Choosing a Builder For Renovations
Choosing a builder wisely is highly important for more reasons than you might at first consider. First of all, consider the importance of the job that they’ll be doing. You’ll be spending likely hundreds if not thousands on a renovation and it’s something you’ll probably have to live with for a long time after the builder has finished their work – whether that’s a conversion or an extension. This means that you’ll want them to get it right or you’ll have to spend even more money and subject yourself once again to the stress of having someone plastering or building in your house. That’s the other thing to consider – the amount of stress you’ll go through having your building taken apart bit by bit and all your possessions covered in dust – it’s not something you’ll want to go through several times. That’s not the worst case scenario either – the worst case scenario is that the builder knocks through a supportive wall and causes your home to collapse, or that they don’t support your new stair case enough when they build it and that you fall through it when you’re going upstairs. In this case you are trusting the builders with your health and well being and it could lead to severe injury if they get it wrong as well as immense property damage. As such it’s important to choose a builder wisely to ensure they know what they’re doing if nothing else. They also need to know the law regarding what you’re doing and the best place to get materials etc.
But there’s more. A builder also needs to be a good friendly person and one that you don’t mind having access to your home permanently and one that you can trust. Perfectly nice and trustworthy though the builder may be, the fact of the matter remains that you are inviting a complete stranger into your home and this could cause all sorts of difficulties. If they are unfriendly it could create a bad atmosphere and lead to awkward dinners while they work away in silence or following an argument – they’re going to be around a lot if they’re working on your home. If they’re untrustworthy then the risk is worse and you risk them stealing from you if they are presented with temptation. Even if they don’t physically take anything from you, they can steal in other ways – such as standing around doing nothing when they’re on the clock or purposefully dragging out the time it takes them to perform the job. On top of all that though you also want the cheapest builder possible to save yourself unnecessary expense.
So how do you go about finding and choosing this wonder builder? Look online and search for builders that way, many websites will be able to show you a list of builders in your area with information (which will also allow you to compare prices). Alternatively you can ask friends and others for a good reference. If you don’t know anyone then the builder should be able to supply references themselves, or at least a portfolio of their work. You should also look online for any ratings or comments if you found them that way.
Builders attached to larger organisations are often a good bet as they are accountable and can stand to lose their job if anything goes wrong. They will have been subjected to thorough training and will have a complaints and refunds process in case of any problems whereas a freelancer can just disappear without hearing from them again. Finally, meet the builder in person to discuss the job and get a feel for their character.
We recently researched builders at st kilda, a suburb in Melbourne, Australia, and found the more research we did the better educated we became about choosing a builder. We think it is better to choose someone who specialises in their trade, for example kitchen renovations.
