builders: how bad can they be if buildings regs all get passed

[roofergirl]

A guy came today to do work on our roof. Says he's a brickie and turns out he also does building work. Talked about extension I want on the kitchen and he sounded sensible and llike he knew what he was talking about. So if he did the work and building regs people came round to pass it, shouldn't that cover me?

You do not have to be any particular person to build an extension,one question you should ask , which is "will you supply me with a list off 10 similar builds you have completed, " (pick 5 and go look at them , speak to owners) any reluctance , forget it (or not ,as it is your decision)anyone can speak a good job(yes i may be cynical but...)

maybelater agreed - would def like to talk to previous jobs but the point I suppose I was trying to make was: if buildings regs person comes round and says everything is passed is that not good enough? ie once a builder complies with regs isn't that all that's needed? How bad can a builder be if what he's building has to pass building regs. Sorry to be so inarticulate, v.tired.

my loft conversion passed building regs. if you want to know how badly it can go wrong, then i shall find you some of the links, or look up some of my old threads 'my fucking builder' i think one of them is called.

do not under any circs get work done by someone you do not know without checking out their credentials, what associations they are part of (or, perhaps, banned from), previous references, and go and check the work. if you do not, you could lose thousands, and destroy your house/your nerves.

building regs do not cover how it looks, how well it is finished. it covers the legal requirements to ensure it meets safety, environmental and insulation requirements. does not mean he will use good material, or not try to cut corners, or give you a piece of crap.

And you won't know building regs have or have not been passed until, potential damage has been done.

here is just one of several threads which might outline some of the horror experienced by trusting a good talker who did a 'couple' of good bits of work, it seems by pure luck.

Ok so building regs just cover the basics ie so it doesn't fall down. pavlov thanks, will check out your threads, sorry you've had a bad time.

aw it was a while ago now. I am now in the loft conversion watching annie with my little ones, and tucked up in bed! It is not great even now, it is fine. not what I wanted, but it is ok. I do spend every day looking and wishing this was different and that was different, and wishing i had never let that shit into my home. And. worst of all I get angry every time I see a high topped white van with a bit of rust on it!!!

Just be careful is all I am saying. It can go horribly horribly wrong. but that does not mean your guy will be one of them, just that you need to be sure he is the one to do the work, check him out thoroughly first.

agree with all other posters , also(2 of my brothers are builders) don"t shell out for materials ,a reputable builder has credit lines at builder yards,do NOT pay cash,hold back 10% at completion for say, 1 wk re "snagging", does he have ins. cover, ?the electrics need to be "certificated" ! the list goes on (and so can i....)think long think hard get clued up , you have prob seen "cowboy builders/" ohmygod!

Thanks maybe that's a good list to start with. We're really trying to do this on a very small budget so any help at all is very much appreciated.

If the extension was built and then you informed the local authority you would have to expose the foundations, the cavities and the roof structurem have the electrics tested, possibly have holes cut into the floor - all to allow the building control officer to check on the construction (as they are not equipped with X-ray eyes).

If they found any contraventions then you may have to demolish and re build.

Very risky strategy IMO.

I'd say to any builders - what insurance are you offering. A good builder should have 10 year cover and its based on the value of the overall build see it and check it out. Trustmark.org.uk is also a good indicator - this is overseen by your local trading standards and his insurance including all the ommissions and exclusions are checked. 2 jobs are checked by visiting site and the system works well.

Dont forget building control only oversee certain stages of the build and shoddy workmanship is not covered. You can see this on newbuild houses look at the mortar joints and many housing estates these can be the worst example of how not to build a house.

Dont be fooled by logos like istitute of xyx, master craftman etc as these are purchased and no sign of a true workman. Sadly there are many builders who are not up to the job but can talk.

Iso9001 is also a good indicator, council approved and def trustmark. Always ask for references of two recent jobs.

ALways get 3 quotes and question any quote that is miles cheaper. We are in groundworks and are never the cheapest quotes but our experience, workmanship and professionalism is more important and all our boys are on the books and qualified so that has to be paid for.

Our extension passed building regs (with a few modifications ) but 18mnths on we are finding that things are going wrong, eg today we paid someone £150 to repair the leaking shower where the original builder made a mess of the tiling and sealant, we've also got quotes to re-plaster the kitchen ceiling where the plaster is falling off. We are lucky I guess that it's nothing structural. Building regs only really cover the basics, not what you will see every day. I regret going for a cheaper builder, I suspect we will end up paying the same as a better builder by the time we do all the remedial work