central heating failure anyone any experience of new install

That's exactly right. We had our kitchen, utility room and bathroom ripped out completely and rebuilt (including moving walls etc). We also had the heating completely replaced as well as the windows and external doors.

Three different companies, with three different contracts all having to work together (in the contracts) and every decision made in advance. This included all technical stuff, gas and electric fittings, kitchen and bathroom fittings, tiles and even skirting boards. There was a full spec on everything. The whole job went very smoothly and the last craftsman finished four hours before the deadline - which was six weeks.

Definitely

 

I don't see why being a small builder means that he won't have liability insurance. It can be bought for less than £100 p.a.

 

Also a legal requirement. Do not use a builder without insurance for bigger jobs (any job really), if it goes wrong your house insurer will be conspicuous by their absence...

 

I don't get any job done by someone who doesn't have insurance. When I was having my solar panels installed I got seven quotes (told all of them I was getting the other quotes) and asked all of them for sight of their insurance. All of them said that they'd never been asked before and would, in future, take it with them when looking at a job. With one of them I pointed out that his insurance was out of date!

Has anyone every thought of claiming on the craftsman's insurance when something goes wrong. I have done it twice.