If you don't actually WANT the work, fine. Just be honest about it.

[bupcakesandcunting]

Right, I have had six men visit my house to quote me on re-building my patio/some steps. Out of the six, how many do you reckon have got back to me with a price?

One.

Bloody one.

I explain to them on the phone what the job is and ask if that's something they'd do. they sy yes so we aarrange for them to come round. They stand in my garden, measuring, umming and ahhhing about how much material they'll need etc, say they'll ring me with a price and NOTHING! Honestly, if they said "I'm sorry but it's more work than I'd realised. I won't be able to help" then it would be different. As it is, I've spent a total of six weeks waiting for these phonecalls that never come (they have all said to give them a week to get back with a cost)

It dos my swede in. So, if you know of/are married to/are employed as someone in this fieldand are in the Midlands, PM me. I am fucking NICE to work for. I dole out tea and biscuits and don't chuck a diva fit when things go wrong.

Oh God, no, please don't get me started on this subject.

I can feel the rage bubbling up already.

We got so fed up of bastarding pus buckets not getting back to us that my DH is building the patio himself.

Ooh, check out my typos, hun :(

If you was near I would send DH over hes a builder and always desperate for work :) Hope you find someone soon. Those sound like fussy feckers that want little work for lots of money so they can play golf all day and send a spotty teen to do your patio. I know the type.

What about a nice goat?

Buppy, this has just happened to me with our shower room. I am so farked off. I have rung so many bleeding plumbers that have not got back to me

I too make teas/coffees etc, give nice biscuits...

But never marry a builder as they seem to forget working on their own homes :(

There IS a lot of work to be done, to be fair, Pumper. I said this to me my mum yesterday, I'm sure that they just want the "easy" jobs. I even resorted saying to the last bloke that we'd shift the existing pavers/earth so cut the donkey work as I'm getting so desperate...

I've got a goat, Hully, but he's for a curry.

no! you are NOT being unreasonable

this does my head in. we had exactly the same thing when we wanted our drive done, and our bathroom, and when we needed an electrician.... the list goes on

why waste people's time if you just don't want the work? just fucking well say so.
it makes me so angry

Jokers. Bleedin' JOKERS.

YABU. At least they turned up to pretend they were interested. I arranged times for 4 builders to quote for a garage demolition. Only one actually showed up. The first no show, I actually called and reorganized, giving him the benefit of the doubt as he said he was stuck on a job (when I called him, not him calling me). I came home from work early to wait for these people.

Scumbags.
NB I also do tea, coffee and nice biscuits

May I say, having a lot to do with those who build for one reason or another, that I think it's because most builders are a teensy bit rubbish at the whole pricing/quoting/written quote/telephoning/people skills side of things so they tend not to do it even though they need the work.

You needs to find yourself a Gentleman Builder.

This is NOT to insult builders whom I dearly love, though not as much as goats, it's based on observation and experience.

Add me to the list, had the same when doing our garden. One guy even wandered around blatantly pretending to take measurements, I really regret not asking him to just be upfront and say he didn't want the job.

"Stuck on a job"

If I had a pound for every time I've heard that in the last fifteen months...

Also, peopel what hire builders tend often not to know the basic Builder Rules and this can provoke difficulties in the relationship.

I had a "gentleman builder" call around once (oo-er) to quote me for re-laying a front path out of exisiting blue-brick. He wanted £470.

Just to put it into context, another professional paver came and did it for £100 and almost shit his kidney out laughing when I told him about the £470 bloke.

He was only gentlemanly because he had a rugger shirt with his business details printed on the breast and big, bouffy hair.

YANBU - I've had this with so many builders coming to quote for our loft conversion. Driving me crazy - I want to pay you, why won't you let me?! Such a waste of everyone's time.

Tell me the basic builder rules, Hully.

Yeah, that's your faux gent builder, you need the real thing.

SIX men buppy? Your reputation will be as mud. If I had six men calling round, the village would be out polishing the ducking stool and sharpening pitchforks.

What I also don't understand is why, when i actually do get a builder to commit to doing my job, is mine always the lowest priority one in his diary?

So the guy who did turn up to demolish my garage started 2 days late. As he was "stuck on a job", naturally. He then disappeared off leaving my job unfinished, as he had to go and start one for somebody else. He didn't complete mine till 2 weeks later, when he came back for a day. So why couldn't he be stuck on MY job? Was I not paying as much as the others? He provided the quote after all, he could have asked for more (and I'd have paid it, I was so pathetically grateful by this point)

1. When Builder comes, be all uncertain and a bit timid so Builder isn't intimidated.
2. Be terribly nice to Builder to put at ease and wonder vaguely if there is any chance of a remote figure at all of any kind ever.
3. When Builder fails to turn up/phone etc, don't mention it. This is the CARDINAL BUILDER RULE. Even if you have taken a day off work and sat there like a banana, it must not be mentioned or they get frightened and never come again.
4. Builders are exempt from the need to phone in the morning and make excuses for non-arrival.
5. Builders are to be fed, watered and flattered all day.

Oooh is there a business opportunity in this? As a general organizer of builder's diaries? You could look after a few, sort of like a clerk, keeping track of their appointments, quotes etc.

Pumpernickel10 - whereabouts are you? Sorry to hijack! having trouble myself getting quotes from people

bloody everest came out to give me a quote for windows/doors. Looked round and never got back to me with the quote but they still bloody insist on sending me bumf through the door every month! Fuck off Everest! And the other cheap annoying bastards who came, quoted then i told me a was lying when i phoned them to go ahead and that it actualy cost more - not what their rep on the day said - they as well still cold call all the time at the door - gah!!!!