Many people prefer making improvements to their homes instead of moving altogether and, in fact, this number increased five-fold in 2018.
With rising property prices, it’s no wonder people would choose to keep living where they’re living. Home improvements add value to your property, so they’re worth looking into.
Investing your time, effort, and money into a home project is an exciting time for homeowners. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to unleash your creativity and make any space part of the home of your dreams. However, while you can explore creative ways to revamp your house, not paying attention to who you’re hiring to get this done could quickly turn your dream into a nightmare.
With several options to choose from, it can be quite challenging to decide which tradesman could give you precisely what you’re looking for. For budgeting purposes, you can opt for getting a quote on sites like Price Your Job to give you an estimate on all kinds of home repair and decoration jobs.
Apart from knowing the budget though, you still need to be able to differentiate a potentially reliable tradesperson from one who’s just going to stress you out. So, you must conduct extensive research on the dos and don’ts of hiring a tradesman.
Ask friends and family
There’s no simpler way to find a reliable tradesman than asking someone you know for a recommendation. It’s even better when you’ve seen the work yourself since you’ll be able to gauge the quality of the job much better.
Be wary of cold callers
Any reputable and respected tradesman will be booked in advance. So, if someone is approaching you randomly at your door or on your phone, you should be wary. Excellent tradesmen usually don’t have time to cold call and contact potential clients randomly.
Hence, you should never hire someone who approaches you like that because there might be a reason why they’re going out of the way to get new clients – because they lost their old ones.
Apart from this, you should always be on the lookout for tradespeople who communicate in technical language. You should be able to make this decision comfortably, and anything else which makes you feel otherwise isn’t worth hiring.
Ask for references
While you may be worried about appearing untrusting when you’re asking someone for references, don’t be. You have a right to ask for references and even inquire further by contacting those referees about the service that was offered to them.
Any home job is a considerable investment, and you need to know your hard-earned money is going to the right place. If any tradesmen are refusing to provide any references, you need to understand why, since that could potentially tell you a lot about the quality of their work.
Research Online
If you’ve moved recently or have met a dead end after asking your family and friends, then you should do some online research. There are many resources available that have listed reliable tradespeople.
Not only can you register and sort through different tradesmen yourself, but you can also post details about your job and wait for them to contact you with their quotes. The best part is that the majority of these websites are free – so finding an excellent tradesman won’t cost you a penny.
When you’re considering a tradesman, you should ensure you’re doing a background and even a CRB check. For instance, search them up on Facebook to find reviews left by actual customers. This will give you better insight into the service they provide.
Focus on professionalism
While their work isn’t what you consider an office job, that still doesn’t exempt tradesmen from behaving and looking professional. Lack of communication and any delays is a red flag in every profession, and home jobs are no different.
You should keep an eye out for service providers who claim they can do all kinds of domestic, industrial, and commercial jobs. Chances are, they’re overselling themselves.
Apart from this, you should also avoid tradespeople who come late repeatedly, especially without a valid reason. Such behavior demonstrates a severe lack of professionalism, and this might extend to the work they do, as well. If someone is running late, they should inform you before the appointment.
Ask for a written quote
Any tradesman you’re considering hiring is supposed to tell you how much you’re expected to pay. While you might not be able to find out the quote for every single detail, you should know what’s involved in the job, the location, and the price inclusive of the task.
Apart from this, you’re also entitled to ask for an itemized, written quote, no matter how small or big the job is. Ideally, you should draw up a contract, but you should look into your state’s requirements first.
Before the work starts, you should ask the tradesman whether they’ve provided you with a fixed or an estimated quote. Additionally, it would help if you clarified whether it’s inclusive of GST.
No matter how reputable the tradesman is, you should always explore your options and get quotes from other tradespeople. If the price differs drastically, you should find out why that is.
Ask about the completion date
Any tradesman you hire should provide you with a completion date before any work begins. This date should only be extended in case of unforeseen circumstances, such as bad weather.
You should always communicate with the tradesman and draft up a tentative schedule of the job. While you should allow room for flexibility, any significant delays are definitely a cause for concern.
Conclusion
You’re entitled to get the kind of service you desire. By focusing on the tips above, you can easily distinguish an excellent tradesman who can execute the way you want it to.
What other tips are essential to keep in mind before hiring a tradesman? Let us know in the comments below!
