We bought a house in London two years ago, and honestly, dealing with the tradespeople has been way tougher than actually purchasing the place. Is this a common struggle everywhere, or is it just a big city thing? We've faced numerous issues, like underestimations and endless delays. It feels like the companies are cramming too many projects into their schedules, leading to constant waiting for a specific worker who is tied up elsewhere. We hired a builder to check the materials we bought, and they confirmed everything was fine. Later, we found out they didn't check at all, and we had the wrong material. Then there was a plumbing mishap where one radiator leaked, dry out our heating system for two days! The frustration is real!
4 Answers
I totally get your frustration! I'm around DC, and it’s a headache too. The costs are ridiculous which often makes me want to just DIY everything. At least in my area, the land value holds up well even during tough times.
I feel your pain. I’m about to move to London too and after thinking it over, I decided to tackle most of the projects myself. It might take longer, but at least I can control the schedule. I’ll probably bring in some laborers here and there to help speed things up, but I want to be able to swap them out if they’re working on something else.
In the U.S., I’ve seen similar issues, and part of the problem is often people opting for the cheapest bids. Those who bid low usually have their reasons. With the internet, it’s easy for contractors to lowball bids without understanding the job’s scope, or they might cut corners to make their margin. Clients often think a quote is too high and pick inexperienced guys, thinking it’s easy work.
As someone who's in the trades, let me say it's really not easy for us either. There aren’t enough skilled workers around compared to the demand, which is a huge factor. The best tradespeople often avoid small jobs because they prefer larger contracts that pay more. This leaves a lot of less experienced workers who try to underbid just to get jobs, which doesn’t always end well for clients. Sadly, some tradespeople aren’t really up to snuff and might not have had proper training. If you can do some work yourself, I’d recommend getting a pro to help guide you through it. That way, you can at least check your work before moving forward.
That’s exactly what we thought initially! We did some DIY ourselves but got really burnt out, so we had to hire help eventually.