TrustMark Blog

Our advice to customers at TrustMark has always been to get a range of quotes when finding someone to carry out home improvements, to ensure you are getting a quality job at a fair price. Amongst this, we suggest a number of other checks you should be doing which will put safeguards in place for both the customer and the firm.

When looking to buy a new property, you may be impressed by an intelligent alarm system or movement sensitive lighting. But after these initial considerations have worn off and the routine of daily life sets in, how much ongoing attention do you pay to the home security measures you have in place? Would you be confident enough to say they’re up to scratch?

The word ‘fake’ isn’t a very popular one and by association we would team it with words like ‘cheap’ and ‘plastic’. But there is sometimes benefits to using fake, man-made products rather than the real deal. Take grass for example – fake grass is lower maintenance, some of them look as though they are real and they won’t change or die after a season of bad weather.

I recently returned from venturing north of Watford Gap for the annual Chartered Trading Standards Institute conference. It was, in fact, a long way north of Watford Gap – Harrogate in North Yorkshire to be precise. The weather was appalling with heavy rain every day and temperatures a good ten degrees below those in London.

Described by many as the most stressful milestone out there, moving house is not the kind of thing you want to make a habit of. Particularly if it’s your first house move, you may fall into the trap of some common pitfalls that make you want to throw all of your lovely belongings out of the nearest window. To stop that happening, we’ve put together this useful step-by-step guide which (touch wood) will make it all run smoother.

Whether you’re looking to get your garden ready for the long summer evenings or your thoughts have already turned to weatherproofing your exterior before the temperature turns. Now’s the ideal time to shift your attention to your external projects.

Lots of us have different interpretations of the word ‘handyman’ – fixing a light bulb, stopping a leak or doing some simple garden maintenance are all typical jobs associated with a handyman. But when it all gets a bit complex, how do you know if you’re hiring the right person for the job?

We’re in the midst of one of the biggest heat waves that the UK has ever had. Dog owners have been warned on the news not to walk their canines after 9am due to the extreme temperatures we’re seeing for the majority of the day. After waiting for what seems like an eternity for summer, the reality is that for many of us it’s just too hot to enjoy being outside.

If you’re having some major building work carried out on your property such as an extension, the chances are that you will use a variety of tradespeople to carry out the work. A builder will sort out the brickwork and the roof, an electrician will wire you up, a plasterer will finish off the interior walls and ceiling and a plumber will sort out any water supply and waste pipes. It is quite unusual to find someone who will be competent at doing everything that you need to a high standard.

Many customers who have done their research or perhaps been burnt at the hands of a rogue trader in the past come to us saying that they want a TrustMark tradesperson because they know they are reputable and want someone trustworthy. Others may not know where to turn to find a quality trader which isn’t surprising when there are so many possible places to look – and how do you know you can really trust someone anyway?