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David Harris

Never mind the rogue builders: Pricing website starts rogue customer list

builders tools
  • HaMuch.com to compile list of debtor customers, complainers and con-men
  • Builders report increase in non-paying customers, rogue complainers & cancellations
  • Some customers hire tradesmen with no intention of paying quoted price

We are all used to seeing rogue tradesmen on early morning television shows, BBC’s Watchdog and regional news shows, but what these programmes never portray is the number of rogue customers that builders and other trades have to deal with.

Are customer who fail to pay up rogues too?

Building work-pricing website HaMuch.com is now attempting to redress the balance by compiling a list of customers who have failed to pay up, cancelled major jobs at short notice or consistently made unjustified complaints to get significant discounts. This list of nightmare customers will be compiled via feedback from plumbers, electricians, roofers, bricklayers and other tradesmen and tradeswomen who use the unique pricing website, before being made available to trades who sign up for the service. read more

Upgrade Your House | Twyford Bathroom Solutions

e100 bathroom suite

When it comes to renovating your bathroom, there are several important elements to consider at every stage of the process, from designing, buying and installing a new bathroom suite.  

Perhaps the most daunting decision for a homeowner is settling on a bathroom suite that both looks beautiful and performs flawlessly, while keeping in budget. Twyford bathroom ranges feature a host of ceramics and furniture solutions ideal for any space or style. From mirror cabinets, and other storage solutions to toilets, basins, and showers, form and function combine to create the perfect modern bathroom. read more

Builders and Plumbers in the southeast 25 times more expensive

Regional / local: The UK’s cheapest tradesmen are in Birmingham / Nottingham / Nuneaton / Blackwood / Doncaster

  • North-south divide in builder costs as much as £240-per-hour
  • Surrey and London most expensive for tradesmen/women
  • Midlands offers best value to homeowners, according to HaMuch.com

A new data survey by building work pricing site HaMuch.com has revealed the stark differences between the southeast and the rest of the UK when it comes to the cost of building work. The divide appears to be drawn at Watford Gap, with the Midlands offering best value, whilst Surrey and London have the most expensive tradesmen.

The spread of prices for common household jobs across the recently-launched website’s 12,000 tradesmen ranged from £10-per-hour to an incredible £250-per-hour, with builders in Surrey charging as much as 25-times more than their counterparts in Nottingham. Plumbers in Surrey also charged an eye-watering 20-times more than those in Caerphilly. Meanwhile, hiring an electrician in London could cost you £250-per-hour, compared with a bargain basement £10-per-hour in Birmingham.  read more

Builder pricing site launches ‘How to Speak Builder’ guide for its customers

Trades language
  • New 10-point guide aims to make customers and builders more comfortable
  • Includes advice such as ‘you don’t have to drop your aitches’ and ‘not all of us take three sugars’
  • HaMuch.com guide details everything from breakfast times to the meaning of quotes

A new guide to speaking to builders from tradesman pricing website HaMuch.com is seeking to bridge the divide between home-owners and builders, starting with the common language that divides them. 

One common problem highlighted is the tendency of men to try to imitate a working-class accent, say ‘mate’ a lot and drop the names of random tools into conversation, in an attempt to appear knowledgeable. 

The Chameleon Effect

We are all guilty of what psychologists refer to as the ‘Chameleon Effect’, where we mimic the speech patterns of those we are speaking to, but this is most noticeable amongst middle class homeowners dealing with tradesmen. But builders are, it seems, just as fed up of having to engage in a chat that starts ‘what about the City game last night, eh?’ as the homeowners who feel obliged to engage in it. read more

Banish Builder cash-in-hand payments for trades

money
  •  HaMuch.com announce New Year’s resolution is no more cash-in-hand for builders
  • Portable card machines have revolutionised payment for tradespeople
  • Does away with the industry’s reputation for tax-dodging

Building work pricing website HaMuch.com is set to put a cat among the building site pigeons by calling time on cash-in-hand payments for plumbers, electricians and bricklayers alike. 

The bundle of used notes was once standard payment for tradesmen, but the website’s founder Tarquin Purdie believes that abandoning cash payments for 2019 will allow builders to fully embrace the 21st century and rescue the industry’s reputation in one fell swoop. He is now calling for home-owners to reject calls for cash payment, even if that comes with a discount. read more

12 Brilliant Festive House Cleaning Hacks

Christmas can be a wonderful time of the year, but it can also present a minefield of festive household dilemmas. Here are the top 12 solutions from our traders at www.hamuch.com to the most common problems faced by householders over the festive period.

1. Fridge Overload

In the run-up to Christmas, start clearing out the fridge and freezer so that there’s plenty of room for all the festive goodies – especially if, like many people, you’re planning to have house guests.

2. Messy Wrapping Paper

After opening your presents, for a quick-fix solution to clearing up, use a bundle of sticky tape to dab around and pick up bits of polystyrene and other small bits of stray packaging. read more

Scourge of Festive Veg Causing Spike in Christmas Call-outs for Tradespeople

christmas tradesman callout

From Brussel Sprouts blocking sinks to red-wine stained carpets and furniture, tradesmen at www.hamuch.com have revealed the most common reasons they’re contacted by panicking homeowners over the festive period.

The poll of 1,000 tradespeople from cleaners to plumbers has also revealed an 18% spike in the number of call-outs over this period, as people struggle to cope with the aftermath of the frenzied festive period.

Pete, a plumber at www.hamuch.com, said: “Homes have suffered over the Christmas period with blockages being a common issue. Dishwashers and sinks regularly need to be unclogged and the remnants of a festive dinner removed from the pipes….People can panic, particularly if they’ve tried to tackle the problems themselves but just end up making things even worse!” read more

Over 75% of builders have charged extra to homeowners with a ‘posh’ name

Posh customer with builder
  • Pricing website HaMuch.com survey shows 75.5% have charged customers more when hearing their ‘posh’ name.
  • 81.5% of tradesmen charged more after realising a client lives in a fancy house
  • 79% of builders have charged more when working in an upmarket area

A new survey by tradesman-pricing website HaMuch.com has uncovered bad news for those called Tarquin, Rupert or Quentin, as more than three-quarters of builders admitted to charging them far more than Daves, Mikes and Deans. A slice of class war set in brickwork and cement. 

75.5% of the tradesman questioned said that they have given a higher quote when the customer is a Henrietta, Harriet or Cassandra, with 51.5% saying they have added their ‘posh name tax’ many times. 24% said they had boosted their prices once or twice. read more

Albanian tradesmen looking to fill Polish gap as Brexit bites

albania flag
  • Huge hike in numbers of Albanians searching for work in UK
  • HaMuch.com figures suggest kitchen fitting, extensions and plumbing most popular​
  • Albanian workers targeting Kensington, Islington and Central Birmingham

Building work pricing site HaMuch.com has uncovered an unexpected trend that may give an indication of just who will be fixing your boiler or installing your kitchen after Britain has left the EU. 

The HaMuch.com website shows hourly and daily rates, so homeowners can search by price before posting a job or selecting which local tradesmen they want to employ. It also gives tradesmen an idea of the going rate in their area.  read more