Trades People Wesbites

sandyk01 · 15 October 2018 at 2:12PM

Hi All,

We are in process of buying a house (get the keys in two weeks yippiee! :j )

It needs a lot of work- new kithcen/bathroom/plastering/building an en-suite etc.

We don't know very many trades people- what website would you use to find one i.e. mybuilder? Any websites I should stay clear of?

Thanks in advance!

Pennywise · 15 October 2018 at 2:23PM

I'd stay clear of them all to be honest. In my opinion & experience, best way to get reliable trades is by word of mouth. The ones who advertise most often usually have a reason (they get little or no repeat business). Find one trades person that you're happy with and trust and just ask them for referrals for other trades - they all work with others so will know who are reliable and who aren't.

margi_g · 15 October 2018 at 3:00PM

Totally agree with Pennywise.
I have found that these websites and their "recommendations" were a complete waste of money.
Ask around for a trusted tradesman and if possible get to go and see their work if its someone you know well enough. There is nothing better than getting to see the work of a real tradesman as opposed to some vague recommendation on a website of someone you have no real first hand knowledge of There are good tradesman who still take pride in their work you just have to do some due diligence .
Best of luck with the project

Browntoa · 15 October 2018 at 3:05PM

Another vote for word of mouth

My kitchen fitter was recommended by a neighbour , plumber by a friend . If they do a good job then use them to recommend further tradesman they work with

EssexExile · 15 October 2018 at 5:36PM

I would agree with word of mouth, ask neighbours, well you want to get to know them anyway!

The only trouble with asking your trusted plumber, for example, to recommend a decorator, for example, is that they sometimes recommend their brother-in-law, for example, who is useless.

Nile · 15 October 2018 at 10:39PM

Hi sandyk01

Another vote for word of mouth recommendations and in particular from neighbours.

Our next door neighbour took our recommendation for an excellent gas engineer (central heating boiler maintenance) and garage door renewal. We took his recommendation for garden fencing and roofing.

There's probably others between us and our neighbours but I can't recall them all.

Another good example of word of mouth recommendation came from a work colleague when I was looking for double glazed windows and door.

I hope you'll be very happy in your new home.

Regards

Nile

cybervic · 16 October 2018 at 12:24AM

Word of mouth is usually a good start, although you may need to think about who you ask. If you ask a rich friend who doesn't know anything about renovation/DIY then you are likely to get a expansive builder. If you ask a tight friend who cares more about cost and less about the finishing details, then you will get a different result.

I am renovating my place at the moment, I used mybuilders and find it just ok. I ended up using checkatrade a lot more, called 8-10 people for each trade with either most reviews or highest review ratings. Not everyone is free and not everyone remembers to send the quote through so you will probably end up receiving 4-5 quotes and you will learnt about the jargons and what you really want by then.

buglawton · 16 October 2018 at 12:40AM

For new kitchen or bathroom it's worth considering a turnkey company that does the entire fit for you, bar plastering and painting. If you pay on finance of any kind you should also be protected against non-completion.

I say this as someone who lives in an area where good tradespeople disappear to work on lucrative contracts for builders.

trailingspouse · 16 October 2018 at 8:27AM

Can I beg to differ?

Word of mouth is difficult when you've just moved in to an area and don't know anyone. Also, even if your new neighbour recommends someone, you don't know if their tastes/expectations/standards are the same as yours, or even if the job they had done was in any way comparable to what you want doing. Equally, I've never had any success with the FindATradesperson-type websites.

So - you need to get on t'Interweb and start googling 'plumbers in my area' or whatever you're looking for. Then start making phone calls. Aim to ring at least 10 - out of that 10, some will no longer be trading, some won't pick up and some won't specialise in what you're needing to have done. If you're lucky you'll find 3 who can come and give you quotes. Before they arrive have a very clear idea of what needs doing.

Things I look out for when they come to do the quote -

- arriving when they say they will
- in a van with a logo
- a generally business-like attitude, asking questions, making suggestions
- estimate in writing, on headed paper
- do they have insurance (and how do they react to being asked?)
- how do you feel about having them in your house for potentially several hours/days/weeks
- do they take their boots off before coming into your home?

- if it's a major job, can you get references from previous customers

And once you've found a good one, hang on to them. Make them cups of tea, buy them chocolate, send them Christmas gifts, offer them your first born - they're worth their weight in gold.

Debran · 16 October 2018 at 4:36PM

Do you use Facebook? I have to confess that I am not a member so I know little about it but I do know that I can look at (but not post on) the local Facebook group for my village. Members often ask who knows a good plumber, decorator, garage etc and get replies from other members who live locally suggesting people they have used and done a good job.

Perhaps you could check if there is a "group" for your neighbourhood/district.

phill99 · 16 October 2018 at 7:52PM

trailingspouse wrote: »

Can I beg to differ?

Word of mouth is difficult when you've just moved in to an area and don't know anyone. Also, even if your new neighbour recommends someone, you don't know if their tastes/expectations/standards are the same as yours, or even if the job they had done was in any way comparable to what you want doing. Equally, I've never had any success with the FindATradesperson-type websites.

So - you need to get on t'Interweb and start googling 'plumbers in my area' or whatever you're looking for. Then start making phone calls. Aim to ring at least 10 - out of that 10, some will no longer be trading, some won't pick up and some won't specialise in what you're needing to have done. If you're lucky you'll find 3 who can come and give you quotes. Before they arrive have a very clear idea of what needs doing.

Things I look out for when they come to do the quote -

- arriving when they say they will
- in a van with a logo
- a generally business-like attitude, asking questions, making suggestions
- estimate in writing, on headed paper
- do they have insurance (and how do they react to being asked?)
- how do you feel about having them in your house for potentially several hours/days/weeks
- do they take their boots off before coming into your home?

- if it's a major job, can you get references from previous customers

And once you've found a good one, hang on to them. Make them cups of tea, buy them chocolate, send them Christmas gifts, offer them your first born - they're worth their weight in gold.

As a kitchen and bathroom fitter, I agree with what you say.
However, My van isn't sign written (mainly due to it attracting tool thieves). But I don't advertise and I am booked up until March.

Trades People Wesbites

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