Why is it so hard to get a tradesman?

[BushyDreamer]

Just that really.

I've got 2 basic jobs that need doing and all I get is time wasters and people ghosting me. I don't know where I'm going wrong, but I'm on the verge of having a go myself. I'm no carpenter, how hard can it be? 🙄

I think it’s because schools keep pushing university to all but this means less people are becoming tradesmen. So it’s hard to get one!
Im doing a project at the moment and have a builder helping me as he owes me a favour. Without him I would struggle to get people in to do it. I’m doing a lot of the work myself.

Are you on a local WhatsApp group? Ours has a list of recommendations for reliable trades-folk, might be worth a try for smaller jobs.

I have learnt a lot via You Tube tutorials and do quite a bit myself as got so sick of being messed around or ripped off. Saved myself a fortune.

Brexit.

I share your pain. I just need one room decorated but there’s potential for more work if he/she is good. Im finding it impossible to get anyone to respond via local Facebook pages and other sources of info.
I might try to do the work myself but I’m useless at “cutting in” & not great on a ladder.
It’s so frustrating. 🤨

We’ve been having trouble trying to get a gas man, it’s almost like no one wants the work. Our usual sort of stopped after a freak accident years ago, tried about 5 others and nothing, finally got a guy and he said he’d get back to us after his holiday, mid August, not heard a peep, he’s a plumber as well so wanted our bath changed and if he’s much longer we will have to wait until then until April May when it’s a bit warmer. He came to measure up etc, but nothing.

Ask around and be prepared to pay a lot. I dont have trouble getting things done - perhaps with the exception of roofers, who imo are a law unto themselves - but I book people my friends have used and I pay whatever they ask on the nail. Maybe I’m being ripped off but they’re definitely doing the work.

I've started using Checkatrade, so far I've had reliable workmen and decent quality work done at a reasonable price. Always get 3 quotes for the bigger jobs.

DH is a tradesman and has noticed an increase in people struggling to get work done in their houses - as someone upthread said, partially to do with Brexit. We’re in London and he’s built up a reputation over the years for being reliable - he’s by no means the cheapest on the market but is completely booked through until the end of the year and into the start of next

If your physically capable and reasonably intelligent then have a go yourself by watching youtube tutorials.

If that isn't doable then you need to find yourself a reliable tradesman. I'm not a fan of trying to find people using facebook but am assuming you've asked for recommendations - however, you have to specify "personal recommendations only" otherwise people just plug their brother in laws business. Personal recommendations ensure that they are recommending someone who has carried out work for them and they are vouching for it. Better to ask neighbours and friends if possible.

When you find someone, two small things when dealing with them that they really like are being polite and offering tea. Oh and pay the same day, obviously. Save up your jobs so that you have a whole days work at least so you only have to pay one call out fee.

Finally, when you do get someone, never recommend him to anyone else. 😀The only thing this achieves is to make him more popular, less available to you and more expensive. The only exception to this is to recommend him to someone who has recommended useful people to you, kind of exchanging information. Otherwise, just say you don't know anyone.

Edited to add as you can tell i've finally found a reliable, reasonably priced (not cheap) tradesman after a long time searching and I'm keeping him for myself lol. Actually, thats not true, i've got one friend who always recommends useful people but none of my other friends ever have so they can get stuffed when they ask.

Had the same issue trying to find a local mechanic to do a small job on my car. Tried about 10 then gave up in and found a youtube tutorial to follow instead! Would've preferred to pay someone for the convenience though.

It would've led to bigger jobs in futute for them aswell, but agree with PP that tradesmen don't seem to want to build up a regular repeat clientelle anymore - maybe there's enough one-off demand that they don't need to! I wonder if that will change over the coming years with more young people being pushed towards trade apprenticeships now.

No I don't think we have anything like that, but we do have community Facebook groups. Lots of time wasters on there. I asked for recommendations and got what was probably their wives and girlfriends recommending them and the leads went cold.

I've been ghosted on checkatrade! Initially I thought this was it, I had 3 people call me and ask for details, sounding really keen.

It's baffling!!

Does he want to come and fit a glass panel in an old serving hatch for me? 😭 I'm in South London and feeling desperate, this job has been on my list for 3 years and I'm not physically capable of doing it!

This is a widespread issue.

Half of them don’t answer messages.

Of those who do respond half don’t turn up to look at the job or if they have let you know they won’t be coming they then mess you about so much with repeated last minute cancellations and excuses that you eventually give up.

Of those who turn up to look half don’t follow up with a quote.

When I have finally found a decent and reliable roofer, fencer, electrician, plumber etc I have felt I have won the lottery and I make sure to treat them extremely well with very prompt payment and top quality biscuits with their tea in the hope they will return if I need them again in future.

DH is in the trades.

He has people ringing him most days for jobs but most of them aren’t willing to go on a waiting list

We had a job that needed doing. I'd phone up tradesmen - some recommended - and they'd do the sales pitch about how good they were. They'd turn up, decide the job was too difficult and either (a) suggest a way of doing it that made their life easier but made the job considerably more expensive [e.g. taking off the conservatory roof!] or (b) tell us they were going away to write up a quotation but then just ghosted us.

In the end, we resorted to YouTube and did it ourselves.

The problem with a small job like this is that’s it not worth their time unless they massively over charge or can fit it in around a much bigger job.

DH often gets asked to do tiny jobs and turns them down because he’d have to charge his full day rate to make it worth his while.

What you need in this case is someone who is employed somewhere else but pops in to people on his way home from work to do small cash in hand jobs that way.

This is the problem that we had: why bother with tricky jobs when there is a queue of people out there with easier jobs?
It just seems weird - when we are in a CoL crisis and - allegedly - nobody has any money, that Trades are so busy that they can pick & choose.

Yep, or a handyman type service that does lots of little one hour jobs throughout the day.

If DH goes to say, a two hour job at 9am then by the time he finishes and gets to his next job, it’s midday and there’s no point him starting anything new (he’s a plasterer so needs a minimum amount of time available).

So he has to charge the first client his day rate which they understandably don’t want to pay and then they’re back to square one.

People will always need work doing to their homes and so the trades will always have the upper hand in that they can pick and choose the jobs that suit them best.

Little jobs like the OP describes just aren’t worth it unless the customer also needs multiple other things doing and it can be tacked on the end.

Is was quoted £250 for this job, which felt borderline for me, given that the glass itself was about £90.

I really wanted to have a go at it myself, but DP doesn't want me messing around with glass, especially with 2 going children in the house who could run the risk of knocking it out if I don't do it securely enough.

There's a Polish bloke down the road who I think is a builder and I'm honestly contemplating knocking on their door, but that's so intrusive, isn't it? And will make things awkward if he also turns me down!

Little jobs like the OP describes just aren’t worth it unless the customer also needs multiple other things doing and it can be tacked on the end.
But sod's law says that the 'multiple other things' need different Trade skills (chippy, sparky, plasterer, etc).

YANBU.