Articles & guides

From writing a clear job description to comparing quotes and locking in a start date — the full process of hiring a tradie without the stress.

Comparing a few quotes is the simplest protection against overpaying — here's how to line them up fairly and spot the outlier.

Inclusions, exclusions, PC sums, variations — what every line on a quote means and the red flags to catch before you sign.

"While you're here, could you also…" — how job scopes quietly grow, when that's fine, and how to keep the price attached to the plan.

Two free public registers tell you whether a tradie is licensed and their business is real — here's exactly where to look and what the results mean.

Electrical and plumbing always; others depend on your state and the job's value. A plain-English map of Australia's trade licensing rules.

When a deposit is reasonable, how big it should be, and the payment habits that protect you if a job goes sideways.

Defects, no-shows, blown-out bills — the escalation path from a polite conversation to formal complaints, in the right order.

Linear metres measure length along a line — fences, benchtops, gutters, skirting. Here's how to measure yours and sanity-check a quote.

Floors, walls, lawns and driveways are all priced by area. How to calculate square metres room by room — and why quotes multiply from there.

That fee before any work starts isn't a rip-off — it covers travel, the diagnosis, and the van full of gear. Here's what's normal and what to ask.

Each pricing model shifts risk in a different direction. When to prefer each, and the questions that stop either one going wrong.

A season-by-season rhythm for gutters, smoke alarms, aircon, decks and drainage — catch small jobs before they become emergencies.

Part toolbox, part office, part national icon — the practical and cultural reasons the ute owns Australian worksites.

No job is too small — but small jobs compete for scarce slots. How to describe, schedule and pay for them so good tradies pick yours.