Would it be ok to show 2 different builders around at the same time to get quotes?

[HairyPorter]

We haven't completed yet, and don't want to inconvenience our vendor too much as she's just had a baby. At the same time we have about 2 weeks between completion and actually moving in so want to get the builders lined up beforehand. Would it be really bad to show two of them round at the same time to get quotes? Or should I schedule it an hour apart and hope the first guy will be done by then...

I would be quite uncomfortable with that! I know you are being thoughtful towards the vendor but I would try and schedule them apart.

No, awkward all round!

I wouldn't.

No I wouldn't either.

Thanks all! How far apart should the appointments be though- it's a 4 bed terrace that needs new floors laying, repainting and tiles to be laid. Not much more really. 45 min ok??

The reason we wouldn't do that in the building industry is that if the builders know each other they can compare notes and fix their quotes. Anti competitive.

DH decided tradesmen are like hamsters, no two tolerate each other in the same place at same time, after a plasterer once huffed at us "I'm not queuing!".

you can't rely on a builder to turn up within 45 days minutes of when he says he will.

I would say 45 minutes isn't enough of a gap - they might do the quote in that time but they're very likely to be late.

Builders are often late, can you do them on separate days to be certain they won't bump into each other.

I'd leave an hour between. IME what you think are going to be simple jobs may not be and the builder may spend a while humming and hawing over little complexities and things you haven't noticed! We recently got quotes on our (small) bathroom and each one took an hour.

If you have two weeks between completion and moving in, can't you schedule the builders to visit then rather than inconvenience the vendor now? Or is that when you want the work done? I think if I were the vendor I wouldn't feel comfortable having a builder and my buyer talking about what they were going to do to my house in front of me!