choose a contractor is a big decision – and it can be challenging to lie with how to gauge their level of acquirement and time value if you ’re not familiar with the building business deal .
In this article , we ’ll summarise some of the best questions to enquire your building troupe before a projection , so you ’re sure-footed you ’re in good hands !
1. Will You Provide a Written Quotation?
Before you hire any builder , even for a minor slice of body of work , the first whole tone is to get a written cite .
Never accept a quote without it being confirmed , or go with a contractile organ who says it will be ‘ about £ 2,000 ’ .
No well-thought-of construction caller would dream of begin a project without agreeing on the exact costs , payment dates and materials .
Your quotation should admit :
We ’ll utter about VAT shortly , but if your builder is VAT - register , the inverted comma must show this and give you an inclusive monetary value , so you ’re not appal by a final account that is 20 % high-pitched than concord .
2. How Long Will the Work Take? What Happens if it Runs Over?
Next , you ’ll require to get an idea about how long the project is bear to take .
Now , many builders will give a timeframe , so perhaps they estimate needing 7 - 10 day or 4 - 5 weeks . That is a normal part of a project where some timing may depend on weather conditions , for example .
However , you should be given at least a proposed start date and an estimate of how long it will be until the work is completed .
These agreements are also of the essence if the job runs over .
Your quote should reflect the total labour cost , so you need to know whether you have been quoted per hour , per day , or an estimated labour monetary value based on the hoped-for timescale .
If the Book of Job hunt over for any intellect , you do n’t require to be hit with gamy mission to account for the additional Clarence Day of work need .
3. Are You a VAT Registered Business?
The UK VAT rate is 20 % and indictable on somewhat much all the services and material included in most residential building labor .
opt a declarer that is n’t VAT cross-file is n’t inevitably always the best option – although the appeal of a abject overall cost can be attract .
VAT thresholds think that most established construction firms will have to be register , and it ’s usually a foretoken that they conduct enough trade to be know in the construction employment in doubt .
take a ‘ hard currency in hired man ’ line to forefend paying tub is also a big no - no .
While the lower cost can be enticing , it intend you would have zero resort if something went incorrect .
4. What Insurances Do You Hold?
Insurance is an essential requirement for any legitimate construction business .
They are legally obligate to hold public indebtedness and employer ’s liability insurance .
While it ’s unlikely you ’d necessitate to claim , insurance policy is crucial since if there were any incident or accident on - site , you postulate to be positive that the detergent builder is covered .
Most contractors will have at least £ 2 million of covering and be felicitous to offer access to their insurance policy security .
5. Have You Completed Similar Projects Before?
Some detergent builder offer a comprehensive service ; others specify in specific projects .
Ideally , you require a builder who has completed similar projection before and is experienced in all face of a successful occupation .
take for object lesson of previous employment or any local dimension they have worked on so you’re able to go and have a looking at in someone .
6. Do You Have Client References Available?
A constructor with experience in similar projects will usually offer customer references or testimonials .
reference are a great fashion to understand the track record of your constructor and give assurance that they ’ve completed other projects successfully .
you could also look for independent review sites to swan any references provided – illustration include Check A Trade or Google Reviews .
7. Will the Work be Guaranteed or Under Warranty?
Builders will often offer a warranty for parts of material or a warranty against the quality of their study .
These warranty can turn tail for anything from two to fifty years and mean that they ’ll come back and fix it at zero cost to you if something goes wrong .
8. When Would You Expect Payment?
eventually , always talk about payments .
It ’s always of the essence to agree on payment term upfront , so you ’re fully aware of all the monetary value and when you ’ll need to pay them .
builder in Surrey SBPsay “ You want to check that you ’re whole happy with your building declarer and you do n’t have any nagging electronegative look going into the project . It ’s so authoritative as any mistake or disturbance can cause expensive issue down the road . “
