Renovating a property can be a tremendously rewarding experience. You have the chance to rescue a building from the ravages of time and shape it to suit your own unique personality and needs. Having the right team of builders on board is vital to getting the best results.

On the face of it, it\’s very easy to find builders. There are even websites dedicated to listing builders in a particular geographical area — for example, London builders can advertise on London-specific sites. Sadly, the building trade in the UK is largely unregulated. This means that cowboy builders can set up shop without any real supervision, charging large sums of money for substandard work — or no work at all, in extreme cases. The Office of Fair Trading estimates that repairing the work of cowboy builders costs UK households £1.6bn a year. If you simply pick a random builder out of the phone book, you could be inviting disaster.

The standard advice for anyone who\’s looking for a builder is to ask for a recommendation from people they know. People who\’ve had a satisfactory experience are generally happy to pass on the information, while those who haven\’t are only too pleased to warn you off a particular firm. However, if you\’re doing an extensive renovation, getting a referral this way may not be terribly feasible. A builder who did an excellent job on your colleague\’s plastering or loft insulation might not be up to scratch when it comes to the more comprehensive work involved in rebuilding your dream home.

Respected trade bodies such as the National Federation of Builders (NFB) and the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) can help you find reputable tradesmen in your area. The NFB website offers a postcode search and the FMB group builders by region — Eastern Counties builders, London builders and so on. Membership of a trade body is an indication that a building firm takes their responsibilities seriously; it can be revoked if a builder does shoddy work too, which means longstanding membership is often an indicator of quality. Call the trade body and make sure that the membership is current. You should also ask for references from two or three previous customers.

Agree with your builder exactly what work is to be done and sign a contract. For any major building work you should obtain at least two or three quotes. Quotes that are unusually low or high can be an indication that something is amiss. A high quote could mean that a builder is in great demand — or it could be an attempt to overcharge you. A low quote could be a sign that a builder offers better value for money — or it could mean that important elements of the work are being overlooked or omitted in an effort to undercut more realistic estimates. Avoid VAT-free \”deals\”. These are a potential sign of a fly-by-night operation.

Always check your builder\’s public liability insurance certificate. Ask your builder to check whether planning permission would be required for the renovations that you\’re planning to carry out.

Vincent Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For finding high quality London Builders, he recommends Tyler Mandic.

Vincent Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For finding high quality http://www.tylermandic.co.uk/services/building.html London Builders, he recommends Tyler Mandic.

Author Bio: Vincent Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For finding high quality London Builders, he recommends Tyler Mandic.

Category: Home Management
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