Are Irish building contractors just spoofers?

Tony EH

Seriously, I'm completely fed up dealing with them. I know people shouldn't paint with broad brushes etc, but my experiences and those of MANY others that I've talked to and heard from have given me the impression (quite valid IMHO) that the vast majority are chancers, liars and out to do the citizen regardless.

Irish builders have an appalling reputation at home and their rep abroad is in tatters too recently, so I understand. Their name in Ireland is so bad that people were praising the Polish contractors that flooded the country during the boom and by and large were sorry to see them go back home. They were often cheaper and did a better standard of work.

But, it's the propensity for the Irish contractor to overcharge and pull fast ones on the domestic customer that I am interested in. At the moment I am having to deal with several contractors in my home and EVERY ONE of them have been full of crap and each of their quotes have fluctuated WILDLY? One guy said he was expecting me to "barter" with him when I said his price was too high and he wasn't getting the job!

WTF? :rolleyes:

I told him he should have given me a realistic price in the first place and not wasted my time.

Another joker wanted 75% of the cost before the job started! :eek:

So, what do Boardsies think on this? Tell us your stories...

Mr Benevolent

Yes.

galwayrush

Everyone needs deposits now days, can't work without them. Banks don't help anymore and materials and staff need to be paid.

El Weirdo

Thinly-veiled "I'm building a house" thread.

policarp

The legal profession, the medical profession, politicians etc. etc. etc. . .

staker

IBT "thinly veiled" reply..

mikemac1

I see a lot of jobs going to Northern Ireland contractors.

I don't know how it works tax wise but they are doing well so I'd say they are cheaper
The roadworks around here were a NI company when the council were busy spending their budget last November


Louth County Council do the same

Owen_S

Cowboys, Ted. They're a bunch of cowboys.

Pottler

staker wrote: »

IBT "thinly veiled" reply..

Well done. Gonna get some Apple shares later?
I'm an Irish building contractor. I never spoof, never lie. You get it dead straight. I'm also dear. Not madly dear, but deffo not cheap. I also pay my taxes, my prsi, my vat, run on white diesel, don't take cash, have insurance, safety statements, method statements, etc etc. My thread would be "You hired me to build you an extension. You never mentioned your drains were laid arseways by the last lad, your electrics were bodged and your last plumber was a chimpansee. Hence, it will be dearer than my original quote. Funnily enough." Oh yeah, and I'm flat out, turning away work, no spare men. TBTG.
I'm even hiring! Fancy that. BTW, I never take a deposit and I have no credit accounts, I hate both. I pay up front for our materials and you pay me when were done. But same as I pay for the materials and wages, by God you better pay for the work. Non-payers are not even coming into the equation, just ain't happening. I'd sooner knock it around your ears and do the time. Literally.

ejmaztec

Tony EH wrote: »

Seriously, I'm completely fed up dealing with them. I know people shouldn't paint with broad brushes etc, but my experiences and those of MANY others that I've talked to and heard from have given me the impression (quite valid IMHO) that the vast majority are chancers, liars and out to do the citizen regardless.

Irish builders have an appalling reputation at home and their rep abroad is in tatters too recently, so I understand. Their name in Ireland is so bad that people were praising the Polish contractors that flooded the country during the boom and by and large were sorry to see them go back home. They were often cheaper and did a better standard of work.

But, it's the propensity for the Irish contractor to overcharge and pull fast ones on the domestic customer that I am interested in. At the moment I am having to deal with several contractors in my home and EVERY ONE of them have been full of crap and each of their quotes have fluctuated WILDLY? One guy said he was expecting me to "barter" with him when I said his price was too high and he wasn't getting the job!

WTF? :rolleyes:

I told him he should have given me a realistic price in the first place and not wasted my time.

Another joker wanted 75% of the cost before the job started! :eek:

So, what do Boardsies think on this? Tell us your stories...

That's probably because he can't get any credit at the building supplies company, many of which have taken a hit from builders going down the crapper in the crash, and owing huge sums that they're never going to pay back.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Tony EH wrote: »

Seriously, I'm completely fed up dealing with them. I know people shouldn't paint with broad brushes etc, but my experiences and those of MANY others that I've talked to and heard from have given me the impression (quite valid IMHO) that the vast majority are chancers, liars and out to do the citizen regardless.

Irish builders have an appalling reputation at home and their rep abroad is in tatters too recently, so I understand. Their name in Ireland is so bad that people were praising the Polish contractors that flooded the country during the boom and by and large were sorry to see them go back home. They were often cheaper and did a better standard of work.

But, it's the propensity for the Irish contractor to overcharge and pull fast ones on the domestic customer that I am interested in. At the moment I am having to deal with several contractors in my home and EVERY ONE of them have been full of crap and each of their quotes have fluctuated WILDLY? One guy said he was expecting me to "barter" with him when I said his price was too high and he wasn't getting the job!

WTF? :rolleyes:

I told him he should have given me a realistic price in the first place and not wasted my time.

Another joker wanted 75% of the cost before the job started! :eek:

So, what do Boardsies think on this? Tell us your stories...

"Ten for that? You must be mad!"

Thatnastyboy

mikemac1 wrote: »

I see a lot of jobs going to Northern Ireland contractors.

I don't know how it works tax wise but they are doing well so I'd say they are cheaper
The roadworks around here were a NI company when the council were busy spending their budget last November


Louth County Council do the same

All government/local authority work goes to EU wide tender,
lowest tender wins the work,
Some NI companies like to go very keen for some projects..

Bear in mind, profit margins are wafer thin or non existent on most projects now with so much competition fighting for so little work, 50%+ of jobs are won below cost according to the society of chartered surveyors.

OP are you talking about small time man&van tradesmen, or actual building contractors?

Pottler

Thatnastyboy wrote: »

All government/local authority work goes to EU wide tender,
lowest tender wins the work,
Some NI companies like to go very keen for some projects..

Bear in mind, profit margins are wafer thin or non existent on most projects now with so much competition fighting for so little work, 50%+ of jobs are won below cost according to the society of chartered surveyors.

OP are you talking about small time man&van tradesmen, or actual building contractors?

All true. Many jobs at the moment are not worth bidding on. Men are bidding low just to keep men busy, even if at a loss. Hiding to nothing and I ain't going there, I work for people I know and who know me. Trust both ways. I think harder about taking on a new customer than the customer thinks about hiring me. They think they are hiring me, really, I'm deciding wether they're worth working for. In many many cases, the answer is no. Also OP, if you hire the builder on price, expect crap. I'd be hiring on quality, not price. Price is somthing you look for in Aldi, not the roof over your head. Quality remains long after the price is forgotten. Another Pottler quirk is that I never, ever give a price. You hire me to do the job, I have no honest idea what it will cost. I do it the best, most economical way possible through mutual agreement and ongoing discussion and that = x. You pay me x. I will not con you, don't con me. Funnily enough, I always get repeat business, I have seldom if ever fallen out with a client and I can hand on heart say I have never overcharged anyone. I've also done a fair few big, high profile buildings on the same basis. It is what it is, let's work it out between us.

B.A._Baracus

Alot of cowboys out there, op.

keith16

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

Alot of cowboys out there, op.

Shure you could talk that into coming down.

ft9

Pottler wrote: »

Well done. Gonna get some Apple shares later?
I'm an Irish building contractor. I never spoof, never lie. You get it dead straight. I'm also dear. Not madly dear, but deffo not cheap. I also pay my taxes, my prsi, my vat, run on white diesel, don't take cash, have insurance, safety statements, method statements, etc etc. My thread would be "You hired me to build you an extension. You never mentioned your drains were laid arseways by the last lad, your electrics were bodged and your last plumber was a chimpansee. Hence, it will be dearer than my original quote. Funnily enough." Oh yeah, and I'm flat out, turning away work, no spare men. TBTG.
I'm even hiring! Fancy that. BTW, I never take a deposit and I have no credit accounts, I hate both. I pay up front for our materials and you pay me when were done. But same as I pay for the materials and wages, by God you better pay for the work. Non-payers are not even coming into the equation, just ain't happening. I'd sooner knock it around your ears and do the time. Literally.

Can I have that job thats going?

girl in the striped socks

When I was building my house I priced loads of tradesmen to do whatever job was coming up next.
I got crazy quotes off some guys who were relatively new to their trade & weren't that good. Surprisingly enough the "real" tradesmen priced the job properly, didn't rob me & did great work. By real tradesmen I mean guys who were at it years & had a name for good, quality work. I just assumed those guys would put in the highest price. I was wrong.
The one thing I found expensive was the furniture. I didn't see any huge difference there compared to prices years ago. As a result there's still a few rooms that are without furniture. But I don't use those rooms so there's no point really.
Shop around op & don't hand over any money until you see results.
Plenty of cowboys out there giving good workers a bad name.

starbelgrade

Tony EH wrote: »

I know people shouldn't paint with broad brushes

If you're painting a big wall, a broad brush is better than a small one.

Pottler

starbelgrade wrote: »

If you're painting a big wall, a broad brush is better than a small one.

Sprayer is the way to go.

Pottler

ft9 wrote: »

Can I have that job thats going?

"That" job? Theres a few. Good mig welders and good carpenters? Apply ahead, we're open for business. Spoofers or chancers? Meet me, we'll chat, reality will prevail. I am always hiring good men. I'm a good man, I know my own kind.:) I'm a workhorse, always was and I always hire workhorses. I hold the record for new hires. Apparently. According to my insurers who know this stuff. Hmm. Another quirk i have is that if you're not happy with the first weeks work, sack us. No hard feelings, hire someone else. Never happened, but it's there. Not ALL contractors are spoofers or conmen. There are people out there who are good. We're also slow. Jasus, that sounds bad. But actually, often slow is good.

starbelgrade

Pottler wrote: »

Sprayer is the way to go.

Messy if you have the floors down though.

Pottler

starbelgrade wrote: »

Messy if you have the floors down though.

Dropcloths. Also, my painting Foreman did T2 for DAA last. No paint on the floor, guaranteed. Genius tbh. He's actually unreal, no masking tape, no paint daubs. Just skill. Quite easily the best painter in the country. Also a quiet gentleman. I have good men, almost without exception. There is a reason we are very busy, and it is probably not all down to my charm! We don't do much domestic work, unless it's somthing special- it's all big commercial and very few of our clients are anything but razor sharp.

Tony EH

Pottler wrote: »

We don't do domestic work, it's all big commercial and very few of our clients are anything but razor sharp.

This is the problem with your input on this thread though.

Businesses are more savvy and have more time to make sure that contractors are doing a good job. They also have a bigger umph behind them to combat builders bullsh*t when it arises.

The average punter hasn't a clue, generally and they are routinely ripped off by the builders they hire to build/fix their homes.

It seems to me that it's no accident that there are SO many stories of dissatisfaction with domestic contractors from people in this country. It's so bad that the majority of people simply do not trust Irish tradesmen in any way and view them with extreme suspicion.

Tony EH

El Weirdo wrote: »

Thinly-veiled "I'm building a house" thread.

Eh?

Where's the veil?

I'm fixing up a house.

Your comment is rather pointless.

girl in the striped socks

Tony EH wrote: »

Pottler wrote: »

We don't do domestic work, it's all big commercial and very few of our clients are anything but razor sharp.

This is the problem with your input on this thread though.

Businesses are more savvy and have more time to make sure that contractors are doing a good job. They also have a bigger umph behind them to combat builders bullsh*t when it arises.

The average punter hasn't a clue, generally and they are routinely ripped off by the builders they hire to build/fix their homes.

It seems to me that it's no accident that there are SO many stories of dissatisfaction with domestic contractors from people in this country. It's so bad that the majority of people simply do not trust Irish tradesmen in any way and view them with extreme suspicion.

There's so many stories because people want the cheapest price possible even if they are compromising the quality of it.
Even If someone didn't have a clue about construction they could always ask someone who does know what they are talking about to help them pick a decent tradesman. It's not that difficult.

Pottler

Tony EH wrote: »

This is the problem with your input on this thread though.

Businesses are more savvy and have more time to make sure that contractors are doing a good job. They also have a bigger umph behind them to combat builders bullsh*t when it arises.

The average punter hasn't a clue, generally and they are routinely ripped off by the builders they hire to build/fix their homes.

It seems to me that it's no accident that there are SO many stories of dissatisfaction with domestic contractors from people in this country. It's so bad that the majority of people simply do not trust Irish tradesmen in any way and view them with extreme suspicion.

Tend to agree, but when I quote realistic going rates to Homeowners, they have a fit and hire someone else. IE, someone crap, who will cut corners, do what I would never allow, gouge on price in the small stuff and take ages to do what we do in a day. We work very very hard, and that costs money, money most homeowners just would not be able to afford. If I quoted you 20K for one day, you'd have a seizure, commercial does not. But they get 20K of work done in that one day. Or often 50k. Which is la la land for domestic, but routine for commercial.

Rayne Wooney

El Weirdo wrote: »

Thinly-veiled "I'm building a house" thread.

Thinly-veiled "I want a lot of 'thanks' " comment.

keith16

Tony EH wrote: »

Eh?

Where's the veil?

I'm fixing up a house.

Your comment is rather pointless.

Rather? Let me get my fcuking monocle.

woodoo

Very frustrating dealing with builder and tradesmen in that they will never say no out straight, no I can't do that, or i won't be there on monday. They always say yes i'll be there on monday (and just don't turn up), i'll ring you tomorrow about it (and not ring).

GASMANN

Tony EH wrote: »

Seriously, I'm completely fed up dealing with them. I know people shouldn't paint with broad brushes etc, but my experiences and those of MANY others that I've talked to and heard from have given me the impression (quite valid IMHO) that the vast majority are chancers, liars and out to do the citizen regardless.

Irish builders have an appalling reputation at home and their rep abroad is in tatters too recently, so I understand. Their name in Ireland is so bad that people were praising the Polish contractors that flooded the country during the boom and by and large were sorry to see them go back home. They were often cheaper and did a better standard of work.

But, it's the propensity for the Irish contractor to overcharge and pull fast ones on the domestic customer that I am interested in. At the moment I am having to deal with several contractors in my home and EVERY ONE of them have been full of crap and each of their quotes have fluctuated WILDLY? One guy said he was expecting me to "barter" with him when I said his price was too high and he wasn't getting the job!

WTF? :rolleyes:

I told him he should have given me a realistic price in the first place and not wasted my time.

Another joker wanted 75% of the cost before the job started! :eek:

So, what do Boardsies think on this? Tell us your stories...

Tony EH wrote: »

This is the problem with your input on this thread though.

Businesses are more savvy and have more time to make sure that contractors are doing a good job. They also have a bigger umph behind them to combat builders bullsh*t when it arises.

The average punter hasn't a clue, generally and they are routinely ripped off by the builders they hire to build/fix their homes.

It seems to me that it's no accident that there are SO many stories of dissatisfaction with domestic contractors from people in this country. It's so bad that the majority of people simply do not trust Irish tradesmen in any way and view them with extreme suspicion.

tony there's another side to it too, i do primarily domestic work to the highest possible standard. the problem with this is it drives the cost of the job up. an example would be in upgrading heating boilers and the the remedial works required to bring the existing system to standard and ensure validity of boiler warranty's. in most cases were talking €400-€1000 of additional work. this isnt optional extra's that im out to sell, its neccessary.
i give written detailed qoutations explaining everything and a before work commences report which the the final product can be gauged against so that the cust. can see the improvements in black and white rather than a verbal bluff. all this is then gaurenteed for up to 5 years, so i have to get it right or it becomes my problem later on. this all takes time and effort before comfirmation of winning the job.
what happens in the majority of cases is the cust. goes straight to the bottom of the page, says "joe bloggs is €500 cheaper, get him".

im tared as a rip off merchant, a few months later when the cheap job fails, joe bloggs is a cowboy and so you form the opinion that irish trades people are a ripp off + cowboys.

thats just one example of one type of job.

vicious circle!

cantdecide

Matching like-for-like is ridiculously hard. Most people usually go with the cheapest quote, assuming that they'll have all the time in the world to drag Mr.Cheapo through the Small Claims Court if they don't get satisfaction.

WHY do people assume that building a house is a trivial matter and they're experts at it even thought they've never done it before???

PS, my Dad's above-board, professional and responsible glazing company shut yesterday... he's 60, he's broke, he has no pension and can't claim the dole. He should have been a dodgy contractor.

johnr1

cantdecide wrote: »

Matching like-for-like is ridiculously hard. Most people usually go with the cheapest quote, assuming that they'll have all the time in the world to drag Mr.Cheapo through the Small Claims Court if they don't get satisfaction.

WHY do people assume that building a house is a trivial matter and they're experts at it even thought they've never done it before???

PS, my Dad's above-board, professional and responsible glazing company shut yesterday... he's 60, he's broke, he has no pension and can't claim the dole. He should have been a dodgy contractor.

He has my sympathy, I had that unpleasant experience last year, but I'm young enough to start again.

I agree with a lot of what Pottler says, I used to sub work from the big construction compaines, and if you produced, - and by god did we produce, then you were very well looked after. Then came the boom which did nothing but fill the country with half arse cowboys, and particularly the domestic and house building end of the industry. Thankfully, most of the worst of these are now in the Oz, but some remain, with price being their selling point.
Now, the big builders can't get subbies to do their work, due to them having burst us all over the last few years.

Cash up front is pure bullsh1t, and should never be given, except where materials to the same value arrive to site on that same day and are then the property of the person who paid the bill.
Yes, some good builders can't raise credit, but where that is the case, the homeowner can buy the materials for agreed costs in agreed batches, and deduct that amount from the overall. The contractor then will then not make any profit on the materials, but that's the cost of not having the readies to buy them, so too bad for him.

Pottler, I think we should have a chat sometime.

ejmaztec

Pottler wrote: »

Sprayer is the way to go.

I hear that there's an old Spanish lady looking for a painting job, she comes highly recommended.


http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056735185

kowloon

A single horror story has the mileage of a dozen jobs well done in most contexts. When it's in relation to people being done for such large amounts of money, living surrounded by the results and being reminded of it every day it's no wonder.

Like Pottler said, he tends to work with the same customers over and over again, the same is true of smaller jobs by individuals. My folks had the same plumber from my childhood right up until he retired. The tradesmen who screw people over tend not to get repeat business, they get about, spreading the stories with them.

Tony EH

So...it's the 13th of Nov and I'm still having to deal with this crap. :mad:

I am actually having to get fixed, the ****-ups that the "builder" did in the first place.

****ing joke.

Kirby

I wouldn't give a contractor cash up front unless I knew him personally. If you can't raise the capital for the materials, I'll go with somebody else.

It's simply far too risky.

Nippledragon

Yeah, some are. I have seen some terrible standards of workmanship and wasted materials throughout the so called boom. (Not jobs I was personally involved with BTW). Can't understand how some got away with what they did.
So many contractors made it up as they went along and some people spent a fortune to rectify terrible work. It wasn't just contractors though, a lot of people claimed they were architects when they were not: drawing up plans that did not work.
It was just one massive snowball effect, every one out to make a quick buck/euro, and not giving a wet shíte who was screwed over.

Spiritual

The whole building game ironically brought the country crashing down. Why would one be silly enough to think that the sh!t didn't flow down. I knew blocklayers that were earning €3000 a week on 3 day weeks. Someone had to pay for that. Its was an industry that became a magnet for chancers claiming to be tradesmen. The work was there and people were in such a rush to build, extent and have the showroom house that few were checking the legitimacy of these tradesmen.

pontia

was getting new kitchen a few years back,awful mess,had agreed price then these cowboys demanded 200e a day cash on top or they would drop a ton of rubble in the garden,needless to say i told them to piss off and called the guards

Kersh

Pottler wrote: »

Well done. Gonna get some Apple shares later?
I'm an Irish building contractor. I never spoof, never lie. You get it dead straight. I'm also dear. Not madly dear, but deffo not cheap. I also pay my taxes, my prsi, my vat, run on white diesel, don't take cash, have insurance, safety statements, method statements, etc etc. My thread would be "You hired me to build you an extension. You never mentioned your drains were laid arseways by the last lad, your electrics were bodged and your last plumber was a chimpansee. Hence, it will be dearer than my original quote. Funnily enough." Oh yeah, and I'm flat out, turning away work, no spare men. TBTG.
I'm even hiring! Fancy that. BTW, I never take a deposit and I have no credit accounts, I hate both. I pay up front for our materials and you pay me when were done. But same as I pay for the materials and wages, by God you better pay for the work. Non-payers are not even coming into the equation, just ain't happening. I'd sooner knock it around your ears and do the time. Literally.

What a superb post. Honest and frank.

A friend of mine in the cable networking business runs his comapny the exact same way. His work is brilliant, done properly, and never has issues. He pays up front, doesnt run credit with suppliers and all that.

UnawareCaesar

Tony EH wrote: »

So...it's the 13th of Nov and I'm still having to deal with this crap. :mad:

I am actually having to get fixed, the ****-ups that the "builder" did in the first place.

****ing joke.

Just out of interest OP were you going for the lowest price when you hired said "builder"?

Don't mean to sound harsh but its peoples own fault if they get screwed over going for the "cheapest builder" these days. The only companies to have survived the recession are the ones still able to attract work on reputation and the ones who are undercutting everyone to get work then heaping on extras to get to a higher price than it would have cost to go with a higher quote from a reputable firm. These lads are surviving purely on the basis that they can go in cheap, do work to a terrible, and sometimes even dangerous standard, collect whatever bit of money they can, wrap the company up on a Friday and have a new one ready to start again next week.

It still amazes me that Priory Hall has thought the average Joe Blogg nothing at all about the cowboy builders out there but yet they'll still get them in and then proceed to slate the whole industry when it goes wrong. People need to realise that the cheap quote gets very expensive when the building has to be gutted and redone because its not up to standard.

There is a huge problem in the industry in that absolutely anyone can start up a company but clients can take steps to avoid the bad ones. So I'd urge anyone looking for work done to look at portfolios of work/websites and try to use builders that your architect/structural engineer have worked with before and can recommend for doing the work to a good standard because at the end of the day its only you who gets stuck with the consequences of bad workmanship.

Gurgle

UnawareCaesar wrote: »

Don't mean to sound harsh but its peoples own fault if they get screwed over going for the "cheapest builder" these days.

Its peoples own fault if they pay any tradesman in advance. It doesn't matter if they took the cheapest quote or the dearest.

You can't be ripped off if you haven't parted with any cash.

So I'd urge anyone looking for work done to look at portfolios of work/websites and try to use builders that your architect/structural engineer have worked with before and can recommend

also this^^

UnawareCaesar

Gurgle wrote: »

Its peoples own fault if they pay any tradesman in advance. It doesn't matter if they took the cheapest quote or the dearest.

You can't be ripped off if you haven't parted with any cash.


also this^^

Yeah you should never part with cash up front, all of the standard contracts set up for construction projects usually set out a payment schedule which usually relates to payment for each stage after its completion, these can be altered but payment should never be made up front.

Also you can be caught out by paying for substandard work after its been completed if you don't realise the poor standard of work until you've paid.

AnarchistKen

As previously pointed out and in my own opinion as a career QS there is two sides of the coin regarding Irish Contractors.

1. First Side - If they see a bare arse they will without doubt ride it. Most are short sighted companies that tend to still live in the last century and are your typical hairy arsed jumbo breakfast roll builders.

2. Flip Side - Builders like Pottler who produce good quality work for good rates/ prices. Take pride in their work, progressive and think outside the box and build good Client bases.

blacklilly

I work in this industry and yes of course there are some spoofers but the vast majority of builders I come in contact with are great.
Can I ask, did you employ a project manager? I ask this because if you didn't, the contractors you asked to quote may not fully understand the job they are quoting for, I.e no tender proposal document.
Furthermore with health and safety laws, builders are being squeezed, they also must have insurance (personal liability and indemnity) materials they use are not cheap so of course they will ask for a deposit. Too many builders I know have been left high and dry when it comes to payment.
I would highly recommend employing the services of a project manager if you are undertaking substantial work, they will usually obtain three quotations based on a schedule of works so you can compare like with like.

shopaholic01

There are chancers in every profession, but the problem with builders is that they are now judged from our experience of the Celtic tiger years - labourers and others half way through their apprenticeship who set themselves up as self-employed and bought 4 wheel drives on credit. Their only experience was wprking on the housing estates that seemed to spring up overnight - poorly built and finished.


Those successful in the trade before this madness may be dearer, but you get what you pay for.

Tony EH

UnawareCaesar wrote: »

Just out of interest OP were you going for the lowest price when you hired said "builder"?

In a word no.

They weren't the most ridiculously expensive and they weren't the lowest either.

Tony EH

blacklilly wrote: »

Can I ask, did you employ a project manager?

No, I'm an ordinary punter that was looking to get repairs done on my house.

blacklilly

Tony EH wrote: »

No, I'm an ordinary punter that was looking to get repairs done on my house.

Ok well perhaps you have been unlucky but as other posters have said, builders will quote for a job but it is prudent to allow a continguency for unforeseen works. Sometimes it is not until works begin that a builder can truely understand the work that is involved.

UnawareCaesar

Tony EH wrote: »

In a word no.

They weren't the most ridiculously expensive and they weren't the lowest either.

Had you seen past work with any of the builders who quoted you or how did you come across them?

cardwizzard

We are painting contractors, so a bit different from builders.

I never ever start a job without the client having signed a contract. It will clearly state what we are to do, and not doing. This protects us and them.

We have a payment schedule of, 30% upon commencing work, 40% after an agreed amount is finished and 30% upon completion. Now we work hard, don't bugger off after recieving the first chq, and do an excellent job. However we are not cheap, but don't gouge either. Repeat clients and referrals to family and friends is what we are after.

We pay our taxs, Prsi Vat etc. We supply our customers with up to date insurance cert along with a customer reference list during the estimate.

Not all builders or trades are brutal. Open and honest communication both ways is paramount.