OT: Getting a tradesman Featured

and if you can't get any personal recommendations

It's nowhere as easy to do this as you think that it is

Especially if you are doing up a house after you have just moved into an area

Interestingly enough one of those guys came around last year to have a and I was deterred when he said £xxxx no VAT, wanted me to send him the list of work rather than make his own notes and said he did "insurance backed guarantees". He may be a very good roofer for all I know but the "buywithconfidence" factor was missing.

Are insurance backed guarantees a good thing?

Oh yes. I have some stories...

For that sort of thing I'd expect a stream of photos of work done, rather than a stream of invoices for work allegedly done but nobody checks. (Tenant complains of X, agent sends somebody round, agent gets a bill, agent pays bill - never checking with tenant that somebody turned up and fixed the issue)

Theo

You have to be careful with those, because there are magazines and magazines. The parish magazine produced on the village hall photocopier is probably fine because everyone knows everyone, but there are glossy 'advertorial' magazines that claim to be local but are stuffed full of paid ads padded out with 'articles' that are just puff pieces for the business advertised nearby ('have you thought about XYZ?'). That's just the Yellow Pages with better printing.

Things like:

Theo

They sound impressive don't they ?

In theory they are supposed to outlive the firm that did the work.

In practice I would be pleasantly surprised if anyone can report ever claiming successfully on them.

Same.

This is how it is around these parts at least,

You decide how you are going to play it but then after numerous no shows etc. you resign yourself to the fact that it's a miracle if you can get someone out to look at the job let alone actually crack on with it.

So then you settle on whoever will show willing and pay more than you wanted/expected for a job that you aren't 100% happy with.

It's often more stress than it's worth.

Roofers are the worst trade to engage.

I had a brand new house, one part of verge pointing needed correction (his fault) .... continually told , later in week, next week, never got him to return.

On a separate out building had 2 different guys both advise quick job, will call in one weekend .... keep calling texting ... keep being told next week or 2 ...... been 2 years !

The issue is many guys who call themselves roofers are not via an apprentice scheme they are are just guys who have ladders, as per another poster - full of shoddy workmen. There are good skilled roofers - no doubt, but with no regulatory system .... difficult to find for repair.

Not so sure about that - I'm in London. Wanted an existing Victorian sash window converted to double glazing. A couple of neighbours used the same small firm to do this and they made a very good job. So contacted them autumn last year. They had a look and gave me a price but said it would be January before they could start on it. But didn't want strangers in the house during Covid, so put them off. I've now had the vaccine, so they came yesterday to make templates. They then make new double glazed sashes in their workshop. And said they will fit them in May. ;-)

OTOH

I can assure you that there is nobody who has claimed on an installer guarantee, after the company goes bust

BTDTGTTS

Got someone coming around now on Monday. Will arrive in a van with the company's name on it. I'm hopeful that he might actually stay long enough to look at the job.

Watch this space!

I didn't need to do any research to know that.

If it's something that is a deal breaker for some, fair enough. But I've worked for an insurance company. And I can still recall my Dad being asked by an insurance company in the 1970s the most reliable parts of an engine, since they had to underwrite the warranty for the dealers and needed to ensure they only covered the bits that never failed. ISTR they started with the crankshaft.

Just to give a smile, saw on the back of a builder's van today, beneath the name:-

New York Paris Peckham

Mk1 diesel Landrovers tended to break their crankshafts

He came as agreed. Company has been going 20+yrs, details on Companies House. Went all around the house talking and explaining, on the roofs, suggested what could be done about my spalling chimney bricks too.

Next step is for a quote to arrive, due by the end of the week.

Watch this space!