Finding the right builder for your project can be tricky and is a crucial step in the process of building your own home. You need a builder you can trust, someone with expert knowledge as well as skills in project management. This is a big project and it’s important to have a team that stays on budget and on track.
Step One – How To Identify a Trustworthy Builder.
Associations are a great way to identify if a builder is known to be trustworthy. It’s not a guarantee of a trouble-free experience but all builders must follow a set of guidelines in order to retain their membership with these organisations. They therefore are more likely to be trustworthy as they must be monitored and checked in order to retain their badge. Any builder willing to go to this extra effort is likely going to defend their badge by providing appropriately excellent work.
The Federation of Master Builders, National Federation of Builders and Trustmark require that a builder follow terms for customer service, quality, trading practice and technical competence.
In order to be a part of these organisations a builder must have traded for over 12 months in the UK. The strict vetting process includes credit and trading history checks, and they must provide proof of their public liability insurance. They must then pass an inspection of an existing site to ensure it meets their high standards. Builders under these badges must retain this standard throughout their membership.
Electricians can be part of the NICEIC, and Plumbers are able to join the APHC and with this membership are able to self-certify their work.
Roofers can be part of the NFRC and are then able to self-certify their work and must pass membership vetting every three years to retain their membership.
Finally, for windows and doors, trades can be part of the FENSA or CERTASS and are then authorised to replace windows, doors, roof windows and skylights.
Step 2 – Gathering Quotes
Okay, so you feel confident you know where to start looking and who you are looking for. From here it is important to gather a minimum of three quotes from builders of your choice. It isn’t recommended to go with the first quote you receive, as quotes can vary wildly. It is also not recommended to go with the cheapest quote, it doesn’t always pay to save in this way as you may find that certain things are not included that you may need later.
Alongside these quotes, it is recommended that you meet and speak with these builders to get a feel for who they are and their knowledge and experience of your kind of project. If you’re building your own home, you need to know that your builder has done a project of your size. You will likely be working with them for just under a year for an average-sized home. You need to know you can work together with them and feel comfortable.
It is important to lay out exactly what you will need from your builder. The clearer you are the more accurate your final quote will be. If you are unsure about what a final quote should look like you can employ an estimator to put together an independent quote for what your whole project will cost. This will then give you an idea of what a realistic quote from your builder should look like.
If you intend to project manage your own home build, an estimate is a great way to keep everyone on budget as well as on time. If you are handing over the reins to your builder, you can rest assured your estimate will keep them on budget. It can also be useful for the builders themselves as they have a plan to work from and have no need to cover these calculations. An estimator can allow for contingencies and price realistically so there are no nasty surprises for you or your chosen project manager.
When you meet with your chosen builders make sure to bring detailed plans, preferably ones suitable for building control purposes. It saves time in the long run, for you and the builders. Alternatively, many good builders can draw these up for you or you can pay an architect to do these for you.
Put together a full specification of requirements for the build and a list of what you are expecting them to cover ie. Who is hiring trades and ordering materials.
Step 3 – Contracts
Now you’ve gotten your quotes and chosen your builder, it’s time to make it official.
Make sure to write up a contract with your builder if they don’t provide one themselves. This will ensure you both have peace of mind that everything is going to go ahead as planned.
Your contract should outline the works and include all agreed-upon quotes, specifications, schedules, plans and planning permissions. It should detail who is responsible for which elements of the project. Any requirements put forward from building control and planning should be listed here along with what will be done to meet these requirements.
All insurances, warranties and guarantees should be put alongside this contract for reference should you need it.
This contract should also outline the expected schedule of pay for the project. Payments to a builder usually begin with a deposit that covers the initial material costs, subcontractor fees and equipment. From there staged payment is to be expected, which should be paid out by your builder and agreed upon between you.
Remember to build in a minimum of 5% retention that you hold until the work is signed off. This protects you in case there have been disagreements, or the quality promised and expected has not been met.
Then you’re all set to start your new project! If you’re looking to begin building your own home, let us help you. We can provide a professional estimate to help you organise your project and keep everything on budget. We also have partnerships with developers and builders who are able to help you on your way to your new home or extension. Just give us a call and we can do the rest!