How to pick a builder

Ashchurch Building & Design Ltd is the culmination of 21 years of hands on management experience across the Building & Construction Industry.  Experience tells us that the domestic building industry appeared to be rife with “charlatans and chancers”, people purporting to be builders with no experience of note, and certainly no integrity.  With this in mind we offer a unique pre-build service which I am yet to see matched.

Any builder of note (and there are many), will agree to the following; if they don’t, pass them by!

  1. If you are considering a builder, always insist on a minimum of three references; if possible, speak to a current client where works are ongoing
  2. Request a full breakdown of costs; never accept a one line quotation for the works
  3. Once a cost has been agreed, agree on a contract which will be used!
  4. Once a contract has been agreed, request and agree a programme of works
  5. Request a full breakdown of your builders insurances, if in doubt request a copy of their Insurance schedule or a letter from their broker.
  6. Never pay any monies up front for basic building services, if you need to pay a deposit for an item to be manufactured, insist on deposit insurance such as QANW insurance services.
  7. Agree staged payments with the builder, always insist on 5 or 10% of the contract sum to be retained until you are 100% happy with the completed project.
  8. Ensure the builder has up to date drawings for the proposed works and append the drawing numbers to the contract.
  9. Once all of the following points are in place, append the relevant documentation to the contract and the building work is ready to begin.
  10. “It is unwise to pay too much, but it is unwise to pay to little, When you pay too much, you lose a little money; that is all.  When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything.  Because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing you bought it to do.  The common-law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot.  It cannot be done.  If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better.”  John Ruskin