If you have a renovation or construction project in the works, it’s likely you will be looking for the expert skills of a builder to help complete this work. Hiring a reputable builder can be particularly challenging, however, considering the number of qualified individuals there are out there. Furthermore, the worries about knowing when a quote is a good deal or not just adds to the stress.
It is important to take your time when looking for a builder and to carry out as thorough research as possible. Don’t just hire the first builder that gives you a quote. The guide below is designed to give you some pointers to help you find a reputable builder without going crazy in the process.
Personal Recommendations
One of the best ways to find a good and reliable builder is through personal recommendations. Ask friends, relatives and even neighbours who they used for any building work they may have had completed recently. That’s how I found my loft conversions Oxford guy who was absolutely great. Ask them them as many questions as you can about the builder’s reliability, price, length of time it took to complete the job and their workmanship. You should also ask how they were to deal with and if the person you are asking about them would really recommend them.
Check Building Site Boards
If there are any building sites in your local area at the moment, check any notice boards up for builders. You could even ask the company that hired the builders about their experience working with them.
Search Wisely Online
One of the easiest and quickest ways to get information on and contact professional builders in your local area is online. However, you need to be cautious. There are many unscrupulous people out there who are looking to rip you off. Use sites like ratedpeople.com. Not only does this site and sites like it list information about local builders and contractors the ratings for individuals and companies are taken from experience clients have had. Therefore, the better experience a client had with a particular builder, the higher the rating they are given.
There are also sites like trustmark.org.uk, a government-backed find-a-tradesperson scheme that has a database of vetted tradesmen, including builders. They have been fully checked not only for their technical skills and trading practices but their customer service too.
Look For Builders Who Are Members Of Trading Associations
Another great way to sort the genuine and reputable from the unscrupulous cowboys is by looking for builders who have official trading association memberships. Although builders can and do work without being members of bodies such as the Guild of Builders and Contractors, the National Federation of Builders and the Federation of Master Builders; choosing individuals that are, will give you a certain amount of confidence that you have chosen someone reputable.
It is actually a lot harder than it seems to find a reputable builder. You need to have a patient attitude and realise that it takes a lot more effort than just agreeing to the first quote you are given. If you follow the tips above, you will find a reputable builder in no time and with minimum stress.
