Is there a trick to finding good tradesmen?

[WakeUpLockie]

I bloody hate the search. Ugh. I currently need a painter/decorator and I just don’t know how to find one - checkatrade is a pain, Facebook people just spam you with their family members (not genuine recommendations). I might try Nextdoor. I have had so many tradespeople either come out then never get back to me with a quote, seem completely disinterested, or not turn up at all. My grandmother always had trusted tradesmen, just how did she find them?? A different time probably. Gah! Wondering if I’m missing something?

Word of mouth every time.

I have been trying to track down someone to repair a wall/ fence half blown down and left dangerously precarious during Storm Arwen. So many people around with storm damage that noone will even come to look at the job.

Finally tonight an old school friend recommended a fencer who recommended a brickie who has promised to look at it on Friday. I know he hasn't done the job yet, or even turned up yet, but I feel more hopeful over this because of the trail of recommendations.

Whenever I have a good tradesman (roofers as the last), I always ask them if they have worked on jobs with any other tradespeople they would recommend. I keep a list and always start with 'X said your work was excellent and you are really reliable' - in the hope that they might want to rise to that testimonial!

If I see work going on at neighbours or neighbouring roads I'll make a note of the company info from the vans I see - I have certain rules - vans must be sign written with company info and contact numbers definitely do not contain an 0800 number

I'll also follow up with whatever accreditation they put the on the van ie Master builder etc to check they are genuine

I do use Facebook recommendations in the local area group - save pages of companies that look good, keep an eye out for what look like family members promoting them instead of customers

Don't use checkatrade or similar - my neighbours feedback on a company was refused to be posted as it was poor feedback 🤷🏻‍♀️ those sites are are a con

Unless an absolute emergency I plan work several months in advance and am prepared to wait for decent tradesman to have a time slot

I don't follow up on time wasters - so many tradesman I contact for work I never hear back from. I do feed this back on social media groups however if someone else recommends them I'll maybe say - "did not return enquiry"

Personal recommendations only and never pay anything until the jobs done.

Given the time of year and the increase in material prices what you're quoted for today may have increased considerably in a month.

As such your contractor may suggest you order the material items in yourself which is actually a better idea for the smaller tradesperson.

Isn’t personal recommendations Facebook though? I only know about 3 people in the area so not likely that they will have used the trade I need.
I do try and do the van thing, that’s a good tip! Although I need a specific trade now so that wouldn’t work for this time. Hmm!

You could join Which for 1 month trial membership to access their Trusted Traders.

I use Which Trusted Traders as well, but I have had people not responding/sending quotes after coming to look at the job. However, the traders I have used have been excellent.

I suspect your grandmother had her fair share of not-so-good tradesmen before she found the good ones! @bonetiredwithtwins works the same way I do; I prefer to use local people with a local phone number (I don't live in Royston Vader though...)

@WakeUpLockie

Isn’t personal recommendations Facebook though? I only know about 3 people in the area so not likely that they will have used the trade I need. I do try and do the van thing, that’s a good tip! Although I need a specific trade now so that wouldn’t work for this time. Hmm!

I don't know many people in my area - I joined a Facebook group for residents in my postcode - a lot of people post to to ask for a carpenter / painter / plumber etc as we are all in the same boat at the moment with finding decent trades - I keep an eye on the posts and the companies recommended and then I'll have a dig around the company Facebook page if it has one or website. Found an excellent plumber and also flooring contractor this way. I've found that if someone recommends someone who has done work then people will soon comment with their experience good and bad. The members in my group are also really good about posting about bad experience they've had with a company and warning everyone

Yeah, we've given up for now. I find nearly all tradesmen very very flakey these days. I work in a school so I'm just not able to risk asking to leave work half an hour earlier to be continually let down by tradesmen who don't even turn up to quote. Been there, done that. Even word of mouth is dodgy. We had a plumber out to fix our shower, recommended by someone who said he was great. He had a good look at it, told us which type of replacement shower he recommended and asked if we wanted to buy it ourselves or whether he should get it. He'd happily come to put it in. We said we'd sort the order and would contact him again when it arrived. We left messages on his voicemail to ask if he could arrange to come and fit it and he just didn't get back to us.

It happened again with a different bathroom fitter. No-one seems to want to do "mending" jobs of individual anymore. They all only want to do whole refits. Can't get anyone to fix a leak in our roof but you can bet all the same companies will do a full re-roof no problem.

I do know a decent builder. But while he was a nice man and helpful in trying to point us towards other people, he wasn't interested in rebuilding our garage and porch. "I'll stop you there, love, I have to say, I only do extensions and loft extensions so if it's neither of these I'm not interested in the job, sorry." At least he was honest and upfront about it.

I've had a structural surveyor come out to look at a crack in our upstairs bay. Told us what he thougth the issue was and said he'd email us a little report with exactly what he needed doing. Never heard from him again. He had actually arrived thinking he was doing a homebuyer's survey - god knows where he'd got that idea.

Can't be arsed with them anymore. They only want very very large jobs round here. Not interested in small jobs.

ppx 15 years ago, i had to renovate a large house for my aunt...rent out to cover care home fees....i used gumtree....gave people a chance....if no good i got rid....hit and miss but found 4 excellent people who i still use today if needed.....there is a shortage and you have to wait a while for the good people.....there are a lot of bad workers out there....availability usually means they no good....good luck.

Fuck knows. My plumber went awol on the 23rd.

Promised to turn up yesterday morning - arrived 1pm. Thought he’d nipped out to the van to get a tool at 3… haven’t heard from him since.

His tools are all over the house and I have no hot water.

Perhaps if he spent less time jibber-jabbering and more time working, he’d have finished on the 23rd…

Pray to St Jude

(patron st of lost causes)

Have you got any neighbours or local shops you can ask, if you only know a few people in the area? That's a big part of your problem.

We've lived in the town for twenty years so know a fair few people and put a call out in various groups we're in on WhatsApp, as well as a group for our specific local area (about 30 houses).
I can't believe how flakey so many trades are these days - just never acknowledging messages or calls.

With regards to the small jobs and repairs, we've found that the best people for those are older, semi-retired tradesmen who are still interested in doing a job here and there, for cash, to supplement their pension etc. We're got an excellent decorator, handyman and plumber who are like this!

Seems they can all afford to be choosy these days, but I can't understand the not returning calls or not turning up. That's rude and very unprofessional. I'd be happy to give that feedback if anyone asked on FB etc.

Either word of mouth or I ask for a smaller (and much cheaper) job to be done first and get rid if they aren't up to scratch.

We with a firm to do a reasonably small job. It was okay but not fantastic and there was no way I would have gone with them for the 12k bathroom revamp I was planning - but the plumber they got in to do the water connections on the smaller job (because their plummer let them down) was fantastic and also owned a Company - so I employed his company to do it.

Im embarking on an extension in the new year so need lots of tradespeople. I've started by searching looking Facebook groups, not asking, but using the search function for keywords. Then I go through old posts and see which names keep coming up as recommendations - cross check with google to see what comes up and then I contact!

Be ready to wait for a competent reliable trade-person. In dire straits, find out where the best people go for a drink when they finish work and talk about the projects they are on. Listen a lot, learn the gripes they have with clients (there are loads of difficult ones) and then work out how not to be awkward. I have been in one area for a long time, and have kissed a lot of frogs but I now know who to go to for advice and have a closely guarded address book of go-to people. And use them regularly, every year: my chimney sweep's answer phone says clearly that he doesn't have time for many new customers, but will prioritise regulars and people who have bought houses from regulars. Like wise with my recently found plumber, and with the carpenter joiner/kitchen fitter who has just built his own house, and an electrician. And pay them quickly as there is no more certain way to become a valued customer.

Become a neighbour of a trades person. (I know not easy but if you do have a neighbour ask them for recommendation). They don't seem to want to get a bad name among each other. My neighbour is a tradesperson, he has suggested other tradespeople to me who he comes across in work and they have suggested others.

To be honest if it wasn't for that I would be lost.

I might have been lucky but I have gotten excellent tradesmen just by googling and looking at the reviews… If they are shite, it’ll show. If I looked for people with 1-5 good reviews they tended to be solid. Our flooring guy was recommended by the showroom and was utterly lovely.

Same things as you all. Eventually found one and stuck with him for years..

But one time I needed an electrician. For some reason I rang a letting agent and the lady there gave me a number.

I find electricians tend to be more professional as their training is rigorous and standardised. I’ve had least problems with finding competent ones, of all the tradesmen.

My husband is on Nextdoor. He's a painter and decorator and gets most if his jobs by word of mouth recommendations.
Seems to be the place to look these days.

Built it up over years. Talk to people who are getting work done. If you work ask around at work. Talk to people who are good and see if they'll recommend others.

It's really hard when you are new in an area. Once you have got one, pay on time, don't be awkward but be firm, don't be wishy washy.

We've got an electrician, a roofer, a hedge cutter,