Would a very dilapidated house make tradesmen think you couldn't pay them?

Slinky

You sound a lot like a relative of mine, living in a run-down inherited house that needs lots of work and would be best demolished and something new built. He won't do that as the emotional ties are too strong, but is living with 60 year old wiring, single glazing, no central heating and no hot water as the tank split 15 years ago and he hasn't replaced it. Life there isn't going to get any easier as he gets older and the house gets worse.

It may be hard to do, but would selling up and buying something more suited to your simple lifestyle as a single person be easier than the worry of trying to patch up an unsuitable property?  Would your mum want you to be struggling as she did to get things sorted?

Doesn't have to be done immediately, but perhaps you could look around and consider some other options for yourself and make a happier, easier future in another more suitable home.

Mistral001

It might not be because they think that you will not pay them, but because the work seems a bit unfamiliar to them  They see problems ahead for them and probably can easily get more straightforward  jobs.  Also, you do not seem to have a definite plan for the house and that might not fill them with confidence.

Thrugelmir

There's no shortage of work around here for "tradespeople" . Not least as there's plenty of guaranteed work on new build developments. Finding someone do do odd jobs is extremely difficult. Waiting a few months is far from unusual. As there's a post pandemic backlog with many people deferring having work done. 

Robertson74

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I agree that it's not the best time to get tradesmen with the pandemic backlogs and catching up. I wish things and been done to the house all along and the sunroom had been dealt right away, rather than waiting years.
Bendy_House thanks for your post- I'll have a lot think about.  I'll take pictures of the problems and post them on the forum later.
I was reading about what you were saying about calculating the cost of the jobs. The house has lots of problems and I don't like to think about what the cost would be in the end. I want to do the main things and see how much I'd have left. I couldn't move at the moment, but these house problems are affecting my comfort in the house. 
Also when I was to do one job, I found something which would stop the main job being done. My oil boiler is very old and it was going to be replaced, but I discovered the leaks in the roof directly above and to the back of the house, so I couldn't go ahead. Then the roofers won't do the roof. And I need two new windows, but the uneven patio is stopping this and landscapers won't do my patio.
The thing I don't like about tradesmen is that their not honest with you, if they can't do the job, they should just say their busy or they don't want it. If they said the truth, I could ask several people and someone might do it. I really thought the man was going to my patio after the winter, but now I going to have ask someone else and that job will be many months ahead.
Dealing with tradesmen is one of things I worry about in the future. I wouldn't like to ask them a second time if they didn't come the first time. I don't know how to approach them and explain my situation.

Brie

Sometimes it's a matter of luck.

I was really struggling to find a gardener who would reply at all or return my calls.  But then I spotted a gardener's van with a couple of blokes tidying a neighbour's garden.  I vaguely know the neighbours (having helped pick up the old boy when he fell one day) and they're both in their 90s and have the gardeners there at least monthly.  I asked the chap in charge if they might be available to do a blitz on my yard and what their rates were.  He was happy to quote and agreed to come have a look.  When he surveyed the mess he suggested a 4 hour session but they couldn't do it for 6 - 8 weeks.  When I expressed my disappointment he counter offered that they could do the coming Saturday but would need to start at 8 am.  Fine!  Now I'm not a morning person and I didn't want to be up that early on the weekend but hey ho.  And they did a great job.  

I booked him for another Saturday but I think I impressed him by making him and his mate a cuppa tea and paying promptly.  Also by being decisive about what I wanted while letting him know that I'm after general tidiness rather than absolute perfection.

As for your specific situation ... I quite get the overwhelmedness (is that a word?) of having so very much that needs doing.  I can get into these cycles of needing several tasks done and then can't get started as I can't decide which should come first.  Get the guttering cleaned out?  So does that come before or after the garden?  And what about the window cleaner??  But the windows can't be reached when there's all that stuff piled up that needs to go to the dump.  And that's going to take ages to clear out.  Maybe I can ebay some....and then I grind to a halt.  So just finding one stand alone task is very difficult but once that's started the rest starts to seem a bit easier.

Bendy_House

Robertson74 said:

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I agree that it's not the best time to get tradesmen with the pandemic backlogs and catching up. I wish things and been done to the house all along and the sunroom had been dealt right away, rather than waiting years.
Bendy_House thanks for your post- I'll have a lot think about.  I'll take pictures of the problems and post them on the forum later.
I was reading about what you were saying about calculating the cost of the jobs. The house has lots of problems and I don't like to think about what the cost would be in the end. I want to do the main things and see how much I'd have left. I couldn't move at the moment, but these house problems are affecting my comfort in the house. 
Also when I was to do one job, I found something which would stop the main job being done. My oil boiler is very old and it was going to be replaced, but I discovered the leaks in the roof directly above and to the back of the house, so I couldn't go ahead. Then the roofers won't do the roof. And I need two new windows, but the uneven patio is stopping this and landscapers won't do my patio.
The thing I don't like about tradesmen is that their not honest with you, if they can't do the job, they should just say their busy or they don't want it. If they said the truth, I could ask several people and someone might do it. I really thought the man was going to my patio after the winter, but now I going to have ask someone else and that job will be many months ahead.
Dealing with tradesmen is one of things I worry about in the future. I wouldn't like to ask them a second time if they didn't come the first time. I don't know how to approach them and explain my situation.

Hence the benefit of one builder to look at the whole job, and not - especially for someone who is new to this - to try and get multiple different trades out, with all the increased likelihood of aggro and hassle. As you've found out, getting each individual trade out to do their one specific job will likely have lots of, "There's little point me doing this until that is done..."

S62's suggestion of trying to contact the offspring of your dad's builder mates is surely going to sway the chances of finding a good 'un in your favour? I mean, even if they can't help personally, what are the chances of them recommending a dodgy builder? Very low I'd have thought.

Keep looking around using word of mouth. If you see work being down in the 'hood, call in afterwards and ask about them.

The quotes we got for an extension around 3 years ago, ranged for borderline prohibitive to outright unaffordable - it was around the time that costs were starting to noticeably climb. My mil - who the extension was primarily for - walked her dawg down our road a couple of times a day, and would stop for a natter with other dog owners in particular. Her walk often took a detour down a small crescent, where the first house had an aging Jack Russel who always demanded a treat, which mil was happy to oblige. Across the road was an immaculate, extended bungalow, and that's how she met 'Ron'. Who is a builder. Made of solid gold. Exactly the sort of person you want doing a job for you - hugely high standard of work, as honest as the day is long, polite, decent, personable... What were the chances? The guy lived around 75 yards away.

And he made the job affordable.

They do exist.

And experienced builders will have a sparky or two they usually work with, and ditto a plumber, joiner, window supplier.

FreeBear

Robertson74 said: And I need two new windows, but the uneven patio is stopping this and landscapers won't do my patio.

Most of the work fitting a window can be done from inside. And as long as a ladder can go up against the outside wall, the ground doesn't need to be dead flat.

Sistergold

@Robertson74, sorry to hear that you are having such a tough time. Sorry but I don’t know your age or physical health BUT if you are reasonable age(all health and safety considered) it’s never too late to learn a bit of home maintenance. To be honest with you the worst is having a house and you can not do anything. So for instance the garden can you not do most of it yourself? I know you can not get to do the roof but other things you can learn and avoid the house getting out of hand. I am just saying that I had to learn the hard way as a woman because tradesmen will not turn up for general house maintenance. I had to go and do diy course namely carpentry, plumbing, using power tools etc. if you have handicaps then with the way things are you might just want to sell the house the way it is. 

Physical ability aside do you have deep enough pockets for the works needed? If money is not too much of an issue the more expensive “professional” companies might be happy to do it at inflated prices ofcause. If you are also trying to save money at present it can be even more challenging! Good luck. 

Robertson74

Sistergold, Thanks, just seen your message. I could do some things in the garden and I should go on DIY courses,as it would give me more confidence to try things out- I'm always worried I do something wrong, but seeing how it's done on a course would enable me to try things out myself. Also when they won't come for small jobs, it would be good to know ,I could do some of them myself.
I wouldn't like to try the main things myself ,I think I could pay for for some jobs, but they would be the bigger essential ones, I don't feeI I could tackle on my own., but it's who to ask, that is the problem. I've contacted many of the people I see in my area, but they don't get back in touch. I also don't like contacting unknown people out of my area, as they could be cowboy tradesmen. .
I wish my parents had fixed the house, before everything got worse and I wouldn't be in this position, at the moment.