builder advice?

[mangobanjo]

we have had our plans approved and mortgage delivered and think we have found a builder we like who has given us a rough figure with a list of what it includes etc We have asked him to come round to discuss the project further and wonder if anyone could advise us on the sorts of questions we should ask?

For example, how do you go about negotiating price, because we would like him to come down by 10%. is it normal for builders to overquote initially?

Do we need to draw up some sort of contract and see the builders plan for timescale etc. How do most people pay builders? what is the norm?

Hindsight is a wonderfull thing and we don't have it so the wisdom of those that do will be greatly appreciated.

Yes builders do overquote, like us all they want the most they can get for a job and quote on several a month. But you have to balance off a good price and a good builder, we went with our buikder even thought he was more expensive, but not much more, because we knew of three jobs he had done and was highly reccommended and he did a fantastic job.

We paid weekly and production of invoice from the builder and paid in cash and cheque. Our builder orded the materials and we paid for them direct. He did not put a mark up on top of the cost of the materials. We paid a day rate for one builder and one labourer and had a build of 10 weeks, which enabled us to work out the cost. Some week you spend masses on materials eg: concrete for foundations was about £1300 and other weeks when the brickwork went up, practically nothing.

We lived in the house when the work was done (total nightmare but we had no choice) and this did help as we kept an eye on what they were doing and we were kept up to date with what was happening the following week; he alss told us when to order the windows etc.

There were a few unforseen costs that our 2k contigency ate up eg: we had to dig a new main drain and a few other bits. It sadly meant that we could not finish off the bathroom and en suite and 18 months still can't afford it, but the rest of the house is great and so worth it.

Good luck

HTH.

Thank you that is very useful as it is a little daunting to embark on this (expensive) project. I agree that it is important to get a builder that you trust and can communicate with because they have control. As far as the nuts and bolts go i suppose you just have to work together to have a system that works for everyone.

We run a small building company and we don't get clients to pay for the materials direct as we're VAT registered and we have trade accounts....so we work to a schedule of payments.

It's usually staggered around natural stages which a good builder will discuss with you. So, if there are steel beams to go in and building control are coming round - then, if that's all signed off and everyone is happy - that would be seen as a good place to do payments, take stock and talk about any changes that you want (or need to be made) that weren't on the orginal plans.

There is no right or wrong way as each job is different and many builders (who are very good - not charlatans!) work in a way that we wouldn't. We know excellent builders who never work with a contract!

Check their work yourself - ask to see it - or at least get to speak to the previous clients.

Do nothing without a contract - there are plenty of threads on here about that! They really should have one - but you can sort that out yourself. It's WAY to much money to chance on someone's word.

Agree on how they're getting paid. Check to see if they have trade accounts.

Keep back money at the end - at least 2K to endure the snagging list is done.

Decide who is paying the plumber / electrician. Decide who is responsible for the quality of the work and that they are fit to issue you the correct certificates.

One last thing. Be as clear as you can upfront with your spec. It's not just a question of builders over-quoting but we know from experience that many, many clients keep changing the spec not realising that this creates added chaos and cost. They don't like that! But the devil is in the detail so the more precise you are (down to the type of fittings etc) then the quote you get is likely to be about right Althought there are often things that get uncovered that a psychic couldn't even tell you about! And you have to factor that in as a possibility.
Have fun!

HTH

i wonder - do contracts have to be drawn up by solicitors to be legally blinding?

Nope! You can buy a standard one from WHSmiths and then go through it - customise it to suit your needs and then negotiate from there with your builder. Our contracts are always worked this way!