People can now get quotes from plumbers and decorators online.

Myhammer is a free website that lets people put in a description of the job they need doing.

They can also upload pictures from cameras or mobile phones as a JPEG to show what needs to be painted, plastered or tiled as well as PDFs of graphs and architect diagrams. People can also put in their budget and specify if they will need the tradesman to supply the materials.

Requests get posted online and sent to the appropriate tradesmen within a 50-mile radius. They can then bid for the job and post their quotes on a public forum within the site.

According to Niels Genzmer, a representative for the site, people are not obliged to take the lowest quote or even take a quote at all.

He said: “The important thing to note about the site is freedom of choice. People can pick from one tradesman but they don’t have to go for anyone.”

Mr Genzmer added that the benefit of different bids could also mean that some prices go down for consumers.

As well as DIY services people can also search for babysitters, home removals and beauty therapists.

All services are currently vetted by the site, which looks at the tradesmen’s addresses, and the company has said it will soon be looking at qualifications. People can also rate their services after the job to let others know what they thought of the service they received.