Home repair and trades
Builders, roofers, plumbers, electricians, heating engineers and the people who keep a home running.
- How to vet a builder or general contractor before you hire
Practical checks for vetting a builder or general contractor in the UK, US, Canada and Australia: licences, insurance, references, past jobs and payments.
- Red flags of a bad contractor, and what to do if you already hired one
Warning signs that a builder or contractor is a bad bet, from cash-only deposits to storm door-knockers, and the steps to take if you already hired one.
- Getting quotes from tradespeople: what to send, how many, and how to compare
What to include in a quote request, how many quotes to get for a home repair job, how to compare them line by line, and how a quote differs from an estimate.
- Hiring a roofer: repair or replace, insurance claims, warranties and storm chasers
How to hire a roofer: deciding between repair and replacement, getting an inspection, handling insurance claims, warranties, scaffolding and Building Control.
- Hiring a plumber: emergencies, pricing, licences and what to ask
How to hire a plumber for emergency or planned work, how call-out and pricing models work, which licences apply in each country, and the questions to ask.
- How to hire an electrician in the UK, US, Canada and Australia
What to check before hiring an electrician: registration schemes, licences, permits, inspections and the certificate you should get when the job is done.
- Hiring for a boiler, furnace, heat pump or air conditioning
How to check a heating engineer or HVAC contractor: Gas Safe and MCS in the UK, licences, load calculations and permits in the US and Canada, and warranties.
- Planning a bathroom or kitchen refit: who to hire and what the quote must include
How to organise a bathroom or kitchen refit: design versus fitting, who coordinates the trades, what a full quote covers, staged payments and lead times.
- How to hire a painter and decorator
What to check when hiring a painter: preparation, number of coats, who supplies the paint, interior versus exterior work, lead paint and questions to ask.
- Hiring a gardener or cleaner for regular help at home
How to hire a regular gardener, landscaper or house cleaner: employed versus self-employed or agency, insurance, keys and trust, trial visits and pricing.