consequently builders will be ignoring you, or deeming you a potential time waster. There is also the danger of any responses you get being from the cowboy brigade seeking to take advantage of poor preparation and ignorance.

DumbMuscle

Furts wrote: »

Buildings Regulations are your legal responsibility. I am aware. But AFAIK I need to make the application a) after completion of the purchase, and b) with detailed plans in hand (which are probably better drawn up by an experienced person than a clueless FTB) You need to determine what is happening with your fireplace. Effectively I want a flat wall on the ground floor, hence removal of the entire chimney + flue How much stack to be removed? Are you involving a Structural Engineer? Only you know what you have in mind but many builders are very busy. Any vague enquiries from consumers who do not know what they are proposing are likely to be ignored.

Why replace the existing fascias? They have not been maintained since the property was built in the 70s, this was a recommendation by the surveyor, and they appear sufficiently decayed that repainting is unlikely to be sufficient. Whilst this is a fashionable must have these days it is frequently a grotesque waste of money and resources. Given the other roof works, how much additional is the fascia replacement likely to add? So can they simply be given a lick of paint or stain?

Insulating a flat roof needs careful thought. Is it a warm roof or a cold roof construction? The former is a non starter without renewing the covering, whilst the latter has implications with ventilation and Buildings Regulations - so is in comparison a bad news area. This is presumably something that a specialist company could advise me on.
I have been advised in the survey to replace the covering anyway. I am aware that building regulations permission will be required.

My intuition is you have not properly sorted what you require, nor drawn up a Specification for these works, nor investigated the Buildings Regulations. I have looked into the building regulations. I am frankly clueless about the rest. I know the end goal, but have no real knowledge of the process to get there - hence trying to find some less clueless professionals to advise me! Consequently builders will be ignoring you, or deeming you a potential time waster. There is also the danger of any responses you get being from the cowboy brigade seeking to take advantage of poor preparation and ignorance.Always a possibility - I will be checking reviews of any tradespeople on independent sites, but I need to find the tradespeople first!

Comments in line. At this point I am tempted to abandon the plans to remove the chimney breast, which seems to put the other plans (plus some maintenance work to the stack) squarely in the domain of "roofing" (and possibly doable by a single firm). This would mean some compromises on how I arrange the house, but I can now see that I was overly optimistic in expecting to be able to get that work done between completion and moving in.

Most of these works come under the heading of "will need to be done at some point, and I currently have the cash to do them and the ability to get them done with minimal disruption to me, in a way which will likely diminish the need for later maintenance"

Hoploz

I think you're likely to get more workmen interested once you actually own the house.

Furts

You are in a difficult position. By you own admission you are "clueless", you do not own the house where you propose the work to be done, yet you expect trades people to respond. These trades are commercial businesses out to make a profit. It is going to be difficult to find people in your scenario.

Take your fascias as an example. If you renew them then are you capping (not a good idea) or are you replacing them? If so what with - timber or upvc? If you renew then the gutter comes off. Hence are you paying for new guttering? The existing felt into the gutter will be useless, so are you looking for eaves protectors? Your roof ventilation is likely to be inadequate so are you looking for soffit vents? If so what type - circular or strip? Or are you having over fasia venting? These are just a few fundamentals as I type. My point is if you do not know what you want what chance is there of a contractor taking you seriously?

2childmum

And where would one go to find out this information - if not a tradesperson?

DumbMuscle

2childmum wrote: »

And where would one go to find out this information - if not a tradesperson?

My thoughts exactly...

Furts wrote: »

You are in a difficult position. By you own admission you are "clueless", you do not own the house where you propose the work to be done, yet you expect trades people to respond. These trades are commercial businesses out to make a profit. It is going to be difficult to find people in your scenario.

Take your fascias as an example. If you renew them then are you capping (not a good idea) or are you replacing them? If so what with - timber or upvc? If you renew then the gutter comes off. Hence are you paying for new guttering? The existing felt into the gutter will be useless, so are you looking for eaves protectors? Your roof ventilation is likely to be inadequate so are you looking for soffit vents? If so what type - circular or strip? Or are you having over fasia venting? These are just a few fundamentals as I type. My point is if you do not know what you want what chance is there of a contractor taking you seriously?

Rather than going into the full details of the work (which are, frankly, irrelevant to my initial question of who I should be getting to do it, hence my not providing full plans in my original post), let's assume that there are certain things I know and certain things I don't, and I wish to find someone who can advise me on the things I don't and get the work done. Who should I be looking for?

It may be that this will require me talking to middlemen between me and the person actually doing the work (e.g. one person to advise me on the specification, and another to carry it out), at which point telling me what I should be searching for for such middlemen is more useful than listing all the things I need advice on (which, being someone who has never had to deal with house maintenance beyond a quick cleanup at the end of a tenancy, I realise is a lot).