Search for an Expert....

New home?

on Friday, 21 April 2023. Posted in Advice

New to OurLocalExpert?

New home?  WELCOME!

Find recommended local tradespeople, HERE!

Afordable Removals Phil carrying box into mansion

If you’ve just moved into your new home, we’d like to welcome you OurLocalExpert. We hope your move went well!

We're local ourselves - and we can help you to find good quality local tradespeople, fast!

I first compiled this guide when I moved here with my young family, 15 years ago. I didn't know where to start when looking for a tradesperson so I had to ask for local knowledge!

I choose who goes in this guide - I only promote businesses who have been recommended, and I won't feature anyone I don't have confidence in!

 

How to find a recommended local tradesperson:

For whatever trade you need, just use the search box at the top of every page of the OurLocalExpert website (as shown on the picture below - 'Search for an Expert')

....just start typing the trade you need - e.g. 'Locksmi.....' Then choose the area that's best for you.

OLE Website - SearchBox

 "It’s a great help for people like me, who wouldn’t really know where to start when calling people like these. Without your guide it can be a bit of a shot in the dark." - JD, Chudleigh Knighton

That's it!

Roofing Aegis 1 - Reduced

 

Just moved to a new home? Change your locks!

Locksmith FirstChoice 01 - Reduced

One of the first things you should do is change your locks. Who knows who the previous owners lent a key to?

"Your guide is such a good idea – not only if you’re new to an area. I’ve been here five years now and found this particularly helpful to find a reliable plumber. I find it very useful." - Mrs Roll, Exeter

 

How did we get on?

 

Please remember to tell us how you get on with anyone you use from OurLocalExpert. We need YOUR feedback to be sure we only feature good quality tradespeople proviing excellent customer service. 

“I was delighted to receive this little book and to have a handy list of tradesmen recommended. It will be invaluable to us newcomers when we look for a reliable service." - Sheila McB, Honiton

Thank you!

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How to work safely with tradespeople during the Coronavirus pandemic

on Tuesday, 22 September 2020. Posted in Advice

How to keep yourself and tradespeople safe during coronavirus disruption

You want work performed in your home but you want to prevent the spread of coronavirus. You're not the only one! Tradespeople don't want to catch coronavirus from customers either.

The suggestions below will minimise the risk of spreading coronavirus while tradespeople work in your home.

1 - Agree as much as you can over the phone or by email rather than in person.

Builder Coronavirus

Hold a video call (Facebook messenger, Skype, WassApp, FaceTime) - flip the camera on your phone so that you can walk around your house showing what work needs doing, where. WhatsApp or just emails are great for sharing photos.

Discuss the procedure for carrying out the work, before letting the person into your home. Why not ask your tradesperson to phone you from their van the minute they arrive? You can then agree how they can enter your property safely. Explain the route into your house and to where the work needs doing.

Businesses can also use this technology to update you about work as it is completed – this means you don’t need to stand together in close proximity.

Carpenter Coronavirus

 

2 – Give them space! Create a safe environment

The ideal environment is an unoccupied site or working outside.
Do you have to be present while the work is carried out?
If you are nervous leaving a tradesperson in your home, remove precious valuables before work commences. If you plan to be elsewhere while the work is completed, make sure that your chosen tradesperson is also happy with this arrangement.

Plumber Coronavirus

Put up a sign! Even a handwritten note or two reminds workers (and you!) to be vigilant.

Open windows and doors to allow good ventilation.

Gardener Coronavirus

Try not to touch objects they have touched. It sounds mean, but don't offer tradespeople tea and biscuits! They're used to this now and bring a flask and packed lunch if they need it!
Think about break areas and break times – can they be set up to allow for social distancing to occur to minimise contact during these times? Do you have any camping chairs or stools that you won’t need for the duration of the work or ask your tradesperson to take breaks in their van.
Think about comfort breaks – leave antibacterial wipes and an open waste bin in your bathroom in case your tradesperson needs to use the toilet. Whenever you use the toilet, wipe down anything that someone else might have touched before you start. Wipe surfaces again with antibacterial wipes after you have finished.

Try to hold face-to-face discussions outdoors, ideally side-by-side not face-to-face. You should both wear masks.

3 - How badly do you need the work?

If you or someone in your home is vulnerable – consider if you actually need work completed now. What would be the implications of leaving the work until things are safer?

4 – Check each day - is anyone showing symptoms of coronavirus?

Neither you nor the service provider (nor a member of any of your households) should display these symptoms:

  • a high temperature or persistent cough
  • temporary loss of taste

5 - Clean all surfaces and clear away waste each day.

SweepingUp

Don’t touch paperwork or move items that have been touched by tradespeople. Explain at the outset that you expect them to tidy away tools and materials at the end of each day. A good tradesperson should be doing this anyway!

'Walk' the route your tradesperson will have taken, and wipe any surfaces they may have touched (including door handles - on both sides of the door) with a sterilised wipe.

Decorator Coronavirus

 

6. Try to agree for BACS payment over the internet rather than using cash or cheque.

 Painter Coronavirus

7. Be sympathetic to your tradesperson!

Due to the pandemic, tradespeople are finding it hard to source certain materials (to date these have included wood, paint and plaster). Some businesses aren’t operating at their usual capacity to protect their staff or to home-school children. There may be reasons why the whole job can’t be completed as usual. Ask your tradesperson to set your expectations for the timescales of the entire job.