Posts Tagged ‘builders’

Choosing the right Manchester builder for your project could be a hit and miss affair if you don t follow some basic guidelines. Your builder should easily be able to comply with the ten point choose a builder checklist below. If not then take care he may not be all he says he is. Try to checkout as many of the following points that you can

• First impressions count. The builders first visit to your property to give you an estimate is almost like a first date or interview. If he turns up late or doesn t return your calls afterwards or seems vague about the scope of work it s probably going to go downhill from there on. Ask how long they have been in business and beware of many business name changes there could be a reason for that.

• Make sure that you know who is responsible for what. A good builder will be able to specify exactly how he calculated the cost so there should be no nasty surprises later when you find something vital was missed out.

• Get at least three estimates. This will give you a chance to compare the expertise of each building company and it will soon be obvious if any are not up to the job. Beware of estimates that seem too good to be true they probably are.

• Professional builders will be members of several organisations or building federations that verify their work. Don t take the builders work for it, check it out yourself, and satisfy yourself that the organisations are well known national concerns.

• Get testimonials. How many previous clients can the builder put you in touch with that are pleased with their work? If its only one the alarm bells should start ringing, this may be his sister. Don t just speak to them on the phone go around and see the work completed so that there is no mistake that the testimonial is genuine. This is also a chance to ask how they got on with the builder in question, was communication good was the site kept clean and so on.

• How does the builder want to be paid. Deposits are usually required to secure the builder but very large deposits up front should be viewed with caution. Most good builders are happy to work on agreed stage payments as work is completed. Make sure you do your bit here and pay promptly.

• Check what liability insurance the building company has and is it up to date. In the event of an accident or a build problem you need to know that the builder is adequately covered.

• Even the best builders make mistakes, its how they deal with them that s sets apart the good from the bad. Give them a chance to get things straight before you begin complaining.

• Ask what guarantee or warranties there is with their work but always check anyway that things are right as you go along. It s much harder to get things changed later.

• Find out who is to supervise the work on your building project. If it s the boss and thats your first contact then things should run more smoothly.

This is what you can do to find a good, reliable contractor, it won t guarantee that you won’t be ripped off but its difficult for the cowboys to comply with this type of questioning so you should be much safer.

Technorati Tags: builder, builders, checklist, construction, contractor, extensions, home, manchester, stockport, tameside