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In reply to Post #20
Its great when things work out like that 
When I was an apprentice I'd go in to work the next day and tell the boss what I'd been doing at college (leaving out the extended lunch in the dirt cheap bar and strippers in the classroom)
And get a bo11ocking about wasting time doing mortice joints in studwork and tusk tenons in joist work , hours in a classroom having to learn the life cycle of a house longhorn beetle (i agreed with him there hence the extended lunchbreak)
"What use is any of that crap these days"
Fast forwards a couple of years after I got fed up with the small firm, one week doing a massive hipped roof with big cat slide apex sections dorma windows, all sorts, working out the angles and lengths via pythagoras (the memory of "why am I paying for you to learn that nonsense" bringing a smile to my face), the next week maybe knocking up plaster ("i can't pay carpenters wages when your labouring") so when I get offered some work on a restoration firm I was gone.
That work is a different ballgame.I loved that, the skills you need are a different level, my first job was on a roof, yeah im good at that i thought, until they gave me quartered oak for rafters and wanted jointed purlings 
I'd imagine it's easier to find good tradesman, or perhaps easier to avoid wronguns in rural places as everyone seems to know each other and word gets about. For a lot of people in cities they just want to see a professional looking website and a snazzy Instagram page.
The mob who performed this abortion are a (very) limited company with both
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We were also very lucky with our inadvertent choice of the guy who did our slate walling. We have steps running up the side of our extension ( back door is 15’ higher than the ground level) and wanted a slate face on the step wall to break up the outline of the building. We went to see someone who did this, saw his work and it was quite OK. Unfortunately he pulled out at the last minute but put us in contact with another bloke. He turned out to be a stone mason who works on historic buildings ( churches, cathedrals chapels and the like). He does smaller jobs between his main work. 3 courses up and I knew he was producing something quite special. Pure luck, but so far as said we have been really lucky with the skills of the people doing our work, especially as we are in a rural community at the arse end of the world.
There are some very skilled people out there for sure 👍
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In reply to Post #18
No offence taken
Plenty of chippies will have the skills and knowledge for all areas, but to have the right tools for all areas will run to many thousands and take up an awful lot of space when you don't need them
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No offence meant. His words I was quoting 👍
I’m not in the trades, just a customer, but otherwise no skin in the game.
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In reply to Post #16
I can't agree on the carpenter vs kitchen fitter bit, any pleb can do do most aspects of both.
Plus most kitchen fitters i know start as carpenters, then gradually specialise in the one area.
Plenty of firms i work with have 1st fix and 2nd fix chippies, and you notice the difference when they do the other job
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Having a lot of building work done at the moment. When they turned up, main builder, two apprentices and some doddering old bloke.
I thought he would be doing the cement mixing, sweeping up and odd jobs. How wrong was I. He was the carpenter and he is an absolute legend. 73 years old and a true old school tradesman. His skills are second to non and as well as the woodwork he does all the marking out for roofing, steps etc etc. The builder dreads when he finally retires as he has got used to him doing all the difficult marking out.
He measures everything correctly, always thinking forward to make the most use of the materials so there isn’t huge piles of off cuts. What there is 90% of it we can burn on the fire without cutting. He also spent 25 years fitting kitchens at one stage to get off the building sites but eventually returned. As he says - carpenters can fit kitchens but not all kitchen fitters can do carpentry. Also trained in leadwork as the old carpenters were.
I took a while to work out the Velux windows in your pic, until it dawned on me the direction of the pitch Jeez…for real!
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In reply to Post #14
Last visit was after steels, should have set alarm bells off at that stage when you see the brickwork above, I expect he's trying to find a way to cover his arse.
Started the utility room today which has the underside of the stairs.
He tried so hard 
Pics tomorrow
Sat in the garden drinking my coffee and scratching my head earlier and noticed the only bit of undisturbed ground in the garden is about 6 meters from the extension and 2 meters from either fence, right where you should find.....
Answers on a postcard
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No bco visiting the site ?
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In reply to Post #12
I forget the exact name tbh, and they may even be trade only. They were called opti colour then changed names when they started doing other materials.
The only reason I do them myself is because mistakes cost me time and money whether I make them or others do.
I also use vale glass in notting Hill a fair bit.
Your only as good as your last job and most companies end up on the **** list eventually until there next on the list
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In reply to Post #11
Thanks I'll take a look.
I've just edited my last post by the way.
Is it Optidek?
Are they supply only?
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In reply to Post #10
Sorry Bob, bespoke glass design, based in malden
I can't even find opti deck
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In reply to Post #9
Seems to me there's a lot of chancers out there.
Go on social media, ask for a recommendation and all sorts of people claim they can do it. I would guess many of them have no skills at all.
Good tradesmen are often too busy to answer.
BTW I'm having trouble finding Bespoke glass and Opti deck. Where are the based?
I need 4 pieces of glass all with cut outs for sockets, so it needs to be accurate, probably best if I get a company to come and template, supply and fix.
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In reply to Post #8
The same bloke who dot and dabs walls with pink plasterboard and clads steels in standard boards
And also can't figure out how to fit legs on carcasses
and uses 200mm screws to hang cabinets yet they were all falling off the walls
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Who in their right minds fit Velux windows horizontally unless its in the new eco friendly rain shower room
As well as the soldiers above the window well on the piss I think the guy who laid them was in a worse state.
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In reply to Post #6
Bespoke glass
Opti deck
I've used both and found them good, typically I get them made by a local glazer and fit them myself
I'm regretting taking it on, really it needs a complete new kitchen where the last lot wrecked it
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