Not many people get the chance to employ a builder to build a home from scratch. A large number of us, however, need builders from time to time to build extensions to our homes, carry out internal alterations and undertake repairs. We have all heard stories of cowboy builders who cannot or will not finish jobs, who charge extortionate amounts for even the most minor extras or carry out work of an inferior quality.

If you are unlucky enough find that you have employed a cowboy builder, then your local Trading Standards office will want to hear of your experiences. Cowboy builders taint the reputations of the building trade as a whole including the reputable builders who provide a quality service.

Top Tips for finding or choosing good builders include:

Referrals – the most reliable sources of information about builders in your area will be friends and family who have recently had work done.

References – always ask for and follow up on references. If the homeowner invites you to have a look at the work which was done, take them up on the offer.

Start looking early – most good builders get booked up well in advance and may find it difficult to start work immediately. By planning ahead, can increase your choice of builders – the “only firm available” is not the best way to choose your builder.

Obtain quotes – ask a number of builders to quote for the job and take care to make sure that they are all quoting on the same basis so that you can make direct comparisons. It is important that both you and your builder are very clear about what the work entails.

Get expert help – if the job is a big one or contains structural elements, make sure that you get appropriate advice, perhaps from a structural engineer, to ensure that the proposed work is not going to damage the structure of your home. You may also want to ask a Chartered Surveyor to advise on the quotes or contracts.

Membership of Trade Associations – many reputable builders belong to trade associations which have a code of practice and take disciplinary action if the code is broken.

Ask questions if unusual payment methods or patterns of payments are suggested. Requests for large and unjustified upfront payments should be treated with caution as should any requests for cash which seem to be designed to avoid leaving a record of payment. Proving how much you paid for the work may be difficult if no receipts are given.

Insurance – check that your builder has appropriate insurance to cover the job.

The above handy hints should help you to find a reputable builder. Details of builders are listed in Local Service Guide. Use the search box at the top of this page.

If you have used a builder who you think should be listed in Local Service Guide, then contact us and we offer to feature them. To see an example of a featured builder click on the Adelaide Group East Sussex