does this builder sound dodgy or ok to you?

[BoyMeetsWorld]

Hi,

we've just moved house & need somebody to build a very simple rear 3x4 extension to be used as a playroom.

the builders in this area are booked solidly but we've found one who said he can fit us in in 6 weeks due to a cancellation. his website looks good & there are good reviews for him on yell etc but I never trust whether those are genuine.

my worry is that he won't arrange any of the building regs - he said we have to sort building notice out with the council then he takes over from there arranging inspections etc. he didn't seem v sure on the difference between full plans + building notice, & he doesn't offer any kind of plan drawing service. he also got a bit shifty when I mentioned not paying the final installment until we have our building cert although he did agree.

does this all sound ok to you or fishy? I'm finding the whole thing v daunting!

Dodgy! Ask to see his insurance certificates...any good builder will have them and will be prepared to show - if he doesn't don't touch with a bargepole.

Wait until you get someone you really trust (no deals for cash, proper quote etc).

Where are you? Maybe someone has someone they can recommend!

You should not choose a builder off the net, you should choose one by personal recommendation and by looking at the standard of their work and talking to their customers. Drive around your neighbourhood looking for builders vans. Write down the address they are working at, and the name and number of the builder. Call back later and ask if the householder would be so kind as to spare you a few minutes. Most householders will want to.

Just because all the good builders are busy is not a good reason to choose a not-busy one.

There are some very unreliable websites which are concealed advertising sites. They sometimes only show favourable reviews. Sometimes the reviews are written by the tradesmen.

Builders with a good local reputation have no need to pay recommendation websites (they make their money from builders payments)

It's worth waiting for a local builder with a solid reputation. Go with your instinct.

Dodgy you need to ask for references and talk to previous customers or wait for someone you already are sure is ok. Watch to many cowboy builders shows me :( quality is worth waiting for.

Could you ask the builder you've already seen whether he will give you numbers of past customers who you can phone to get references?

The builder we use wouldn't do building regs or draw plans but he is excellent and trustworthy... and would be happy for us to speak to past customers.

Rated People is a recommendation site but the tradespeople don't pay to put good feedback on it. They pay to buy the sales lead (ie the phone number of the customer who has put the job on there) and then any feedback on the site comes from genuine customers.

I know it costs more, but I would suggest you talk to an architect. It may be that you just want something really simple and straightforward, but it might also be that a few small changes and you could end up with something much better. Of the extensions round here, a friend who didn't use an architect (because she thought it was just a straight forward add on the space spec) said that she wished she had, once she saw some of the things that were possible with the space (namely from people who had). From our point of view, the other thing about the architect is that she served as a fantastic buffer between the builders, which meant that the job was MUCH less stressful.

With regards to building control, is it possible that what the builder meant is that you register for building regs with the council (for which you do need to have the building regs documents I think), and then the builder lets the building regs person know when they have reached a certain point in the build so that they can come out and inspect? If so, that is quite normal.

Finally, I totally agree with the others about getting refs, going to visit past clients to look at the quality of work, and ideally working from recommendations. You may not be a member, but another place to get reviews is Which Local. I'm a BIG fan of which local, I have had some great trades people from there.

And, it will all be worth it in the end!

I wouldn't necessarily write him off. We found our builder on rated people. He didn't arrange the building regs (although he did recommend a private firm he had used previously) and didn't offer a plan drawing service. He was able to start at short notice too and would have done a deal for cash (we didn't take him up on this!) He was also very cheap! To be fair this was in the depths of the recession, so work was probably harder to come by.

We were really dubious and spoke to 3 different previous customers, went to view a completed project and viewed a project in progress. Everybody was very happy with him. And rightly so, he did a brilliant job and we've recommended him to several friends who have also been very happy.

In your situation I would ask to speak to previous customers (and actually go and look at the work!) and see how you feel after that. Any hint of reticence about providing references would be a big warning sign, but what you've said so far doesn't necessarily mean he's a cowboy IMO.

hoolies - it's exactly that: he wants us to fill in the building notice forms & get the pack sent out saying we can start work then from there he takes over arranging inspections etc.

going to ask him if he will provide references.

Also, is it normal to have a formal contract on a small job or is just an email detailing work & cost sufficient?

I would be running in the other direction he sounds really dodgy.

I would much rather wait for a local reputable builder.

We don't have a formal contract with our builder, but he said he would sign one if we wanted him to. I have heard that more people with contracts end up in dispute with their builders than those who don't...

You organise building regs with your council,basically you pay a fee around £600 and fill in buildings notice and hand into council. The builder then calls in the building inspector at various points of the build and then signs off if satisfactory at the end of the build. That is when you get your building regulation certificate.

Full plans only really needed if it's a big project and involves an architect or draughtsman charging you a lot of money to submit plans to the council who then take about 6 weeks to approve.

Not unusual to not do the building regs for you, not unusual to not offer a plan drawing service but he must know a few that he could recommend and not that unusual to not do a formal contract. Just ask him for a written and signed quote with the payment installments written on.

But yes I would ask for recommendations from him if you don't know anyone personally that has had any work who would recommend people.

And have you checked you don't require planning permission. Not everyone has the permitted development rights that allow you to build small extensions without permission.

Asking you to register with the council for building regs is not unusual. I thought most builders would want you to have drawings and building regs in place before they can provide a proper quote. If he cannot provide drawings can he recommend someone he uses or perhaps you can look online and find someone? We had guy who did our drawings, not an architect but a building planning consultant and he also arranged the building regs. We then submitted these to each builder to get a quote.

Wait for a local with good recommendations. It's not worth the risk. A bad builder will take years off your life ...