How I Find a Reliable Contractor in Melbourne
Finding a reliable contractor in Melbourne isn't about luck, and it's the part of building I still spend the most time on after 21 years in the trades. Nothing guarantees a good contractor. What I do is run a process of elimination before I hire one, checking their reputation, who they work for and their past work, so by the time they turn up on my site I've already ruled out most of the risk. This is mine.
Ask around, but don't stop there
Word of mouth is where most of us start. It's useful, but it isn't proof. One of my best mates is a tradesman, and he recommended a tiler. The tiler sent out a crew that left my shower base with negative fall, so the water ran the wrong way.
A referral tells you someone is worth a look. It doesn't tell you they're good.
Ask builders you trust
I ask builders I already work with who they use for that trade. Builders see these contractors' work up close, job after job.
Find out who they work for
When I chat to a contractor, I ask which builders he works for. If he works for reputable builders, that's a good sign, because those builders wouldn't keep him around if the work wasn't up to scratch.
It still isn't a guarantee. A good contractor often runs more than one crew. I used one who ticked every box. We had a great chat, the design side was excellent, and he worked for reputable builders. When it came to my job he was busy, so he sent his A team to his regular builders and the B team to me. The B team didn't do a great job.
I don't work with him anymore, and that's another contractor ruled out. Who they work for narrows the list, but it can't tell you which crew turns up.
Check their work online
Next I look at their Instagram. I want to see work I like, and I want to know they're local. Photos don't show fine detail, but they narrow the list fast.
Have a conversation first
If I like the work, I reach out for a chat. If we get along, I send them the plans for a quote. Getting along matters more than people admit. My best contractors are the ones I click with, the ones who share my interests and are easy to talk to. When something comes up on site, that makes it much easier to sort out.
Go and see a job in person
Before I commit to a big package, I ask for a recent job nearby that I can look at. If I like a cabinet maker's work, he's within 10 to 15 kilometres and his quote stacks up, I'll ask to see one of his jobs. Ten minutes on site tells you more than a dozen photos.
How I compared contractor quotes on a retaining wall
On a Templestowe build, the site was steep and needed a big cut, about 1.6 metres at the back. That meant a lot of soil removal and a retaining wall, which I hadn't done before.
A builder mate referred me to a contractor who quoted $72,600 including GST for a treated pine sleeper wall, with the soil removal extra. I also found a contractor on social media who specialises in retaining walls. My final bill with him was $65,075 including GST, which covered the site cut, all the soil removal and the wall, and I upgraded the client to concrete sleepers. I saved about $7,500.
I didn't just take the cheaper quote on price. I scrolled his social media, found a couple of builders he'd worked for, and rang them. I told them what I was planning and asked for honest feedback.
They said he gets the job done, but he's a bit rough and he'd left a mess on the road on other jobs. The boundary fence on my job needed replacing anyway, so I wasn't worried about that.
Put it in writing
Because of what those builders told me, I had him sign a builder contractor agreement. It said any mess on the road was his to clean up. He signed it, and he cleaned.
The job went through with no major hiccups. There was a short delay because of rain, and one of his guys got sick and cost me a couple of days. In the end I got a better wall for less money, with a bit of homework and one page of paperwork.
How SiteCred helps
That whole process works, but it takes time. I'm asking mates, scrolling Instagram, ringing builders and driving out to jobs. I built SiteCred to bring the first part of it into one place.
On SiteCred you can search a trade by area and see ratings from other builders who've worked with them. That's the same as asking a mate, without needing to know the right mate. You can still check their Instagram and website, and you still need to talk to them and see their work on a big job. SiteCred just does the first round of homework for you.
It's built for newer builders up to medium sized builders, who are out finding contractors themselves, and for contractors who want to grow by being found by reliable builders. Established builders usually have a trusted crew, and contractors are chasing them. Everyone else is still building that list.
Keep reading: how to find a reliable tradie, and why you shouldn't always go for the cheapest contractor quote.