trusty help for woman alone

[justthewayiam]

Hi How do I find a trustworthy,reliable and reasonabley priced firm or person to do the DIY jobs that I am unable to do myself on my home.
Do I go on word of mouth and has anyone used rated.com or used a property maintenance company. I dont like to ask my ex husband or neighbours husbands as both make me feel awkward. Its stuff like fitting blinds and drilling. I can decorate and do most stuff but need a bit of help with the 'man' stuff if you see what I mean.

[flow4]

I find word of mouth works best for me. Mumsnet Local might help, if you don't already have contacts... Or you could tell us where you are, and someone might come along with a recommendation.

[wonkylegs]

Neighbours or local friends is my bet for trades people. There was a thing in the paper on the weekend about neighbourly groups setting up to 'swap a skill' - it may be worth seeing if there is anything like that in your area.
Or you could learn to do this stuff yourself, I've learnt to do a lot of stuff over the years and a lot of it is practice & confidence - at the end of the day it's much more convenient and you know you aren't going to rip you off