3 quotes for building work??

[shovetheholly]

Hey all!

Quick question: I know it's the norm to get 3 quotes for building work. But I'm struggling to do that. My architects have designed an extension that's a kind of timber-frame, pre-fab construction, and there's really only one builder in my area who seems to specialise in this. I've posted the quote he provided previously, and people said it was cheap for the level of spec that he's offering. Apparently bricks-and-mortar will almost inevitably be more expensive due to a longer build time and need for deeper foundations (access is very tricky and narrow). The advantage of tying in a builder now is that we definitely have it booked in for later this year.

I would really appreciate any advice y'all have!

We haven't done an extension but l rarely get 3 quotes for work l get done to our house. I'm in London and it's a bit of a bastard to get anyone to quote so if someone turns up, l like them and the Internet tells me their price is ok l just go for.

Thanks diggers. That's what I'm doing - the cost is pretty much bang on what sites say an 'average' extension should cost per square metre, but actually includes quite a lot of expensive stuff (huge windows, green roof). So I feel like it's probably a good deal!

Getting a builder signed up now means that we can control costs through the rest of the decision-making process too as we go down to the finer details (whereas the architect says this will be more difficult with a formal tender).

But part of me is all 'aaaargh, should I just get three quote anyway?'