Finding a Supplier

Picking the right person

 

Whether you’re building your own extension or hiring a professional to help with some or all aspects, you’ll want excellent results and the best value for money.

 

It’s often said that the key to doing any good job lies in the preparation. And that includes shopping around for both raw materials and building services, so we’d recommend getting a minimum of three different prices. And, if you’re employing a builder and/or sub-contractors, you’ll also benefit from three invaluable sets of expert advice about your extension, which is where our free quote service can help.

 

Avoiding ‘cowboy’ builders

 

As you’d expect, most builders will do an excellent job and are respectable, despite regular media warnings about ‘cowboy’ builders.

 

While there’s nothing like a personal recommendation from an architect, friends, family or neighbours – particularly if you can see examples of a builder’s previous work and chat to their customers, as well as getting references – you can get added peace of mind by following our simple checklist.

 

1. Have you got more than one quote?

 

Prices vary considerably so it always pays to get more than one quote for any work that needs to be done to your home – three is probably ideal.

 

Our free quote service can put you in touch with our network of approved contractors in your area.

 

Any quote should be detailed and describe every stage of your project.

 

A reputable builder will be happy to sign a contract that covers all aspects of the job, including the timetable and price. Any proposed change to that contract needs to be agreed in writing before work starts on that phase.

 

NB A quote is a fixed price that cannot be changed once accepted, even if something unexpected happens to make the job more expensive, eg having to bring in extra manpower to remove buried tree roots in the way of the foundations.

 

In comparison, an estimate is effectively an educated guess about how much the job will cost to complete. It should be itemised but will probably be less detailed than a quote and allows for additional costs to be built in.

 

Both quotes and estimates are likely to have a time limit – probably of a few months maximum – to protect the supplier from price increases to raw materials and inflation.

 

2. Do they belong to a professional body?

 

Membership of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) means that working practices and business methods meet a recognised high standard.

 

That said, you shouldn’t be put off if you have a personal recommendation about a builder who isn’t a member of the FMB.

 

3. Are they registered with the NHBC (National House Building Council)?

Similarly, builders have to meet certain requirements to be NHBC registered. This organisation provides warranty and insurance cover for house builders, backed by a 10-year guarantee on extended, converted or new properties.

 

4. Do they offer an insurance-backed guarantee of workmanship?

 

As long as you sign-up for this while your builder is trading, they will be able to put right any work that fails within their guarantee period. However, if they go bankrupt the insurance cannot help.

 

5. What are their payment terms?

 

Most builders won’t ask for their bill to be settled in advance but it is common to pay in instalments as certain stages are completed: you should agree when and how much before work begins.

Builders who offer to do a job ‘cash-in-hand’ without VAT are best avoided, as there could be trouble if anything goes wrong.

 

6. Other things to bear in mind…

 

…a good builder will:

• not knock on your door saying that they were in the area and had some spare raw materials or noticed you have a job that needs doing

• always be busy and not able to start work tomorrow

• always explain every aspect of the job fully in non-technical terms and discuss and problems that may arise

• have a landline, as well as a mobile phone, and be willing to provide their contact address.

 

Need a builder or sub-contractor?

We can help, go to our costs page or use the links below:

 

• Air conditioning contractors
• Alternative energy contractors
• Architects
• Awning and canopy contractors
• Bathroom contractors
• Bedroom contractors
• Blinds suppliers
• Bricklaying contractors
• Building contractors
• Carpenters and joiners
• Central heating and plumbing contractors
• Conservatory contractors
• Damp proofing and associated services contractors
• Drainage and sewerage contractors
• Electrical contractors
• Fencing contractors
• Flooring contractors
• Garage door contractors
• Gardening and landscaping contractors
• Guttering, soffits and fascias contractors
• Home security contractors
• Kitchen contractors
• Loft conversion contractors
• Loft and roof insulation contractors
• Painting and decorating contractors
• Paving and driveway contractors
• Plasters and ceiling contractors
• Plumbing and central heating contractors
• PVCU door contractors
• Roofing contractors
• Solar energy contractors
• Tiling contractors
• Underpinning contractors
• Wall cladding contractors
• Wall pebble dashing contractors
• Wall rendering contractors
• Window and glazing contractors