Jonty Bray
2/5
Don't want to be too mean to Steve, but after doing a range of jobs here I don't think there's a single one yet that I haven't had to pay a more seasoned professional to come in and fix. I'd say Steve will be fine for simple electrical work (except running cables in walls which he struggled with at my place) but bear in mind his claimed proficiency in many areas of building work likely won't be reflected in the end result you see. Good luck!
Edit to update in light of a characteristically combative response from Steve:
Ok..
List of issue:
1 ) Steve said he could pour a concrete floor. I had to pay someone else to come in and level it because it was, as Steve admitted, a mess (he blamed the concrete company).
2 ) Steve offered to replace some soft block wall with concrete block.. when he finished he ran a cutting saw down the inside of an external supporting wall - unnecessary and frankly, dangerous.. I got cracking and had to pay a professional to have it braced and replastered. Also, when he removed his acrows the wall dropped enough to cause cracking to tiles upstairs (I had to get a tiler to come in and repair the damage).
3 ) Kitchen. If Steve says he can install one don't walk, run. I had to replace a cabinet door that he split with a screw, several of the cabinets aren't straight, he couldn't fit the solid surface worktop (in the end I had to fix the resin joints myself). He also likes to screw white goods to the carcases from the outside so once the counter top goes on you will never get them out again without a cutting saw. He used a course saw for all of the joinery leaving it messy and splintered instead of having clean joints.
4 ) Wiring work, only issues that he said he couldn't chase a wire down the inside of a plasterboard wall (I had to get another electrician to chase it properly). Steve blamed it being the wrong type of wall. I had to call him back after 12 months to wire up a plug that he had forgotten to connect back up. I also called him back because we started to get nuisance tripping on the wiring he put in. Steve said his plasterer must have put a screw through one of the wires.. didn't offer to fix it. I got another electrician to take a look.. it was actually a faulty RCD which they replaced easily and we haven't had any tripping since.
I paid Steve in full and in advance for his work on a biweekly basis. He didn't quote a fixed price because we knew the scope could creep. Steve was charging around £500 a day for his labour which I was happy to pay until I started seeing the results. I made the last payment in full despite Steve not fitting the laminate floor in the front room (which he had agreed to do), but he didn't want to and frankly I didn't want him to either.
Make of that as you will.. I notice there are several other people here who have had similar experiences. All part of life's rich tapestry I guess.
