The criteria we weigh: directly relevant project experience, financial stability, current workload (a contractor with no work is a flag, but so is one with more than they can handle), the calibre of the team they actually deploy on site, references from recent comparable jobs, and the way they engage with our pre-tender questions.

Across Plymouth and the surrounding villages we keep a working knowledge of contractors by type and scale. We don’t take introduction fees and we won’t recommend a contractor we wouldn’t use ourselves.

If you’re weighing two or three options, an hour with us reviewing the shortlist is usually time well spent.