How to avoid..
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1. Plumbing Promlems Long Term
2. Bad Trades People
3. Boiler Problems
4. Cheap Taps
5. Cheap Sanitaryware

1. Plumbing Problems Long Term                                                                                                          

If you sense there is a problem, or something is not working 'like it used to' it could be a very simple problem but left alone could become more serious and most likely more expensive to correct. A perfect example of this is the simple dripping tap.  At first generally a washer may be worn, but left undone this small drip will most likely start wearing away at the taps seat (which is usually brass) and before you know it the simple tap washer has turned into replacing a tap.

This could be two-three times the price and wasting water which is expensive and a very valuable resource!

2. Bad Trades People 

A very common problem these days but trusting your feelings can go a long way.  Are they hard selling, offering big discounts if you 'sign up now', fly-by-nighters, how far away do they live - if something goes wrong it might be difficult or 'not worth their while' to pop in and correct the problem. So shopping locally and by word of mouth is usually a good solution. 

Also how professional do they look or are they a bit 'geezerish' in attitude - this will probably reflect in their workmanship.

Best of all - ask to see qualifications!!

3. Boiler Problems

As usual by getting your boiler serviced regularly as recommended by the manufacturer annually (99% of domestic boilers require servicing annually) helps to be sure your boiler is in good condition for the heating season and those long cold winter months.  It always pays to book a service for late Summer/early Autumn so you know you're covered and you don't get caught out in case you need a part which sometimes can be hard to get hold of.

Remember during Summer months, your boiler is doing very little and then come winter it will be working flat out!

4. Cheap Taps

In my travels I have seen a lot of different makes, styles and types and my one word of advice is to be sure to think if in a year or two can you get parts if something goes wrongs (if unsure ask be sure you're covered).  Consider where is it made and is it suitable for the UK and its general hard water.   Also is the tap suitable for your plumbing system - you will be dissapointed if the tap looks great but is designed for use only on a high pressure system which means once it is installed it will only dribble on your existing low pressure system. 

Cheap is not always cheerful. Quite often cheap taps are constructed of low quality materials.  Also if buying foreign taps be sure to ask if they have the adapters with them to connect to the UK pipe sizes - sometimes they don't and are expensive to buy.

5. Cheap Sanitaryware

This is very similar to the taps section above - so the same advice applies.