A few weeks ago, we came to our senses and decided not to move. Currently living over the road from K’s new school and being walking distance from pretty much everything, finally made us realise that moving was a bad idea, at least for now! So we took the house off of the market and decided how lucky we were to be living in our current location, having made our house a home. Our property had been ready for the market, we’d done up each room since moving in 2007 and though a few coats of paint had been applied here and there, days before the agent photographed it, everything else was in good order. Or so we thought at the time………
Within a week, we were talking about making a few changes and before we knew it, a bit of a clear out and a lick of paint became new fitted wardrobes and a skylight! Replacing the wooden steps from the house into the garden, has turned into replacing the whole patio and all the fences and now that a couple of double glazed window units are clearly showing signs of trapped condensation, we are considering having all the windows replaced! I’m beginning to wonder how we ever thought that the house was ready for sale before!! You would think then, that our local trades people would be rubbing their hands together with the amount of work we potentially want done, wouldn’t you? We’ve had various companies round for quotes with mixed response rates ranging from the fitted bedroom companies, who were eager to quote and get you signing on the dotted line, to the builders who ‘talk the talk’ but fail to follow anything up!
Luckily for us, we’ve had plenty of recommendations of professionals to choose from, for the work we require but what do you do if you’ve just moved to a new area or are struggling to find a particular specialist?
I’ve just been made aware of a web based service called Bidvine that basically matches local professionals, services and classes with jobs to be done. You simply state the job/ service required and Bidvine will share that information (but not your personal details) with local professionals/ companies who will respond within four days to bid for the work. As the pros involved have to pay a small fee to bid for your work, I can only assume that they actually want it!! You can then take it from there and contact the professional directly to arrange for the work to be done. Once work is complete, you will be invited to review the professional service you received whether good or bad, to assist others in their decisions on using that particular professional in the future. Please be aware that Bidvine do not recommend any of their professionals, so look for ones with good reviews when selecting your bid. Bidvine will definitely be my next port of call if someone doesn’t get in touch with a quote for our skylight very soon!
So, how is it all going? I’m glad to say that K has her new fitted bedroom, installed by Complete Fitted Bedrooms, a local company whose work has been exemplary from start to finish. I can only hope that the vast amount of storage space will mean a permanently tidy room! Here’s hoping!!
Our garden is well underway with Treetop Landscapes and should be finished in 10 days, give or take. Things have happened really quickly from quote to starting work and they haven’t hung about since starting on Monday!! I’ll be adding some more pics as the work progresses but so far so good!!
However, we are still waiting for quotes to fit a Velux window in our lounge………
But it doesn’t stop there, we are now discussing new downstairs flooring, replacing internal doors, knocking down walls and redesigning the kitchen! Will it ever end?!
This post has been sponsored by Bidvine, however, all thoughts, opinions and renovation madness are my own!!
