Ok, so you’ve finally agreed to get a professional decorator to give your home a real make over, and you’ve discovered it’s not as easy as you thought. There is so many to choose from, which one is going to do the work to a standard you expect?
So here’s some tips to help you make the right decision.
The best way to get a decent decorator is through recommendation. If someone you know has had work done and recommends someone, ask them if you can come over and see the standard of work they have done. If it is to your liking you’ve staved yourself a lot of trouble. Just be aware good decorators are always busy, so you may have to wait.
Use your search engine wisely. If you type in Painter Decorator you will get lots of choice. Try narrowing it down to your location ie ‘Painter Decorator in (your location)’ you’ll instantly save time and money as whoever you choose will not be adding huge amounts of travelling time to their quotations. Now visit their websites and see if they have a portfolio, read their articles to see if they really know what they are talking about, and see if they are qualified and insured.
Once you’ve completed your searches, call two or three to provide you with a quotation. This isn’t necessarily just to find out who’s cheapest, but an opportunity for you to assess them as a person. Are they polite? Are they as excited about your project as you? Do they answer your questions clearly and concisely? Do they seem knowledgeable about their products and services? Can they provide evidence of their qualifications and experience?
If you want to get it right it’s essential that you relay your exact requirements. This will enable the decorator to make a good assessment of the project and the quotation given will be the final cost. If your not clear they could price the project how they see it and that’s when confusion starts and cost rise further down the line.
So you’ve now seen and heard the candidates. Generally the cheapest will most certainly not be the best. A professional decorator will know how long it takes to complete jobs and not try and will price accordingly. The cheapest option if far below the others, will be someone trying to undercut their competition and will be working against the clock as a result. Their work will be rushed and sloppy. Don’t do it!
