Fireplace woes - struggling to get tradesmen

[TheDukeissoHot1]

It’s been almost a year since we knocked our fireplace open, we spent all winter freezing with a huge gaping hole in the wall (open flue) as couldn’t get a fireplace fitter or builder for love nor money.

Finally got a builder this spring to do all the structural work, but he couldn’t finish off the render or plastering until the electrician had been.

2 months later (struggled getting electrician too) the electrics are in but now the builder is too busy to finish it off & has told me tonight he won’t be coming back. I just want to cry. Am so fed up of looking at bare brickwork & cabling, not to mention the dust!

So tomorrow I have to start ringing round tradesmen yet again to try to find a new builder/plasterer & will most probably have another several month wait for them to come.

Not much point to my post other than an exasperated rant! Is anyone else having this much trouble getting tradesmen at the moment?

For a finishing off job like that, have you thought of a handyman type person instead. They normally don't mind that a job is only one day, they have good general skills and tend to turn up when they say they will.

Plasterers have been massively affected by lack of plaster since Covid, so their backlogs will be huge.

Builders can’t be arsed to do little jobs, there’s more than enough big jobs about with bigger profit to be working on.

I sympathise, it’s bad enough getting trades at the best of times, but post Covid it’s horrendous.

Hi @TheDukeissoHot1 - depending where you are, someone might be able to recommend you a plasterer. Our plasterer rendered our newly knocked out fireplace in a special lime render - we were having an open fireplace. We’re in the South East. I’d highly recommend him, over the past 4 years he’s plastered and done works on most of our house.

If you pop some photos and brief description of the work you want doing on a local Facebook group you'll get lots of people recommending local handyman-type people. You're more likely to get someone who does lots of individual jobs more quickly.

Thanks everyone.
@Henlie unfortunately we are up north otherwise your recommendation would be very welcome.

I do know someone who is a plasterer but like @SpeakingFranglais says with the plaster shortage & resulting backlogs I’m not holding out much hope.

I will try asking around for a handyman if I can’t get anyone else. Thanks again