Hi,

I'm not sure if I read somewhere on this newsgroup that local councils
do keep lists of good contractors. I've search on google and can't
find anything. I did telephone my local council and they said they
can't recommend anyone.

I just wondered if anyone else has managed to get any such information
from their local council and, if so, how?

TIA, Mark.

Very unlikely you'd get a council to recommend a contractor. But I did get
my house insurance company to recommend one recently, with good results. No
insurance claim was involved.

wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'm not sure if I read somewhere on this newsgroup that local councils
do keep lists of good contractors. I've search on google and can't
find anything. I did telephone my local council and they said they
can't recommend anyone.

I just wondered if anyone else has managed to get any such information
from their local council and, if so, how?

I've heard it said that council-approved contractors can
be a good choice. If they get regular work from the council
it will be well paid and they wouldn't want to lose it by getting
a bad reputation. I have no idea if this is true!

Al

On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 13:19:43 +0100, "Al Reynolds"
strung together this:

I've heard it said that council-approved contractors can
be a good choice. If they get regular work from the council
it will be well paid and they wouldn't want to lose it by getting
a bad reputation. I have no idea if this is true!

You've obviously never contracted to a council then and seen these
builders first hand? ;-)
The only way to find a good builder is by asking friends and
neighbours and looking for work that they've previously done. After
contracting to several councils myself I wouldn't trust anything they
said as I never met anyone who had any idea what they were doing!
--

SJW
A.C.S. Ltd

In message ,
writes
Hi,

I'm not sure if I read somewhere on this newsgroup that local councils
do keep lists of good contractors. I've search on google and can't
find anything. I did telephone my local council and they said they
can't recommend anyone.

I just wondered if anyone else has managed to get any such information
from their local council and, if so, how?

TIA, Mark.

'Phone round and get references. If they are any good they will have
customers who will provide references. If they aren't; they won't.


Council's have a different set of criteria for hiring builders to your
average householder.........
--
mark

Some district councils have lists of recommended contractors. In my
experience this list has been compiled by conservation officers who
don't want to see cowboys ruining their listed buildings. Other
councils (more cautious about their legal position perhaps?) hold
lists of names but with no recommendation attached though I have found
that the tone of voice of the conservation officer is helpful ;-) I've
heard that some district councils don't employ conservation officers
so I expect the situation varies quite a lot

Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England
|""""| ~ Plaster conservation and lime plaster repair
/ ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
|____| www.kettlenet.co.uk 01359 230642

(Anna Kettle) wrote in message ...
Some district councils have lists of recommended contractors. In my
experience this list has been compiled by conservation officers who
don't want to see cowboys ruining their listed buildings. Other
councils (more cautious about their legal position perhaps?) hold
lists of names but with no recommendation attached though I have found
that the tone of voice of the conservation officer is helpful ;-) I've
heard that some district councils don't employ conservation officers
so I expect the situation varies quite a lot

Anna


Insurance companies are very exact about what they want done and how,
so builders that do insurance work will come with quite a good level
of knowledge and the abililty to do precisely whats wanted. Naturally
you pay more for that kind of service.

Regards, NT

I'm not sure if I read somewhere on this newsgroup that local councils
do keep lists of good contractors. I've search on google and can't
find anything. I did telephone my local council and they said they
can't recommend anyone.

I just wondered if anyone else has managed to get any such information
from their local council and, if so, how?

A long time ago I was asking about getting a repair grant for my recently
purchased house - it was in an improvement area and I did end up getting a
grant for part of the work required.

The nice chap from the council came round and after I'd made him a cup of
tea and we'd chatted about the procedures, and the likelihood, etc., I said
to him "I realise that you aren't able to recommend anyone to do this work,
but if you were able to, what would be the firms you would suggest"?

He gave me the names of four or five firms and said "one of these will be
the cheapest, and the best".

I got quotes from the ones he mentioned plus a couple of my own, and sure
enough, one of his was both the most thorough when inspecting the work to be
done, and the cheapest. I engaged then and was very happy with the results.

If you can find the right person then I reckon an approach like this is
worth trying.

Jon N

"Jon Nicoll" wrote in message ........

If you can find the right person then I reckon an approach like this is
worth trying.



Once you find a good builder, ask him to suggest good electricians,
plumbers etc.

He might not know much about the trade in question, but he'll know who
is well thought of in the area and who the cowboys are.