The term “tradesperson” is a very broad one to say the least, or at least it is these days. In the past the term tradesperson was used to describe someone who had served an apprenticeship and completed a trade. Later it was deemed, though casually, a person who had been in a trade for ten years or more. Nowadays the term is used to describe any person who works in a trade. The term tradesperson as we originally used the term is now termed a “Master Craftsperson”, or a “tradesperson”.

In the early 1990’s, New Zealand suffered a huge building crash, a result of the famous stock market crash of 1987. Many of New Zealand’s tradespeople suddenly found themselves out of work, and many tradespeople close to retirement called it a day. As New Zealand tradespeople were regarded as some of the best in the world, many left to take up positions overseas where they were able to attract large salaries. Tradespeople were suddenly in short supply, and it was around this time the “old apprenticeship scheme” was discontinued. The shortage had to be filled somehow, and an influx of non-qualified people began their own businesses to fill the void.

The Warehouse, famously known as the “big red sheds” was taking off. New Zealand had developed a “bargain bin” mentality, and we used The Warehouse as a benchmark for value for money. Suddenly price was everything, and bargain wars began. This mentality would brush off into the trades, and suddenly the remaining tradespeople suddenly had to compete for business with the new influx of people starting up their own businesses in the trades, even though they lacked qualifications or experience. The tradespeople who were used to following traditional systems, the systems they were trained to follow, were suddenly forced to take short cuts to compete, and suddenly New Zealand tradespeople were finding themselves being labelled rough. This forced these tradespeople back to their old habits again, and began producing high quality work once more. Today high quality tradespeople are now in high demand throughout the country, and continue to gain ongoing work.

Like all things you will purchase in life, you will get what you are willing to pay for. Here are a couple of tips when hiring a painter.

If you require a quick tidy up, or a “cheap job”, never hire a tradesperson. A tradesperson wants to do the best job possible and even with a quick tidy up or cheap job, his/her instinct will ensure he/she aims for quality until he/she gets half way through the job and realises the budget is running out. Suddenly short cuts are taken, and the chances are you the customer will find yourself unhappy with the job. If you want a quick tidy up, or a cheap job, never hire someone with a reputation for quality.

If you are after a quality job, hire a tradesperson. They will be more expensive, but just like a car, quality comes at a price. A tradesperson will be able to provide you with more than a paint job. They will be able to offer advice and a guarantee.

Ask the painter when he/she comes to quote, what his/her processes will be. If their response is wash and paint, be careful.

Read the quote thoroughly. It should outline the process of the work to be undertaken. If you have any questions about the quote, just ask and you should be given a fair response.

Remember that a cheap job will normally end up costing you more in the end.