Tradesmen constantly letting you down

[SpecialMum]

Hi lovely people,
Hope you are well.

We bought our first house(late 90s) almost 2 years ago. So obviously we are doing small repairs, renovations and customisations. I am so upset with how the tradesmen/builders/joiners/gardeners etc constantly let you down.
For instance, a joiner has taken an year just to put 4 cupboards under the stairs.He kept on giving excuses and delayed. A gardener has done an incomplete job and doesn't respond to calls/texts anymore. A plasterer has removed the old plastering and never came back to replace it with a new one. I am worried if it's going to create damp problems.This is my biggest worry. Replacing of 3 kitchen cabinets(customised) and handles is taking place in installments for the past 6 months. The list is never ending. I have only mentioned this at a very high level. It's more than that if I go into details.

I am getting very anxious and this morning I had a mental breakdown and had to cry my heart out. I am tired of chasing these people and contacting new people. Am I the only one experiencing these issues with tradesmen? Am I doing something wrong? I am choosing these people based on reviews and recommendations.

Thanks

That's very frustrating. It's hard to tell if you're doing something wrong or not. People on here will say only ever go by recommendations but I have only ever been let down by people recommended to me.

My best traders I have found online through places like check a trade.

I will get at least 3 or 4 in to give me a quote.
I never chase them for a quote.
I will have a list of questions, some of which I will already know the answer for.
I like it when they; are on time or at least let me know if they are running late, take their time explaining things to me, ask questions, suggest solutions and take notes.
I hardly ever go for the cheapest.
Never pay more than 50% upfront for labour.
Always ask for a copy of their insurance.

That's the only tips I can give. Still I don't get it right 100% of the time.

Ironically the best carpenter I have found so far I saw working outside someone's house. I asked for his card because I needed some small jobs done. I gave him a chance after he came round and did a quote. Really happy with his work and had him come back to do some bigger jobs. So no recommendation, no internet reviews, just luck.

That’s a great tip about asking questions you already know the answer to.

Yes I have been having the same issues, need quite a few things doing at the moment and even if I manage to get someone round, they don't get back to me. I have ended up going with large companies for some things just to get the work done.

However on a good side, I needed some decorating doing, guy came round, happy to do it but said likely to be September, got a message Monday to say he could do it yesterday, so sometimes it works out ok.

OP - I feel your pain.

I am waiting for tradesmen too. They delay the starting date, don't turn up, don't return calls....... I just wish they were honest and said they did not want the job at the beginning ......

I'm sorry to hear that, OP. I don't know if TaskRabbit operates in your area but I've had good experiences with them.

Not much to add but I’ve been having the same issues trying to get a flat renovated for the last 2 years

It's nothing new. We've had the same problems for 20 years since we bought our house. Right from the first few jobs, it's been a nightmare. Over the years, we've accidentally found some really excellent tradesmen, but they tend to retire or emigrate after a few years and you're back to square 1 again.

By far, the most successful we've had have been personal recommendations from existing good tradesmen. We've currently got brilliant joiners and plumbers who were both recommended by a plasterer who came recommended from an electrician (who's since emigrated sadly!). None of these advertised, they didn't even have sign written vans. They just got business from recommendations and word of mouth. All ridiculously busy, but they're reliable. Usually quite a long wait, but they've turned up quickly for emergencies, and if they pencil you in for 10 weeks' time, they're pretty reliable and phone to confirm nearer the time.

Good tradesmen are worth their weight in gold and are busy with repeat business. It's the ones who constantly advertise who are more likely to be the problems. When tradesmen are in such high demand, you have to ask why they need to advertise a lot!

My best advice is to come up with a big list of jobs and then contact a builder to quote for all. They will then co-ordinate the trades and have more leverage on getting things done.

It is pathetic. I renovate houses and I’ve been through six plumbers. Once I find a trustworthy and reliable tradesperson I hold on to them! The best are those who can do several things - For a few years I did have a tiler/joiner who not only took a lot of pride in his work but could do some electrical and plumbing jobs too - he ended up fixing their work half the time! He was always busy and he still owes me a coffee table!
This time I’m thinking if employing one builder and have him use his team as I am in a new area and have few contacts. I will of course pay considerably more, but I want it done! I have someone coming tomorrow who is a friend of a friend - hope it works out.

Thank you all for your kind words and suggestions. Looks like I am not the only one facing this.

I had such bad experiences with tradespeople when renovating my current house that I’d never do it again.

From not turning up when supposed to, turning up when not supposed to, chasing quotes, prices doubling because of unseen extras that I had already explained to them, some terrible work, aggression, sexism and inappropriate comments.

Any quotes get EVERY minute detail in writing!

I thin things are getting worse, it took us four weeks after a plasterer promised to come to quote in two or three days for him to turn up, eventually after being chased up tactfully a few times, he got back to us again and came, promised us a quote this Monday, we're still waiting. He was booked up for at least the next six weeks when he came to look at the job, and we can't book him until he gets back to us with the quote. He's a small outfit with a few employees, and he told us he's getting dozens of texts a day about work. I think they're all pretty swamped at the moment.

All I can suggest is if it's time and communications at fault, I'd try to let it wash over me as much as possible- I know it's easier said than done, but that's the only way we're surviving at the moment. I'm expecting that the kitchen (we had first-fix a few weeks ago, and we've had bare brick for many months before that) won't get plastered until September. We can't do second-fix electrics or have the plumbing done until after that. We're having a sink made- lead times have gone from seven weeks to ten weeks in the last month. It's just the way it is at present, sadly.
Re the plaster/damp- Maybe someone with knowledge like pigletjohn could advise you, but AFAIK I can't see how the plaster being off would cause a damp problem, so I doubt you need to worry. Our kitchen has now been mostly bare brick for months, as we had to take all the boards off back to the battens, and chisel off patches of old remaining plaster directly on the bricks behind it all. If anything, I think it's probably done the walls here a lot of good, because some of the stuff stuck to the walls which we have taken off was actually making them damp -they are now as dry as a bone. The musty smell we used to have has gone, anyway.
Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon.