Garden Room/house

[ReallyITV]

Looking into building a c 9-12m Sq garden room.

can I ask is it usual to give a 50% deposit up front?

That would be about 7k for 9sq m as a 50% deposit. Advice welcome

Are you doing this with a local tradesman or a reputable company?
How long will the job take?

I'd prefer to pay cost of materials if the need is there but the majority upon completion.

Depending on how long the job will take maybe phased payments.

We did one a few years ago, from memory we did a 20% deposit then a staged payment then a final once completed. Local company established a good few years.

It’s a local guy who has just set up. He’s a Limited Co and VAT registered. I would be his 4th or 5th build - he’s also built his own

Its in the t&cs as 50% upfront, 25% mid way through the project and then 25% at the end.

I wouldn't. Friends lost 18K when they paid half in advance and the builder left town. They never recovered any part of the funds.

I can't recall how I paid but I know material cost was upfront. I used someone who had just set up their business as well OP but it was a friend of a friend's husband. Worked out to be a very competitive price.

If the Ts and Cs say 50% I'm advance then I guess you either do or find someone else but I think it's fairly reasonable.

When I qas getting the roof done I had quotes from a variety of builders. Some required some payment in advance and others nothing until the end. I went with the one who was 5% to secure date then 45% two weeks before with remainer on completion. I was very nervous too but was all OK.

Reasonable to give 50% up front? Problem is I did this on a garden job and guy took £3k from us and then didn’t turn up after a week all work he’d done needed re-doing

In tough times this is my fear. Plus he was late to the meeting at the house my over an hour kept going on about traffic. And I think he’d had a boozy night out. Either cheap aftershave or he stunk of booze.

This would be enough to put me off, tbh.

It doesn’t sound like you to use this guy, OP. Reasonable T&Cs or not, go with your instinct.

*like you want to

Yes gut it is. I’m happy to negotiate on t&cs but I did ask for clarification and he said he could prob do the job a bit cheaper would need to talk to me. Gut saying no. I’ll just say no thanks. Great detailed quote though!

Hour late, crap excuses, suspect boozy smell...don't do it!

Pay all or some (at least £100) on a credit card. The credit card company are then liable for the work being completed.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/section75-protect-your-purchases/

Thanks for the advice. Think I’m going to look elsewhere. Thanks for there s.75 tip @PhilippaPhilpot ill look into that

No problemo!

About 20 years ago my mother employed a carpenter to do some renovations -- change the kitchen floor, replace a window, etc., nothing major. He was a boozer and she rolled with it, as did her neighbours who hired him, too, because they knew his addiction was an illness.

But they all ended up losing the funds they had sympathetically advanced him and at least one time he holed up at a Premier Inn to drink for days on end and they tracked him down, beat on the door, dumped out his booze and sobered him up to get him to finish the jobs. It was a nightmare.