Finding a reliable contractor - our top tips

At the top of the list for every renovator is the question “Who will I trust to ‘ruin’ my house and put it back together again?!” Choosing reliable contractors is one of the toughest parts of renovating, yet the most important to get right. We know because we’ve been through this many times with all of the different phases of our renovation. There’s been some highs and lows, let’s say.

Like the 80’s song by Feargal Sharkey, “A good contractor is hard to find”, well maybe it wasn’t exactly those lyrics. It’s true though, good builders generally have a long waiting list. When word gets around that they are good at what they do then they’re in demand.

Here are some of our best tips to help you choose the right contractors for your job.

1. Careful choosing contractors on trades reviews websites – they might not be what they seem

This is a bit of a controversial one but in our opinion (an opinion shared by a few other industry professionals we have met) it’s all a bit too easy for some contractors to fake their own feedback. You only have to visit some pages to see that some contractors’ reviews are somewhat suspicious. Our advice is to use these sites for guidance only. These website profiles are being paid for by the contractors, so ultimately the websites are supporting the contractors who are paying to be there, not necessarily the best talent.

2. ‘Triangulate’ feedback/reviews across multiple platforms

Aside from checking contractors websites, of course check the Google business profile, Google has a pretty robust reviews section which is a bit more difficult to fake feedback on.

Visit a contractor’s Facebook page to see reviews, you can also do a search on Facebook to see if people are talking about them. You could ask your Facebook friends for recommendations (people are not that likely to recommend people they do not trust through fear of problems being experienced).

Also, join local forums or Facebook local community groups and do searches there (make sure it’s not just someone recommending their other half).

3. Ask family, friends and neighbours which contractors they recommend

Your number one place to find friendly tradesmen has to be people that you know well. You might even have people in the family that can help with your project. Remember that just because they’re in your family doesn’t mean that they are good or that they will give you mates rates. Keep in mind you want a quality job at a fair price – and try not to end up in the scenario where you’re having to give negative feedback to a family member you’ve hired. That can be tough! They say don’t mix business with pleasure, and when it comes to choosing contractors, this much can be true.

4. Big companies = big rates?

We found that the biggest and most well known companies in our area were also the ones with the highest quotes. Think about the overheads that a bigger company has and the amount of work they’re churning through, your little project might not really be worth it to them. They might also find it harder to fit you in to their busy schedule.

5. Visit Instagram

There are so many renovations on Instagram, as long as you can determine some local ones then contacting the accounts directly might be fruitful. Remember though that if those Instagrammed renovations are still in progress, there might be a bit of a wait for the contractor. Don’t rush into a recommendation until the person recommending them has finished the job – you’ll get a full review that way. Some contractors are fantastic and very fast at the demolition and build on renovations, but do they have the eye and attention to detail to finish the job to a high spec?

6. Before you make contact, make sure that your requirements are clear

The last thing you want is for a contractor to turn up to give you a quote and they’re asking questions about what is entailed that you can’t answer. The detail can come later, sure, but if you still don’t know the layouts, and general tasks the contractor will need to carry out, it’s a waste of time them being there until you’ve sussed your plan. If you’re renovating with a significant other, a conversation prior to the contractor arriving can be very helpful to make sure you’re both on the same page about what you want. Don’t end up questioning your other half while the contractor is there, either. Get your requirements agreed prior.

7. Get your feelers out early

You are heading for disappointment if you are planning your renovation in the next couple of weeks and you are just starting to get in touch with contractor for quotes. Making contact with a few different contractors early is crucial – the best contractor who charge the fairest rates will be booked up months in advance.

8. Don’t email or text in the first instance - phone up

It can be tempting to go straight for the emails and texts because that’s how most people communicate nowadays. However contractors are very manual people and some of them (not all) de-prioritise the admin part of their job, including texting and emailing. With renovations, getting as many questions answered as early as possible is the name of the game, so the phone definitely wins. Make a list of questions and fire them off on the phone to them.

You’re more likely to get a much quicker response if you call up early morning or even after hours (everyone is different of course). You could make the case that getting that rapport early on will help you build a strong relationship with whoever you choose so speaking on the phone is a great start.

9. Follow up with contractors after a call

After an initial phone call, do follow up with an email or text listing out what was discussed and any unanswered questions, plus your requirements, provisional dates and attach drawings (if applicable). Set a reminder to follow up with them because it’s likely they’ll have to try and balance your project with their other jobs and sometimes we all just need a bit of a nudge to reply.

10. Book in a chat on site to go through the project

Schedule in a meeting with your contractor when all parties can do it (maybe an evening or weekend). Make your contractor feel welcome, get a cup of tea and some biscuits on the go, it’s amazing how little things can make a difference to how much someone wants to help on a project. Make sure that you mention every potential job, contractors, of course, like lots of work and if yours starts to sound like a bigger job then you might get bumped up the priority list.

Best of luck with choosing your contractors! If you like this post, read our renovation advice for more tips.