How to Choose a Tradesman

When you are thinking about hiring a professional for any type of building, construction or specialist service, it can be difficult to know how to choose a tradesman for such an important job.

This guide has been written to help you make the best choice possible by thinking about a few important factors that should be considered before deciding who you should work with.  

Make sure to also read our guide on planning permission and building regulations.

 

Qualifications, Certifications & Skills

Fundamental to any work that is to be undertaken is finding out what sort of people you need for the job a hand. This particularly involves any essential qualifications required for certain types of work to conform with safety and building regulations – such as qualified electricians or gas engineers.

Where qualifications are not a factor then you will need an idea of what services you need. For example, a bricklayer is skilled at his job, but if you were thinking of building a conservatory or an extension, can the tradesman provide design services or will you need an architect? Can they advise you on Planning Permission requirements? Do they understand building regulations and the process involved?

Writing a Good Job Post

Posting your job with BookaBuilderUK has proven to increase your chances of a successful outcome for all types of work, mainly because it puts your project in front of tradesmen that actively want your specific type of work, which means that they should excel at the things you need them for.

So when it comes to writing your job post, try to provide as much information about the work as possible to ensure the best matches with tradesmen in your local area.

You can also put down any specifics you require from tradesmen in regards to qualifications or level of experience etc.

 

Recommendations

Word of mouth recommendations from people you know will always be the most trusted, however when it comes to specialised services, we don’t always know somebody who can point us in the right direction for the things we need.

Fortunately you can read genuine reviews of builders and tradesmen on their profile pages on BookaBuilderUK, directly from people that have experienced working with the individuals or companies.

 

Comparing Quotes to Choose a Tradesman

When it comes to comparing quotes and actually choosing a tradesman, your thought process really should go way beyond price. Quotations are just the beginning of your opportunity to find the person or people you will trust with your investment and future happiness.

Ideally you are looking for a professional, hard working and affordable tradesman that can not only get the job done in the best way possible, but will also be on hand to provide trusted information and advice throughout various stages of the project.

 

Do a Little Research

It is highly advisable to know at least a little something about the work you wish to undertake before engaging with professionals. Obviously there will be numerous factors around pricing compared with other jobs, but you can research similar work to get an idea of rough costs.

Use the Internet to look for information, including bad reviews or posts made by people that have suffered bad experiences with tradesmen or companies. This is not a case of just looking into the people offering you quotes, but learning from others and discovering as many potential areas of difficulty that may arise in order to discuss these things with prospective tradesmen.

 

Break Down the Costs

All quotations are generally based on the same key elements, and if you consider just 3 main factors of a proposal, it can give you a very good insight into the people providing the quote when comparing with others. 

The 3 factors are generally Materials, Labour and Timescale, and if your proposal does not contain this information then please request it. After all there is no other way to quantify an amount of money in any scenario without having it broken down.

Again, this is not as simple as saying the cheapest or quickest will be the best, but will help when asking questions or talking about the quote in more detail when you get to that stage.

For example a quote containing higher labour costs may be using a bigger or more skilled team for the work. Equally higher costs for materials may mean a better quality product and finish.

 

Discuss the Job Details

This is the most important part of choosing a tradesman, and your chance to use the discussion to establish whether or not you can work with people.

Here you are looking for tradesmen that can show their expertise and talk you through various aspects of a job. The more of a breakdown you can establish here, and the more you are able to communicate openly with a tradesman, the better. It is certainly their job to make you feel like you are in good hands and that they know what they’re doing.

How many times have you completed this type of work?

How will you approach the job?

What are the various stages of the project?

How long will it take to complete?

How many people will be working in my house?

What potential problems can arise during the work?

Have you got any references or examples of work?

 

Whatever questions you ask, just remember that you need to feel comfortable with people that you will be potentially letting into your home for a certain period of time.

Also, for bigger projects you want to ensure that the people you are working with understand building regulations and building control practices to guide you through everything that needs to be done.

 

Managing Your Money

Don’t be afraid to discuss money in detail. In fact, make sure you have clear payment plan in place before any work commences.

Obviously for small jobs you may be required to pay up front and cover all costs – though many tradesmen would still usually cover this and complete the work first.

But for bigger projects you are best to work out staged payments that are both time and goal orientated, which can also work as an incentive to keep a project on schedule, or specify successful sign off of building control phases where applicable.