Normally, I don't entertain door-knocking tradesmen, but, seeing a van at my neighbours (people I consider wise), I trusted the guy when he knocked at my door, offering to clean my gutters for €60. This he did, after he informed me my roof pointing needed replacing, showing me tile in the guttering. This would cost €160, to which I agreed. He then informed me I needed to have the space between my gable fascia and tiles refilled, at a cost of €270,( for one side only, as I was unwilling to pay him €600 for both sides). He then discovered the timber under the gable fascia had wet rot, but he said I would only need one side done, as he was 90% certain the other side was ok. I agreed on a price of €2,100 for this.
He arrived next day, complete with 4 more men, one of whom was an extremely convincing character, all charm and chat, but probably someone who would not like confrontation. This guy showed me that the timber on the other gable side was rotten, and also some of the timber on the back of the house, which would cost me another €3,000. I pointed out to him that the timber on the back looked ok, but he insisted that there was rot in it. When I pointed out that the pvc could be reused, he said he would replace it with soffit with extra ventilation, something which I saw no evidence of in the finished work. He tried to convince me I would not need any insulation in my attic, as he was installing a plastic strip at the eaves, labouring the point that I was getting this "free"!
My suspicions that I was being taken for a fool were confirmed at that point, but, I'm afraid, my assertiveness skills are non-existent. I ended paying out €5,150, for what amounted to 10 hours work. In addition, I paid cash, as he would charge me V.A.T. otherwise. I've since done some research, and I'm fairly certain I was overcharged. I don't even know whether they've done quality work. The van has only the guy's first name, plus "roofing and building repairs". He claims to live in Johnstown, Navan.
On arriving at the door, he claimed to be on page 85 of the Golden Pages. I subsequently found out he had the same line for my neighbour, but neither of us could find his name in the book. I've learned my lesson, never to accept work without getting 4 quotes from reputable companies. My neighbours and I are women, with limited knowledge of this kind of work.
He arrived next day, complete with 4 more men, one of whom was an extremely convincing character, all charm and chat, but probably someone who would not like confrontation. This guy showed me that the timber on the other gable side was rotten, and also some of the timber on the back of the house, which would cost me another €3,000. I pointed out to him that the timber on the back looked ok, but he insisted that there was rot in it. When I pointed out that the pvc could be reused, he said he would replace it with soffit with extra ventilation, something which I saw no evidence of in the finished work. He tried to convince me I would not need any insulation in my attic, as he was installing a plastic strip at the eaves, labouring the point that I was getting this "free"!
My suspicions that I was being taken for a fool were confirmed at that point, but, I'm afraid, my assertiveness skills are non-existent. I ended paying out €5,150, for what amounted to 10 hours work. In addition, I paid cash, as he would charge me V.A.T. otherwise. I've since done some research, and I'm fairly certain I was overcharged. I don't even know whether they've done quality work. The van has only the guy's first name, plus "roofing and building repairs". He claims to live in Johnstown, Navan.
On arriving at the door, he claimed to be on page 85 of the Golden Pages. I subsequently found out he had the same line for my neighbour, but neither of us could find his name in the book. I've learned my lesson, never to accept work without getting 4 quotes from reputable companies. My neighbours and I are women, with limited knowledge of this kind of work.