Choosing your builder
Choosing your builder
Choosing your builder is probably the most important decision
you will make when you are carrying out building work. A good
builder will be familiar with the standards required and will
arrange for your work to be inspected at the appropriate stages by
Building Control. This should result in a smooth process and
a completed project to your satisfaction.
However, it is also important to understand that the Building
Control Officer will only make snapshot inspections at key
stages. This may not be sufficient to ensure that your
builder is undertaking the work to the required standard and that
the quality of his or her work is acceptable to you.
We would strongly recommend that you also employ an independent
professional to monitor and site supervise your builder. This
could be your architect or a private surveyor and the extra cost
could ultimately save you money and will help you avoid cowboy
builders.
We also strongly recommend that before employing a builder,
customers should always ask for references and ensure that they
have all of the necessary permissions. It is the owners
responsibility to ensure that the requirements of the Building
Regulations have been complied with. The approval notice and
completion certificate which the Council issues is not a guarantee
or warranty and the Council will not be responsible for any
additional cost you incur due to defects or failure to meet
the minimum requirements of the Building Regulations.
Anyone can call himself or herself a builder and so it is
important to spend some time choosing carefully. Relying on
the cheapest quote will not safeguard you against cowboy
builders. It is also important to remember that the local
authority has limited enforcement powers and a bad builder can
leave you with the responsibility for putting faulty work
right. Problems can always arise and a good builder will
resolve these in a professional manner with the Building Control
officer. A bad builder will avoid resolving problems, which
can have disastrous consequences.
Ten things to do when choosing a builder
- Plan in advance and give yourself time to choose a
builder.
- One of the best methods is to get a recommendation from someone
you trust.
- Many good builders are very busy so consider being patient and
waiting for a good builder to be available rather than choosing
someone purely because they can start tomorrow.
- Consider using a simple contract with the builder. At the
bottom of the page there is a link where you are able to download a
free plain English contract from. If the builder will not
enter into a contract with you perhaps he or she is not the builder
for you.
- Ask where the builder has worked previously.
Are they happy for them to see their previous work?
- Find out if they have any experience in the type of work you
are undertaking.
- Will they agree to stage payments? Paying the builder at
certain stages can safeguard your money if things go wrong.
You can ask the Building Control Officer if he has inspected the
work before making payment.
- Check if they will agree to the final payment being made after
the Building Control Officer has passed the work at completion
stage.
- Agree a completion date and make sure you are happy with
the time span for the work.
- Get at least three quotes, if possible, to make sure you are
getting value for money but remember cheapest is not always
best. Make sure the quote includes all the finishes you
are expecting. For example is the building going to provide
the right quality and type of doors, skirting, architrave or coving
that you require How many powerpoints and light fittings will
you get? Has he included for internal paintwork?
This is the sort of detail to agree when considering the
estimates for your work.