Drawing up a contract with a builder so he can't stitch us up

[WinkyWinkola]

Anything I must must must include?

Tips appreciated.

Did you find your builder via a recommendation? Are they local? Have they given you a breakdown of their quote? Have they suggested payment preference? (I'd run a mile if they need the money upfront to pay for materials etc - shows their business not too well managed & cashflow an issue).

Must apologise though, have no personal experience but these are the things I'd look out for.

Depending on what is being built... One tip given to us was to plan ahead what you want in each room in terms of final fixes and make an inventory... eg how many sockets - double/single, light switches/dimmer, light fittings i.e 12 halogen spots/ 1 dangly wire thing/ 4 wall lights, also the finishes you want in each room - skirtings, architraves, etc primed? bare? painted etc That way you can avoid being over/ under charged for these little things which soon add up. Also you can also reduce these as the project goes along and "technically" ask for this to be reflected in the final bill.

Will it be a fixed price contract?

I would also recommend that you put in some time clauses linked to payment - e.g after 6 weeks xyz must be complete and you will receive x% of the payment
after 12 weeks etc

It is also definitely advisable to retain a %age of the final payment until any snagging has been resolved and until you are completely 100% happy with the job that has been done.

Can you tell I speak from bitter experience!

What value is the work? The Joint Contracts Tribunal publish a range of forms which come as booklets and you can buy, this includes a householder one for an extension/ works to a property. You can get them from RICS/ RIBA bookshops but they cost about £10 each.

Otherwise things to include: 1) that they will do the work properly and to the standard expected of competent professional builders
2) payment arrangements, where costs are fixed these should be identified
3) scope of works
4) hourly rate if you change the scope of works so that additional work is necessary
5) deadline for completing the work (if applicable)
6) that they have insurance - public liability and employers liability. If they are designing any part of the works as well (e.g. you have said 'I want an extension' and that is what they are building, they should probably have professional indemnity insurance as well.)

I would have at least an outline of schedule of works (timeframe), a breakdown of exactly what is going to be done - with plans? - the materials to be used. Agreement as to when the builder is to be expected to be at the property, and if they personally will be responsible/supervising day-to-day or simply sending over contractors/blokes that work for the main guy (or lady, natch!), and a payment plan for staged payments of appropriate size, with large proportion (30%) to be paid only on satisfactory completion of the work.

I can relax now. You've had some proper input!

Thank you all very much for your tips. Will download those contracts.

We're having a house built so the value of the work is £125k. This is the biggest thing we have have done with no construction experience. Urk.

Would suggest that you work on getting a good trustworthy builder as contracts are not a great way to ensure work is done properly - so much is open to interpretation and you will never be able to specify everything - even if you could - the detail would be a nightmare.

Yes,i would agree with DoctorWho in getting a trustworthy builder, and also one that you get on with [just as important] as with any build there is going to be frought times.Also don't approach a builder with the attitude that he's going to stitch you up [ as its not a good start!].Disclaimer-i am not a builder.

I've found a builder. He did loft conversion for our neighbour and did a complete rejig of the house across the road. I've looked at the work and spoken to his clients - they are all happy except they said to retain some fee at the end in order to make sure all snags are dealt with.

Is there anything else? I'm terrified I'll miss something glaringly obvious.

Thank you all for your input.

You will miss something, you'll make a mistake somewhere - everyone does - that is why a good relationship with the builder is essential. When you start pinning things down too much the builder does likewise.

We've had lots of variations and the builder has swallowed the cost because we have cut back on other areas and it all works out in the end. We had one major variation yesterday and we asked the builder to quote for it - it didn't seem fair to get him to do it for nothing - we'll see what he comes back with - he's a fair individual and we trust him.

The last thing you want is a situation where every addition you ask for is charged at an extortionate rate and that is where the contract will be of no use and your choice and relationship with the builder will be everything.

Great advice thank you. But I guess with all relationships when it comes to money, people may behave in unexpected ways. Sigh.