The first meeting with a tradesman: what to bring and what to ask

What to measure and photograph before the visit

A tradesman can give a far more useful estimate over the phone or by email if you send measurements and photos first, rather than waiting to describe the problem in person. For a room, note the length, width and ceiling height; for a single fix, such as a dripping tap or a door that won't close, a few clear photos from different angles usually say more than a paragraph of description.

Photograph the whole area, not just the fault. If a wall needs patching, include the skirting and the corner next to it; if it's a leak, include the ceiling below and any staining. This matters more than people expect, because a lot of Tallinn housing has quirks — panel-block partition walls, wooden floor joists in a 1930s Nõmme house, underfloor heating in a new build — that change how a job is done and priced.

• Room dimensions: length, width, ceiling height
• Photos of the whole wall, floor or fixture, not just the damaged spot
• Any visible pipework, wiring, or venting near the job
• The building type and approximate age, if known
• Photos of anything you want matched — tile, paint colour, skirting profile

What access you should arrange

Think about how the tradesman gets into the building and the flat itself, not just the room with the problem. If you live in a block with a locked entrance, arrange for someone to buzz them in or leave a code. If you won't be home yourself, decide in advance who else is allowed to let them in and stay while they look at the job.

Clear the area you want assessed. Move furniture away from the wall, clear the space under a sink, take rugs up off the floor. It sounds obvious, but a cluttered room is the most common reason a first visit takes longer than it should, and a longer visit can mean a less precise quote, since some of it gets spent moving things rather than measuring.

What to ask about guarantee and timelines

Ask what guarantee applies to the work itself, not to materials you supply. Our own work carries a 24-month guarantee, covering the work rather than normal wear or anything the customer bought separately — ask any tradesman the same question directly, because the answer varies and it should be settled before work starts, not after something goes wrong.

Ask when they can start and how long the job will take, and get that in terms you can hold them to — a date, not "soon". For anything beyond an hour or two of odd jobs, ask whether the quote is fixed for a set period. A fixed quote that's only valid for a few days puts you under pressure to decide quickly; one valid for 30 days gives you room to compare and think.

Questions worth asking before work begins

Ask how the bill is worked out — hourly with a minimum charge, or a fixed price for the whole job — and what happens if the job turns out to be bigger than it looked. Ask whether materials are included or whether you're expected to buy them, and if the tradesman buys them, ask if there's a handling fee on top of the receipt price.

Ask how you'll be billed and when payment is due. A written invoice by email, itemised by hours or by task, with a clear payment window, is a reasonable thing to expect and worth asking for explicitly if it isn't offered.

• How is the price calculated, and what happens if the scope changes?
• Are materials included, or do I need to supply them?
• What guarantee covers the work, and for how long?
• When can you start, and how long will it take?
• How will I be invoiced, and when is payment due?

Small and large jobs need different preparation

A quick job — a leaking tap, a squeaking door, a shelf to hang — doesn't need much beyond clear access and a working description of the problem. This is typically charged by the hour, from 39 € with a one-hour minimum, and the call-out fee is deducted from the bill if the work goes ahead, so there's little to prepare beyond letting the tradesman in and pointing at the problem.

A larger job, such as renovating a bathroom or a whole flat, needs more groundwork: a full set of measurements, photos of every affected room, and a clear idea of what you want changed versus what should stay as it is. This kind of work is usually priced as a fixed quote after a site visit or a detailed set of photos, and that figure is what you end up paying, so it's worth the extra half hour of preparation to get it right the first time.

The common mistake to avoid at the first meeting

The mistake we see most often is treating the first visit as just a chance to describe the problem, rather than a chance to get specific answers written down. People agree verbally on price, timeline and guarantee, then find weeks later that what they remember doesn't match what was actually meant.

Take a note, even a short one, of what's agreed — price basis, materials, guarantee, start date — before the tradesman leaves. If the job is more than an odd hour's work, ask for the quote in writing rather than relying on memory. It costs nothing and it's the single thing that prevents most later disagreements.