The Only Way is up for Tradesmen.ie as it Celebrates its 100,000 Job Post

The Only Way is up for Tradesmen.ie as it Celebrates its 100,000 Job Post

18 July 2014

The number of property owners opting to renovate and extend their homes has increased by almost 170pc since 2010 - according to a popular online site tradesmen.ie, which recently celebrated its 100,000 job post.

Tradesmen.ie, set up in 2008, is an interactive web-based service that lets home owners and businesses obtain up to 4 quotes from rated tradesmen.

It also helps tradesmen locate work for the trades and the areas in which they are skilled thereby maintaining jobs.

Recently the website celebrated the 100,000th job posted on the site with a value of more than €90 million euro for tradesmen and the local economy.

Spending on extensions and conversions remain the highest outlay in the home improvements sector.

Analysis of data from the site demonstrates how property owners are continuing the trend of renovating and extending their existing homes rather than moving on.

The research reveals that the number of homeowners opting to source building professionals to work on their properties through Tradesmen.ie increased by a whopping 230% in the three year period of 2010-2013.

How much property developers are willing to spend on home improvements varies across the country.

The average cost per house extension job reviewed on Tradesmen.ie in 2013 was €20,814 a slight reduction from the 2010 figures of €20,872 in 2010.

Last year house proud property owners spent an average of between €5,000 and €100,000 on home improvements, with more than half of those opting for house extensions.

Dublin proved the most expensive for home improvement lovers with the price of an average building costing €1,089 per square metre- a 10pc increase on 2012 prices.  Cork followed at €961 per square metre and then Galway at €911. 

Managing Director of Tradesmen.ie Oliver Dempsey believes homeowners are clearly taking advantage of the Home Renovation Initiative (HRI) which runs until 31 December 2015 and gives tax relief on the VAT portion (13.5pc) of a bill for repair, renovation or improvement works carried out by an authorised contractor.

The research also showed that the amount people willing to invest in extending their homes varied widely from county to county dropping from almost €23,000 in Dublin to €20,330 in Galway, €21,970 in Cork and a more cautious €15, 417 in Limerick.

Attic conversions have also increased in popularity as families grow with a 78pc increase in customers seeking attic work between 2010 and 2013.

The cost of an attic conversion increased by more than €1,300 between 2010 and 2013 from 15,000 to €16,300.

The use of online sites to source tradesmen continues unabated and is good news for professionals looking for work, however Mr Dempsey is urging property owners to check credentials before employing a tradesman to work in their home.

“We would advise people to always ask for phone numbers of references so that you can check them out. Check insurance of the tradesman where insurance is required and be sure to hire a suitably qualified architect, building surveyor or building engineer from the outset if the job is anything to do with a new build, building renovation or extension. Always agree on some sort of stage payments for the job. Remember that full payment should not be made until the job is complete and has been inspected by you, and if necessary by a certifier,” said Mr Demspey.

"I’d just like to say thanks so much to all of the customers and tradesmen for their support over the last six years who have helped to make Tradesmen.ie the largest site of its kind for obtaining tradesmen quotes in Ireland,” he added

To celebrate the 100,000th job posted Tradesmen.ie are giving away €10,000 worth of vouchers to be used when hiring tradesmen from the website. To apply for a voucher go to http://www.tradesmen.ie/100k .

Tradesmen.ie allows a homeowner to fill out a simple form which asks them to describe the type of job they need done and what type of tradesman they are looking for.   

Tradesmen.ie then locates and informs the tradesmen in that area who are available and who are willing to quote for the job.

Up to four tradesmen are asked to contact the home owner and organise to give them a quote. 

The home owners can see references and reviews for the tradesmen from previous customers and they are encouraged to seek phone numbers of the references and check them out.

About Tradesmen.ie

·         Tradesmen.ie was set up in 2008 and is an interactive service that lets home owners and businesses obtain a number of quotes for jobs which are advertised over the web. It also helps tradesmen locate work for the trades and the areas in which they are interested. Sms text messaging and/or email is used for real-time notification of all parties. Buyers and sellers are matched based on locality, skills, and requirements. The interactive nature of this service means that deals can be done much more quickly than by traditional means. Trades people are kept busy with good quality work, and householders and businesses benefit from competition. To find out more please visit the website at http://www.tradesmen.ie

 

Useful Links:

·         http://www.tradesmen.ie

·         https://www.facebook.com/tradesmen.ie

·         https://twitter.com/TradesmenDotIe