How to describe your job so you get better quotes

The quality of the quotes you receive is largely decided before anyone replies. A job described in one line gets a price range; a job described in five sentences gets a price.

The five things every job post needs

1. What needs doing, in plain language — the outcome, not the method.
2. Where in the property, and how it is accessed.
3. The scale — number of rooms, approximate measurements, number of items.
4. The condition of what is there now, including anything that has already been tried.
5. When you want the work done, and any dates that will not work.

Before and after

Before: "Need a bathroom doing." After: "Full bathroom refit in a 1930s semi, upstairs. Room is roughly 2.4m x 1.8m. Removing existing bath, basin and toilet and replacing with a bath with shower over, vanity unit and close-coupled toilet. Full tiling to the shower wall and half-height elsewhere. Existing tiles are on plaster and will need removing. We will supply the sanitaryware, you supply everything else. Looking to start in the next month."

Say who supplies the materials

This single detail changes quotes more than almost anything else. If you have already chosen products, say so and name them. If you want the tradesperson to specify and supply, say that instead and give a rough budget level — budget, mid-range or premium is enough.

Be honest about timescales

"As soon as possible" means different things to different people. Say whether it is an emergency, whether you are flexible, or whether the work has to fit around a fixed date such as a move.

What to leave out

You do not need to include your phone number or email address in the description. On Find A Trade Local the tradesperson messages you through the job, and you choose when to share direct contact details. Leaving them out of the public description also keeps your information private while the job is live.