Electricians (Sparks)

It is an electrician’s job to inspect, test and install the domestic electrical wiring system. For convenience, and in order to conceal the wiring with minimal disruption to appearance, they are among the first people to come in once a house has been stripped out.

You must employ a NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) qualified electrician to abide by the rule introduced in April 2005.

It is a good idea to get an electrician to check for inadequacies if you are restoring a house as electrical installations begin to deteriorate after years of extensive use.

Rates: £100-150 per day, the daily rate will diminish with longer jobs.

Plasterers (Spreads)

A plasterer will render and repair deep damage to walls, put a smooth skim on imperfect walls and construct stud walls using plasterboard (two layers of paper bonded to a central layer of gypsum). The plasterboard will then be skimmed ready for decoration.

Rates: £100-175 per day

Glaziers

Essentially glaziers will cut and install glass panes for doors, windows and porches. Painters sometimes double as glaziers as the putty that is used to set the panes in place needs to be painted upon completion of the installation.

Rates:  £100-175 per day. Very small jobs may be charged on a one-off fee basis.

Tilers

If you want a whole floor, wall or any significant or intricate area tiled then it would be advised that you get a specialist tiler. The finish should certainly be much better than if you got an ‘odd job man’ and the speed it gets done should not be comparable.

A tiler will know exactly how to prepare the surface before he begins, how to cut the tiles for those awkward obstacles and what the best grout and adhesive is for the job.

Rates:

Tiler: £80-£200 per day
Odd Job Man: £65-£120

Painters and Decorators

Painting and decorating could well be the most undervalued trade. It is an extremely important final touch than can be the cherry on a cake or ruin an otherwise great job.

This is the area where people think that they can do it themselves and cut the costs, this is of course the case sometimes, but often the results are disastrous.

If you get tradesmen in to do your painting and decorating then you should expect them to be painting/decorating for only 20% of the time they are there, for a job to look professional and for a job to be worth doing, the other 80% must be spent on preparation. It is worth every minute if you want a good result.

You should be sure to get specialist decorators who have been recommended or researched; there are plenty of inexperienced, untrained painters and decorators that set up business. Do not hesitate in checking their credentials with previous employers.

Rates:

Painter: £80-150
Special Paint Effects: £250-450 (depending on difficulty)

Carpet Fitters/Layers

First and foremost it is a good idea to do any of the work you can do yourself to save some money. Clear the room of furniture if possible, get the old carpet up, give the floor a sweep and make sure your surface is level, cut some plywood to level it if you can.

The carpet fitter will gladly do all this for you but it is always worth remembering that it is not worth paying a specialist to do something anybody could do. So avoid any extra labour hours by doing what you can.

The fitters should measure up your room if necessary (alternatively you can take the measurements/drawings of your rooms to the shop), cut the carpet as efficiently and cost effectively as possible and lay the carpet for you either using grips or glue/heat sealing method. The fitter should also offer the option of fitting joining plates for the doorways.

Rates:  £90-160 per fitter per day