How do you choose your tradesmen?

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Oubadah

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#79872 23-Mar-2011 16:04

In particular, I'm looking for a competent wallpaper hanger in Auckland, but wallpaper seems to be out of fashion at the moment (I don't know why).

Just wondering how you guys go about selecting tradesmen. Word of mouth? No Cowboys? Haven't had much luck with painters etc. lately...

valtam

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#451171 23-Mar-2011 16:31

Word of mouth by people you know who have nothing to gain from telling you about their experience, other than wanting to see you have a good experience to. Try this resource to - http://www.mytradesman.co.nz/

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#451172 23-Mar-2011 16:33

Wallpaper is out of fashion because paint is so much easier to work with... it dosent tear/fall down after the glue wears off, want a change ? Paint over the paint... :)
And you can usually do a good job yourself where as wallpaper...well.. can be fun :) (and expensive if you make a mistake)

Im a little wary of Nocowboys, WAY too many positive reviews on companies that are worded exactly the same from anonymous users - I even emailed nocowboys and asked if they were aware of any spam/fraudlulent activity on their reviews and they were pretty much "no, theyre all legit". (Insert Tui ad....)

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SepticSceptic

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#451785 25-Mar-2011 14:04

Depends if you are asking the hangers to supply the wallpaper, from list that you chose from, or you buy the paper and ask the hangers to hang it.

If the latter, pay only a 25% portion up front, and then pay the balance on completion if you are happy with the job.

If the former, you probably would need to pay upfront for the paper.

After watching Target the other night - fair few cowboys out there ,,, ask for a previous customer or two for a reference, especially if you are using expensive paper.

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Snowflake

#451807 25-Mar-2011 15:11

builderscrack.co.nz is one site i've used in the past. you post your job details and let the tradesmen come chasing you with quotes and recommendations.

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vinnieg

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#451808 25-Mar-2011 15:15

Tradebox.co.nz is all good too. Even gives you tips on how to do it yourself or find a builder, similar to builderscrack in that respect

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geek4me

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#451814 25-Mar-2011 15:35

+1 for http://www.mytradesman.co.nz/

However not all company reviews appear if you search by Trade and Location, particularly the bad reviews. If however you put the company name in the Search by name box you will see all the reviews for them.

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scuwp

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#451820 25-Mar-2011 15:44

Definitely word-of mouth. Ask around at work/sports/gym wherever for recommendations, and if you can have a look at their workmanship. Beware though as peoples 'acceptable' standards can vary.

Personally I like wallpaper (generally a warmer feeling), but it is near impossible to repair if damaged, and when you want to change the colour scheme it is a big job and can be expensive (especially if you want a paint finish later).

If you have kids I would definitely go paint all the way!

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South45

31 posts

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#452159 26-Mar-2011 19:05

Referral not the YP. Use one who gets back to you quickly and is already busy. They are busy for a reason. Therefore if you have to wait, wait as they will do a good job.

The guy who can start tommorrow is useless.

illicit

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#452195 26-Mar-2011 20:35

or had a cancellation...