Some thoughts on how to get a quote from a contractor

[WC1]

A couple of thoughts on how to get a quote, some people seem to be struggling lately:
1. Ask friends and family for a recommendation, you’ll have more faith in them and them more in you.
2. Give as much detail as you can in an email before the day of the site visit, send plans, pictures and measurements.
3. Be flexible as to when you can meet, take care not to sound pushy or demanding, your contractor should do likewise.
4. When meeting for the first time offer a cup of tea / cold drink (non alcoholic) – many will refuse but the point is to be welcoming and to form a good relationship.
5. If the contractor suggests ideas that differ from yours, if what you want is not feasible, not to regs etc then you will have to be considerate of this. Sometimes what you want is just not possible.
6. Can you offer parking, mains power, a water source, toilet etc, clarify these things, they can make a big difference and you are showing consideration.
7. Weigh the cost of the various quotes against your instinct of whether the contractor is likely to get it right first time, it is when it doesn’t go right first time that it gets really expensive. Ask to look at photos of their other projects.
8. When meeting for first time Avoid politics, religion, race, gender, brexit and all the other controversial things, make small talk about where your going on holiday etc.
Just my 2p

 

[Rob Foster]

From my side...turn up look at the cars outside, check the ft garden for rubbish, see if windows clean, and paint on the soffits ok, if not hmm, knock on door stand back smile, go in side...if you can smell poverty
be carefull, look at back garden ..tells you loads, then see what they want, and if its a rental or owned...check the gas too see if its run out on their card, survey job and give them your professiinal opinion and a global price ..and see what happens ...but beware there are genuine people in need of our immediate help..and cant pay we do it and get it back off some other punter later in the week...who can..we are not Robin Hood but genuine fellas
Rob Foster aka centralheatking

 

[WC1]

...if you can smell poverty
be carefull,

I do sometimes knowingly find myself working for people who can't pay me, elderly especially. But that's kind of different to what we're talking about here

 

[Harvest Fields]

From my side...turn up look at the cars outside, check the ft garden for rubbish, see if windows clean, and paint on the soffits ok, if not hmm, knock on door stand back smile, go in side...if you can smell poverty
be carefull, look at back garden ..tells you loads, then see what they want, and if its a rental or owned...check the gas too see if its run out on their card, survey job and give them your professiinal opinion and a global price ..and see what happens ...but beware there are genuine people in need of our immediate help..and cant pay we do it and get it back off some other punter later in the week...who can..we are not Robin Hood but genuine fellas
Rob Foster aka centralheatking

Some of my best payers are the ones that look like they have nothing. Never judge a book by its cover. I hate it when people do it to me. I definitely wouldn’t do it to someone else.