Just can't get a builder to do work

[TiredJewel]

I just can't find a builder and I don't know what to do anymore. Looking for commiseration mostly, but useful tips also welcome.

We want to knock through two rooms and fully gut/renovate both. Got the structural calculations done last September. Since then, 15 builders have come to quote. Local ones, recommendations, school parents, found online. Of those 15, three actually quoted. One was clearly a Go Away quote. The other two were similar to each other, so we went with the one we liked best. He strung us along for weeks, couldn't be nailed down on anything.

So we went to the second. Great communication, great ideas, seemed really involved. We agreed on a date, he was meant to send a project plan. I cautiously started packing up the rooms. Then the excuses started, I already had a bad feeling...aaaand ghosted. Every form of contact, ignored. Turns out he'd taken on a bigger, more profitable project.

Back to square one. I am so burned out without actually having gotten anywhere. Every new enquiry means time off work to meet them, hope and pray they show up, walk them through everything, hope and pray they send a quote.

I have wondered if I'm the issue (woman, foreigner), so I've had my husband do some of the contacting and meeting but that made no difference. And I haven't had this trouble finding a landscaper or roofer. So maybe it's the project itself? Too big for a singular local builder, not big enough for someone who manages multiple trades. I genuinely don't know the solution other than extending the scope or descoping. I don't fancy either.

Anyway. This week was meant to be the starting week but instead I'm back to googling, pestering people for recommendations, and looking at Rightmove thinking moving would be easier (it wouldn't be). The time I've wasted to get absolutely nowhere. It's so draining.

Massive sympathy. I don't think its you, there's just too much work chasing too few builders at the moment. I'm impressed that you got 15 people out to quote, even if only 3 actually followed through on paper. Looking back at my records from last year, I contacted 17 builders, of whom only 4 came out to quote. Our preferred one was also flakey (and he's very local, doing work a few doors down, so I see him frequently which is slightly awkward!) but we did eventually strike it lucky with our second choice.

As frustrating as it is, I think you just need to start from scratch. The other option might be to try and get a smaller builder to do the structural work and then use individual contractors for everything else. Likely to be quite time-consuming though. Good luck!

That sounds frustrating.

Have you asked the engineer if they know anyone? Can you ask their opinion on why you’re struggling with quotes? And what to do about it?

Youll need to figure out why your job is appealing enough that you’re getting them around but then what they’re finding when the visit tgat puts them off…

It could be the fiddliness? Or awkward access? Or how you/your family present?

Sorry about the last one but I’m in the construction industry and I know Ive put off less confident tradespeople…

A long time ago, we wanted an existing Edwardian dormer to be made larger to match what neighbours had done. I wanted someone to do an “all in” service with Planning so I went to a loft company. The guy arrived and started assessing our house against modern regulations saying our staircase would need to be rebuilt and the roofline altered to get “proper headroom”. I pointed out this wasnt needed as regs don’t apply retrospectively but he left and was never heard from again. I think he had decided I was terribly awkward and opinionated so wasn’t interested in finding out any more.

I tried another couple of firms and then gave up that idea - I applied for the planning myself. Once that was done, other builders were happy to quote as I’d removed the risk/hassle for them.

I give that example as a way of illustrating- what are the barriers in your job? And how can you remove them to make it appealing? Because it’s obviously appealing to builders on paper….

if you describe more about the work I can maybe try guesding

It's a problem I keep having. Carpenters, electricians, window fitters, roofers....it's been depressing as hell as I understand a small job has to be worth their while and I'm willing to pay more to get them to take on the work. Sadly there's always an easier, better paying job elsewhere.

I nearly lost it when a carpenter actually came round to price up a new staircase and he told us he would use laminate stair covers instead of actually replacing the old staircase because it was "a waste of money". I just want new stairs!!! Take my money and please please give me new stairs!!!!

This is so common right now and it's not you. We had almost the same experience trying to get our bathroom and kitchen done last year. Contacted about 10, got 4 to actually come round, 2 quoted, one ghosted after we said yes.

The thing that eventually worked for us was asking the structural engineer who they'd recommend. They work with builders constantly and know who actually turns up and finishes jobs. Worth asking yours if you haven't already.

The other thing bickering said about removing barriers is spot on. When we eventually found someone, he told us the reason a lot of builders ghost on mid-size jobs is because they can't price the unknowns. If you can get the structural calcs, a clear scope of work, and ideally some drawings all in a pack ready to hand over, it makes quoting much easier for them and you're more likely to get a response.

Wait 6-12 months. If this economy continues to fall off a cliff, work will dry up very quickly for builders.

Have you posted it on Checkatrade? I’ve had quite a lot of success with this recently. People only respond if they are interested in the work

I think sometimes clients underestimate how much work goes into quoting a job and so telling a builder that you are getting multiple quotes can often backfire as it sounds like a waste of the builders time and that the clients are just looking for the cheapest job. My DH is happy to compete with 1 or 2 builders but realistically wouldn’t bother to quote if he knew the clients had contacted 15 builders.

We've found exactly the same. We are planning a kitchen extension and since November we've contacted 12 builders, 9 came to visit (i think?) and its taken 4 months to get 3 quotes. What's the point in coming to visit, if not even going to send a quote - i even sent plans and scope of work so its not like they were coming blind. Then all the quotes have come back so unbelievably high that we dont even know if we'll bother doing the work now.

We’ve always found we have more luck sourcing our own individual trades, so a builder to knock the wall down, then an electrician if you’re moving light switches, sockets and lights, then a plasterer to make good, then finally a decorator - the onus is on you but I think most builders do not want to be responsible for getting the other trades in or quoting on their behalves.

Same as dp. If they are told they are getting quite a few quotes in they know the customer is going to go with the cheapest. Yet cheapest sometimes means additional costs have not been factored in.

The price of materials have gone up massively!

And thats totally understandable. But it does mean that realistically some clients will no longer want to do the work. We want to do a 12 sqm extension to create space for a dining table in our kitchen (it's currently galley style). Researched autumn. Advice that we could find was £3k per sqm. We added some extra on to reflect that online price guides are often out of date for London and / or recent price rises. We were hoping to pay up to £60k to shell finishes. 2 out of 3 quotes are £100k. Before we even factor in kitchen / flooring etc. The quotes we have had are really clear and detailed by each line item, but fundamentally its going to mean spending about £50k more than our house is worth. Its a big risk for us to take on.

I was just going to suggest getting stairs from an actual stair company, they come ready made and assembled, and it’s an easy two day job for a builder to fit them and put in the spindles etc. We had the hardest job getting any carpenter to commit. The stair company sent an engineer around to measure, and we just picked what material we wanted - oak bannister, spindles in keeping with the period of the house etc. it cost just over £2k total, as we chose pine stairs instead of oak as we weren’t having exposed treads. So much cheaper also. But the real reason was we just wouldn’t have had any stairs if we had waited for the carpenters!

builder of 40 years here anything from a tap washer to £8m with 3 years worth of major projects already underway as well as smaller works
i pick and choose my work based mainly on the client ,
if a client told me they were getting more than two other quotes I would walk away, I offer a service and may not always be the cheapest
fitting steels and knock through are not for everyone so generally a messy job with lots of trades to co ordinate in a short space of time and you need to know what you are doing
I would speak to the structural engineer and ask his recommendation, have a very clear written scope of what you want done
make sure whoever you choose has the correct insurance

Good luck with that strategy
very few young lads coming into the trade and a lot of experienced people just had enough of it
a lot if the cheap Eastern European labour have left and will end up rebuilding Ukraine if that ever comes to pass
too many people have looked down their noses at a trade career in the past and fell into the trap that the can get an irrelevant degree and earn a fortune

They cherry pick easy work with high margins

try scaling it back and get a quote just for taking the wall down and making good

make sure you point out access ,where skip can go and you can have to room more or less empty
have a chat with neighbours and ask if the would object to having it done at weekend as a one off then build might do it as extra work

Where are you based?