Dealing with Building Contractors
Q - Some friends of ours have just had a rotten experience at the hands of some cowboy builders. We intend having our own house altered and improved shortly and are concerned that we don't go down the same route. How can we minimise the risk?
A - It comes down to common sense and the surest way to avoid cowboys is only to use firms and tradesmen who have been recommended by people who have used them. Never employ anybody who knocks on you door offering unreal discounts. Inspecting their previous work is another safeguard. Don't use firms who only have a mobile telephone number on their business cards or vans - not displaying an address with a land line number is a sign of not having a proper base. Also, try and deal with firms who are members of a bona fide trade organisation such as the Federation of Master Builders or the Institute of Plumbing.
Large Contractor Job
Q - How large a job would require a builder to be paid in instalments. Obviously, very small projects would be paid for on completion but where does it become advisable to pay monthly
A - It usually depends upon the size and needs of the builder you are employing but the decision on whether to pay in instalments is normally governed by the length of time the work will take to complete. Making a small builder wait until he has completed three months work is asking a lot and a middle term payment should satisfy him but a medium-sized builder would probably wait until completion before asking for settlement.
But if you decide to make interim payments make sure that they are geared to the amount of work done (agreed before the work commences) not based on time - this can avoid the danger of over payment if progress is slow.
Contractor Quotations
Q - Two contractors have quoted us to build to our extension. The first one is just a one line quote ‘To build house in accordance with drawings supplied' and the other has a little more detail but still only gives a lump sum. We had expected something a lot more detailed than this and, although both quotes are reasonable and within our budget, we feel uneasy about accepting either of them on such a brief quotation. Any advice would be welcome.
A - You are right to be concerned. Both contractors must have spent some time in arriving at their figures so why not share that information with you. It would give you more confidence in dealing with them if you saw proof that their bids were not based on guesswork and, if the quote was presented in the right way, it would also help in assessing the value of the stage payments they may need. You should ask them for a more detailed quotation.
Building Quotation
Q - We are in the middle of having a large extension built and have an unusual problem in that the builder is reluctant to provide us with the cost of the changes that have been made to the original design. He says that it will be sorted out at the end of the job but we are concerned that the final cost may be more than we can afford. This is our first experience of dealing with builders and wonder whether this is the normal procedure.
A - No, it is not. Variations to the work should be costed out and agreed by both parties before the work is carried out except in the case of emergencies such as burst pipes where the work needs to be done immediately. Leaving the discussions on the cost of the changes until the work is completed is not fair to you and you should insist on agreeing the values involved as soon as possible.
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The cost of House Improvements, Extensions, Attic Conversions and New Houses
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