How to find contractors for renovation works?
Hallo allemaal!
We have bought a house that needs some renovation. For months I have been trying to contact different companies specializing in:
- roof works and skylights installation
- aircon installation
- garden renovation and maintenance
- other services
In most cases I get no answer at all. In few cases I get people coming to see the prospective works, they promise to send an offer and just disappear. The only exceptions were insulation services and solar panels installation - there I got several offers quite fast and proceeded to work with chosen contractors. For all the other services I feel like I am in the void. I tried writing emails in English and Dutch, shorter and longer ones, I tried filling forms on the companies' websites flashing "we'll contact you within 24 hours!", I tried whatsapp numbers they specify. I do have a budget, I understand exactly what needs to be done, I am flexible in terms of price, materials and timeframes but I can't get through that wall of ignoring my requests or disappearing without a promised offer. How do I deal with it?
I did try other channels:
- neighbors references: got two specialists for bathroom facilities renovation; expensive but decent work;
- werkspot: got a guy for a floor leveling, a moderate quality work; cautious to use werkspot again.
I would be grateful for any advice.
If it is relevant, I speak Dutch on a basic level, keep learning it. For renovation works I usually specify that I have to rely on English, even though I switched to writing requests in Dutch.