ᐅ How do you choose contractors, and do you obtain multiple quotes or bids?

I have a general question. How do you usually choose a tradesperson? Do you request multiple quotes? I already have a tradesperson for installing the parquet/vinyl flooring. However, he has not given me a firm quote yet, only an estimate; the exact offer will come in 1–2 weeks. He has already measured and inspected everything on-site. I asked for another quote, and this tradesperson also said he needs to see the situation in person first. I understand that, as it’s difficult to provide a quote without seeing the site. But scheduling an on-site visit doesn’t commit you to anything, right? I once asked for a price per square meter, but they said that only works if you consider the overall context. I don’t mind that, but having to schedule an on-site visit with each tradesperson is time-consuming for both parties, and eventually, you have to decline one of them.

At the moment, I have a “generalist” who can do everything but also cooperates with specialists, and I’m also requesting a quote from a master craftsman business. Interestingly, the master craftsman seemed cheaper at first glance. However, the generalist set a higher price (according to him), while the master craftsman initially made the offer assuming the subfloor is in good condition.

At the moment, you have to take whoever is available and doesn’t want to completely overcharge you. And hopefully, they don’t have two hooks instead of hands... On-site appointments are standard; I wouldn’t take other offers too seriously.

The best workmanship was delivered by the tradespeople who came recommended. However, since not every task came with a recommendation, the decision was usually made on site. The tradesperson who contributed ideas during the inspection was generally the one who was awarded the job.

We haven’t started any work yet, except for the foundation slab. But we have all the trades lined up. We contacted several contractors but received very few responses, and mostly rejections. In the end, all of them were companies recommended to us, where we could say, “XY sent us to you.”

But honestly, I’m leaning towards Tolentino. Just having a choice is like hitting the jackpot given the current workload.

We haven’t found a roofer at all, so we’re installing the roof together with our site foreman. We will then bring in a specialist who can do the roofing.

My advice is: once you find a reliable craftsman, don’t let them go. Generally, I really like all-rounders and keep my projects within their range of skills. I also appreciate people who enjoy their work.
Unfortunately, as @Tolentino described, it often happens that you make some less-than-ideal decisions along the way.

Right now, I just came back from a disagreement with the excavator operator/landscaper. No one could be found last winter to prepare our driveway and so on, so we paid quite well to have it done.
We’ve already had three stressful days acting basically as the errand runners for a hectic and scattered tradesperson, and tomorrow will be another. I offered him to finish the project here and now and pay him in full today. Apparently, the desire for the remaining payment planned for tomorrow was so strong that he agreed to fix some unsightly issues at the entrance area then.
"After all, he still has other construction sites to go to and he’s doing me a favor," was his explanation for why I should have accepted the poor work despite full payment. I tried to explain that this isn’t a favor but a properly paid business transaction with agreed services, but he didn’t really understand and was already thinking about the next site (the next payment)...
So he’s coming back tomorrow reluctantly to correct a few things, and we already know that we will have to do some touch-ups again in spring. The advantage will be that it won’t be so urgent anymore then, and we won’t have to accept just anyone, unlike now when there’s still a lot of mess in and around the house.
Unfortunately, good payment and good provision are not always a guarantee for good results.

HubiTrubi40 schrieb:

How do you handle selecting a tradesperson? Do you usually get multiple quotes?
... But so far, he still hasn’t given me a concrete offer

We had 2 or 3 quotes for (almost) every trade and then compared them. All of this was done before signing the loan agreement — we actually adjusted the loan based on the quotes.
However, this was 4 years ago, and we moved in 3 years ago. I understand that the situation today is no longer as comfortable.