Glad you liked the article. It is true that there are a lot of foreign tradespeople. Some of them do go through the hoops though, and get all the certifications and approvals. We hired a Norwegian builder but some of the workers were audibly from somewhere else ☺️

The temptation to use a tradesperson who doesn’t have the formal qualifications (regardless of their origins) is always there of course, because of the price, but it may end up being more expensive down the road.

You make a good point about people operating outside of the tax regulations. This also comes with obvious risks as you point out.

This creates kind of a two tier system price wise, with the Norwegian contractors costing a little more, but arguably providing a safer service overall.

We also read a lot about what is called locally ‘black’ working, where contractors are not charging the proper VAT/MVA which is something else to be aware of (and avoid if you want any kind of protection). Although I must say that no one has ever asked me to work ‘black’ (not that I would).

Another issue is the changing complexity of buildings here, during each decade the standards improve quite noticeably. i.e. a house built in the 1960s might have 10cm thick frame, but a house built today could be 40cm thick!

Also the rules get ever tighter regarding heat loss and ventilation, which means more and more special membranes and tapes etc. are used (and the skills needed to do it properly). Inevitably, this means more and more jobs are being taken out of DIY hands over time.

Great article, nice to see it from the consumer side 🙂
All the best for 2023!