Claude's Tradesmen

Quality work at fair prices

About us

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Construction contractor specialising in bathrooms, kitchens and bespoke building working

This business started in 2014 and since then we’ve been on a continuous improvement journey: every few months we look at the past and try to find ways to do things even better.

At the moment we’re a 6 people in-house team and still growing, hoping to soon reach a million pound in turnover per year. Our fast growth formula is very simple: reinvest the most we can back into the business. By doing this we got to a level where we have all we need to do everything in house, we almost never hire tools or machinery at the moment. Also, having so many projects locally helped a lot our team to develop its in-house skills. On average each team member has over 20 years of construction experience each.

We’re efficient and we use technology to a great degree in our business. There are many little things where technology improves our service. For example, over 90% of our customers book appointments through the calendar form which sends the appointments directly into our calendars, the accounting part is almost totally automatic, for most projects we can send detailed quotes in minutes using some custom created databases and absolutely everything is in cloud, which allows us to have a full office in our phones/tablets. The project management is also done through some smart spreadsheets, tailored to our specific needs.

Below you can find a series of Frequently Asked Questions. Any other question, feel free to contact us.

(FAQ) Frequently Asked Questions

What areas do you cover?

At the moment we cover Aberdeen and most close surroundings. Our radius is generally around 30 minutes driving distance from the city centre. This is not arbitrary, it’s the ‘sweet spot’ for profitability.

If it’s more more than this, then the extra fuel costs, time on the road and general hassle with going back and forth to Aberdeen drastically reduces our margin. Also, we work hard to make sure someone is 2 hours away all the time for any of our past customers’ emergencies (including Christmas and New Years day).

Simply put, our business model works in cities only.

Are you a limited company?

No, we are not a limited company. At the current level, it’s more advantageous for us not to go limited. The business is registered as a sole trader on Ilie Pituc (trading as Claude’s Tradesmen) who is an employer for the rest of the team.

Do you have a showroom?

No, we don’t have a showroom and we don’t plan on having one. Showrooms are expensive to run and would mean for us to reduce the costs in other places or increase our prices, something that we don’t think would have a positive effect . We have a lease for a space, but it’s storage only.

Showrooms are simply a different business model. Going to us means going with a value for money deal, rather than a showroom experience.

What is your address?
 

We don’t have a showroom. The business is registered at 185, Provost Rust Drive, Aberdeen, AB16 7DL. But this is a residential address!

If you have any paper correspondence, you can send it to this address.

Are you VAT registered?

Yes, we are VAT registered. In the UK, all sole traders or companies that have a turnover larger than £85 000, have to register for VAT. If a business is under this threshold, they have either just started either they have a really poor performance. 

Do you offer a warranty on your work/products you supply?

Yes, we do. We keep improving our service and now we offer 3 years limited warranty on most services we provide. When comparing quotes, make sure you keep this in mind, many businesses limit their warranty to a few months only.

What is your hourly rate?

Our prices are fixed, but we use an hourly rate when computing quotes. No matter how long the project takes, the price would be fixed.
You will be able a break down of the price for most of our quotes.

I found a better price elsewhere, do you price match the quote?

No. Our prices are more than decent and we don’t have a big margin on our projects, so we won’t match other quotes.

Do you cover all trades?

Yes, we are the main contractor and we can deal with all trades for your project.

But we won’t take any job, this is not what we understand by all trades. For example, we will do painting and plastering as part of a bigger job, but we won’t be able to take painting and plastering jobs on their own. It simply doesn’t make economic sense to do them, we lose money every time we take a painting or plastering job.

But it’s more effective for us to take the plastering and painting part when doing complex projects. We would simply lose too much time if someone else would have to come in the middle of the job, do that part, and then us returning later to finish our part. This is why it’s best to go with a business that has all the trades in-house.

Do you need a deposit?

We don’t usually ask for a deposit, except in special circumstances. For bigger jobs, we will send you multiple invoices during the course of the project.

We believe that hiring a contractor requires a lot of trust from both parties, this is why we try to avoid asking for a deposit. You trust us to finish your project to a high-quality standard and we trust that you will pay us at the end of the job. It’s amazing how smooth things go when there is mutual trust between the contractor and the customer.

What payment methods do you accept?

Most of the times we are paid by bank transfer (the details for the transfer will be on the invoice). It’s a very easy and convenient payment method.

How can I book an appointment?

Just go to the contact page and book instantly a free home visit appointment. You can check our available free slots and find those that are mutual convenient. It couldn’t be easier.