
If you’re looking to schedule some routine maintenance for your house, carry out a repair or arrange a home improvement project, then you’re going to require the services of a skilled tradesman. But with so many niches and areas of specialisation out there, finding the most qualified practitioner for your situation isn’t always so easy.
In this post, we’re going to take a look at a few of the most common types of tradespeople in operation. We’ll offer a bit of insight into how you can go about selecting the best professional for a given trade:
Electricians
When it comes to hiring an electrician, there are many different variables that need to be considered. To begin with, you want to hire a person who has the proper credentials. Verifying this means that you need to have at least a cursory understanding of local requirements in your area (e.g. in England and Wales, this would mean compliance with Part B building regulations). But you’ll also need a means of verifying a particular electrician’s certification claims. Registration with local trade bodies, accreditation and insurance should also be taken into account.
Interior designers
Hiring an interior designer is a major commitment, and it’s wise to spend plenty of time looking into your options before you commit to a particular service. First of all, you’ll only want to consider designers who have plenty of professional experience as well as certification through relevant local councils or qualification bodies. It’s also important that the interior designer you select has experience working with the type of property or design scheme that is of interest to you. Every designer has their own speciality, so it’s worth shopping around to find one whose talents are well-aligned with your needs.
Plumbers
Unless you’re currently in the process of building or renovating a house, then the likeliest time you’re going to find yourself in need of a plumbing service is when an emergency strikes. With that in mind, you’ll probably need a plumber that offers 24-hour service. You’ll also want to make sure that all of the right certifications and memberships are in place. For example, if you’re looking for Birmingham plumbers, then you’ll probably fare best with a service that belongs to the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors Limited (APHC). And there are several other certifying bodies that can vouch for a plumber’s ability to work on a particular system or under certain circumstances.
Landscapers
A competent and qualified landscape contractor can help you transform your property through the use of specialised tools and expertise. But finding the right provider isn’t always that easy. To begin with, a run of the mill garden maintenance team may have the requisite skills to keep your garden looking beautiful, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re actually capable of providing landscaping services. For that reason, it’s important to note that there are three overarching aspects to landscaping – hardscaping, softscaping and maintenance. It’s rare for one landscaper to excel at all three. Knowing what specialisation you require will go a long way toward helping you choose the right landscaper.
Heating and Cooling Specialists
When it comes to hiring an HVAC specialist, you’ll want to start by doing some research. Educate yourself about the local licensing requirements, and then read up on your specific heating and cooling system. Specifically, make sure that you know its model and maintenance history. As far as finding the right specialist is concerned, don’t be afraid to ask for referrals or to look for reviews in an online directory. And at the risk of sounding repetitive, don’t settle for an underqualified service. Credentials and qualifications exist for a reason.
Builder
Proper licensure is important for any tradesman, but the stakes are particularly high when you are working with the built environment. It’s absolutely critical that the person constructing or working on your house or place of business has all the proper licenses and qualifications. Failing to ensure this could have disastrous consequences. You’ll also want to make sure that they have home indemnity insurance, which protects you in the case that something happens to them (anything form insolvency to death) which prevents them from finishing the job. As far as looking for referrals is concerned, it’s wise to follow up with past customers and to look, in particular, for unresolved disputes related to past projects. These should be taken as red flags.
Carpenter
Carpentry is a truly ancient trade, and today’s tradespeople continue to branch out and specialise. That’s why it’s important to know specifically what type of carpenter you require (e.g. rough carpenters, finish carpenters and repair carpenters). When you know a bit about each specialisation, it becomes easier to narrow down the search. You’ll also want to check and confirm that your carpenter is appropriately qualified, licensed and insured. Finally, availability is often an issue when hiring a carpenter. This is an in-demand trade, and finding a qualified professional with time to work on your project can be challenging.
Roofer
Roofers are another of those tradespeople that you’re most likely to need when an emergency strikes. This makes it all the more important that you have a reliable service to call upon. If a storm strikes and your roof is suddenly in need of emergency repairs, it’s going to be difficult to spend much time shopping around for a qualified roofer with all the appropriate credentials, licenses and insurance. That’s why it’s a good idea to make note of these professionals ahead of time. When it comes to roofing jobs, references and word-of-mouth referrals go a long way.
Whether you’re in the market for plumbers or interior designers, you can be sure that finding the most qualified professionals is going to require a bit of research on your behalf. But by educating yourself about the job at hand, you’re much more likely to find the right tradesperson for the job.