Recommendations

[Graye]

Following on from the "Mechanics" thread, we are about to move (in 10 days, fingers crossed) from North Yorkshire to mid Wales.

The house needs various jobs done (drive tarmacing, ridge tiles, some plastering etc) and we have no idea how we can be sure we can trust tradesmen advertising in Yellow Pages, local papers and so on. We don't know anyone there yet so "word of mouth" will be hit and miss too.

It would be nice to be able to ask for recommendations on the forum. I can see problems if a place was made just for recommendations though, people joining just to advertise themselves online etc. On the other hand can anyone see a problem with asking on the Chat section for recommendations from other forum members living in a certain area and for a particular trade with replies through PMs? It would help us no end!

[baldybloke]

Head for the local pub and network with the locals. Always seems to work for me.

[Graye]

Yesterday we made a "flying" visit (5 hours driving each way thanks to lots of traffic around Manchester and a contrary satnav) to check the house is still there after standing empty for a year. Completely overgrown (there is a whole acre like this photo), a lot of external wood preservative to get on immediately, cobwebs which suggest spiders the size of small children, bats everywhere and so on but hopefully the contracts are now exchanged and we can move next week and make a start. I see a call to HelpX coming on!



We did call into the nearest pub (4 miles away) but it's a town pub and seemed to be mainly tourists so probably not a good source of info. Anyway, with all that work to do I can't see us seeing the inside of a pub for quite some time!

I think I'll just post on the site when we need a recommendation for a particular job. I suspect there are one or two Ishers who live around Dolgellau/Barmouth/Machynlleth who can come up with their favourite tradespeople as and when we need someone (and as and when we can actually see what needs doing!).

[spider8]

Have you really got bats in the house? They're protected by law so I hope you haven't got any in residence .

[Graye]

'Fraid we have! I think they're actually in a big storage space under the house but there is obviously a way through into the under eaves storage which in turn had a door left open. Then it appears they couldn't work out how to get out again as there were about 10 little pipistrelle bodies around the house. Got to call the bat man to come and collect the live ones or otherwise seal the hole up to stop them getting into the house...

[MKG]

Bats won't take up residence in a hostile environment. If you have them, then they're in a warm (for them) and dry spot - hardly likely to need any emergency work on it. You are allowed to work on any areas where they are not.

I'd LOVE a place with bats. We have them somewhere (but wherever that is, it's at the top of the garden) and go out to watch them regularly. I think you're a very lucky person, Graye.

Mike

[Graye]

I love them too and don't mind them staying (I prefer them NOT in the house though). But I worry for them with our two cats. They are monstrous hunters and once they discover where they are they won't worry about the legalities!

We have a river running through one boundary so I expect they will love the bugs and so on there, and there is big summerhouse and outbuildings so if they decide to stay they have lots of scope.

[spider8]

The hours we have spent watching bats and we love them. One of Mum's cats once brought a dead Pipistrelle home and looked so pleased with herself, putting her prize on the sideboard, poor little thing. Hope you can find a soliution to suit bats and people alike.