Who hasn’t heard stories about bad builders, botched extensions, contractors leaving construction site in the middle of the process and leaving developers with loss of their lifetime savings and a headache.Let’s be honest, cowboy builders are not that difficult to come by, in particular these days when a lot of EU workforce fled the country in post Brexit reality. The bad builders are sometimes being exposed in programmes like Dominic Littlewood’s Cowboy Builders or in The Sun articles .
Tips to avoid bad builders
Here are a couple of tips on how to prevent falling for a trap beforehand and avoid the above unpleasant surprises on building site.
Hire a qualified architect
Never instruct an unexperienced or unqualified architect. The tile ”Architect” is protected by The Architects Act 1997 and anyone who uses it has to be fully qualified and registered with Architects Registration Board (ARB) or/and Royal Institute of British Architects. I do not want to discredit drafts persons, technicians etc but it is hard to verify their knowledge if they are not in the industry for a long time. It is for your own good to hire a professional to take you through the entire process.
And best if the same architect is employed throughout all the stages of the development process from planning, through preparation of technical drawings to on site inspections and contract administration as this ensures single point of contact and responsibility.
Find out who your builder is and what is his company status
I know it is easier said than done. But if you have a professional by your side, he will advise what criteria should be followed to make sure the builder is experienced, reliable, and fully accountable for his work.
The architect should be able to recommend a few companies that he used to work with for a couple of years and he should also be aware what are standard rates for a typical project.
As a rule of thumb, you should always check the company history and their profile on the Companies House website. Many of them go bust and reopen a new firm under a similar name.
Never trust a builder who gives an ambiguous quote without a detailed breakdown of prices for all construction works. This means they are either overly optimistic that they can work within the budget or hide the extras on purpose. An architect should be also able to advise what areas in the quote have to be more detailed in order to assess the estimate properly.
Always check if your potential builder is a member of a trade association or other scheme guaranteeing the highest quality like:
Trade Associations – Build UK
National Federation of Builders (NFB)
Federation of Master Builders (FMB)
Considerate constructors Scheme
Always check if a builder has an Indemnity Insurance and if it covers the value of your works so if the worse comes to worst, you can claim the money back.
Control the budget from the outset
Through the use of alternative construction methods or more cost efficient materials, an architect can make sure that the project is within your budget hence the construction quote will not come as a shock to you.
A qualified architect can also reduce the scope of works if the original price is still too high and most important at the pricing stage he can advise if the quotes are realistic. Many clients choose a builder based on price only but in my professional experience if the quote is way below the other quotes there has to be some catch, and this should be looked at by an architect. Furthermore, you should always allow for contingencies which is extra payment for the unforeseen works which are very common when working with existing buildings and this depending on the current state of the existing building, scale of the proposal and its complexity should be between 5-15% of the total construction cost.
Use professional Building Contract
As important as the above points is also using a professional building contract and not a customised contractor’s contract which could be potentially preventing you from claiming the money back if the builder breaches the agreement and this can happen in many ways.
The commonly known building contracts for small works like domestic house extension, loft conversion or an outbuilding in the garden are :
JCT Small Works Building Contract
JCT Building Contract for a Homeowner / Occupier 2021
RIBA Domestic Building Contract
The above contracts will make sure your customer’s rights are secured. You will then have right to postpone the project, to terminate the appointment due to contractor’s breach, withhold or claim the money back if the project is delayed etc.
Conclusions
To conclude, a construction process requires so much financial contribution and constant control of budget, quality, and timescales that an involvement of a professional like your local architect will be invaluable asset ensuring your satisfaction, peace of mind and financial stability .
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