The Complete Guide to Finding the Right Builder: How to Find Good Tradespeople Who Do a Great Job
Choosing the right builder is more stressful than choosing the house you live in. At least if you pick a property that isn’t 100% right for you, you can sell up and move in a few years. But if you pick the wrong tradesperson, you can lose thousands of pounds, and ruin your dream home or investment property in the process.
To call yourself a builder in the UK, you don’t need any professional qualifications. Anyone with a van and a toolbox can legally register themselves as a tradesperson and charge you to commence work on your property. A scary thought.
So, to breathe the excitement back into home improvement, and help you find a top-tier tradesperson that will leave your property fit for Grand Designs, we have created this guide.
Why is it Hard to Find a Good Builder?
Being a builder is a skilled job. It’s also one that’s highly dangerous, with 53,000 injuries reported in 2022/2023. It’s a career that involves working in all weather conditions, often outside or with little to no heating.
This is to say, being a builder is not easy. That means that there isn’t a huge supply of them available, certainly not enough to meet the UK’s demand.
That brings about a conundrum. If a builder is good, they are typically very busy, often being unable to take on new work for several months. Whereas if a builder can start work tomorrow, it raises questions about why they’re not busy.
There’s a severe shortage of trades in the UK, and it’s a career choice that fewer young people seem to be following. This shortage means you’re stuck for choice when picking someone to renovate your house.
Finally, builders are paid a healthy amount of money for the work they conduct, and since there are no professional qualifications required, the barrier to entry is low. People looking to make a quick few pounds can often masquerade as tradespeople, even if they lack the skills to back up the title.
Why Do People Fall Afoul of Bad Builders?
When it comes to finding a skilled builder, most people resort to one of two strategies. Number one: They ask for recommendations at the local pub. Number two: they ask for recommendations in Facebook groups or pick up a business card pinned to the wall of a local takeaway.
While tongue-in-cheek, this observation is not inaccurate. People are quick to take a recommendation or call a number they see on the back of a van, without doing much due diligence. We assume that because someone advertises as a professional in a certain field, that they must be, but unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
If someone is in a rush to get their house renovated, especially if it is in a state of disrepair, like damp is appearing or the roof is leaking, they understandably want a builder to come around as soon as possible.
But as we covered earlier in the article, good builders are typically busy. So, in a state of panic, the homeowner hires the person who can come tomorrow, no questions asked…and you can guess how that often ends.
The good news is, all of this can be avoided, and we’re going to show you how.
How to Find a Good Builder- Get Recommendations
Jokes aside, there is nothing wrong with asking around at the local pub or in Facebook groups for good builders. However, you need to back this up afterwards with thorough due diligence.
Because the truth is, the best way to find a skilled builder is through recommendation. Ideally, someone you trust who has had first-hand experience using said builder.
But we wouldn’t stop there. A professional builder should have a website or social media page with client testimonials and examples of their work.
We recommend asking for no fewer than five recommendations from past clients. You also want to see examples of work they have completed that is similar to what you are hiring them for. For example, it’s no good seeing examples of plastering if you’re looking for someone to build an extension!
How to Find a Good Builder- Check Proper Portals
There are portals and websites online where you can search for local tradespeople. However, be careful which ones you use. Some sites allow anyone with a debit card to register on them. Others have much more thorough due diligence.
For example, we recommend the Guild of Master Craftsmen or The Guild of Master Builders. These are two professional bodies. If someone is registered there, it means they’re serious about their work.
How to Find a Good Builder- Insurance and Contracts
A solid contract and the right insurance are the two safeguards that protect you and your finances from rogue trades. We hope that nothing goes wrong, but if it does, then you need a layer of protection.
Ensure that any builder you use has the relevant insurance, like Private Indemnity. They should be able to provide this information to you upon request.
Also, ensure you have a contract in place that covers the scope of works, agreed price and timescales. This will prove vital if you’re hit with an unexpected bill or the job runs over. This is even more important if you are an investor working on a refurbishment or a project you expect to take several weeks to complete.
How to Get a ‘Good’ Price from Your Builder
So now you’ve found a builder, you want to ensure you get the right price for the work they conduct.
This is a red zone for many people, because if you’ve never used a builder before, how can you know what price to expect? Especially when build costs rise and fall. It’s not as simple as paying for a pint of milk.
However, there are ways you can protect yourself. Ways to ensure you only pay what’s fair. But before we go into that, it’s worth adding a side note, that-like with all skilled jobs-you often pay for quality. Just because a builder charges more, it does not mean they are unscrupulous. They might have been in the profession for a while, or extremely good at their job.
How to Get a ‘Good’ Price from Your Builder- Shop Around
The best way to get a ballpark figure is to ‘shop around’. Don’t be afraid to ask three or more builders for quotes before you choose one to work with. At the least, this will give you a rough figure that you can use to measure against other quotes.
Be careful that you don’t shop around too much though. If a builder thinks you are using them for a quote with no intention of hiring them, then they might choose not to work with you.
How to Get a ‘Good’ Price from Your Builder- Be Specific
This one mainly applies to investors, or people conducting heavy refurbishments. In these instances, many builders have complained that their clients are not specific, which makes life difficult for them when they try to quote work.
For example, a builder’s cost will vary greatly depending on what specification you want a property refurbished to. If you’re going ultra-high end for your family home, or a holiday let, then this will incur a larger cost than if you want a simple rental property that’s nice, but not lavish.
Having a clear scope of work before you employ a builder will help you to get accurate quotes and will prevent costs from spiralling because the builder has had to do more work than they originally quoted for.
How to Get a ‘Good’ Price from Your Builder- Get Your Own Materials
Most builders will buy materials themselves and then add a small markup on top of the cost. There’s nothing wrong with this, and it’s extremely common. After all, they need to pay for their time picking the materials up, and since they can secure them with a trade discount, you’re rarely paying much more than the market price.
But if you’re on a budget, one of the ways to cut costs is to buy and deliver the materials yourself.
However, be aware, that some builders don’t like this approach. You are taking away from their profits, and they can’t guarantee the quality of the materials.
You may find that some builders refuse to do the job, and others might see you as being awkward. Some builders won’t mind, but it might take some extra searching to find them.
How to Manage Builders
Now you have a builder, and you have a good price locked in, the final step is managing them to ensure the job runs on time and to budget.
How to Manage Trades- Payment Plans
It’s good practice to have a clear payment structure in place with your builder. This can vary, depending on the project, but it is rarely recommended to pay the builder the full amount up front, especially without a legally binding contract.
If it’s a larger project, then, pay in instalments, as and when work is complete. Agree on phases, and what the completion of each phase looks like, like if the tiling is complete or the kitchen is installed.
Then, hold a balloon payment back that is handed over once the full project has been completed to standard.
Paying this way means that the builder is motivated to complete the job quickly. If they delay, the project overruns or it’s not complete to the right standard, then it financially impacts them. It also means that a builder can’t walk out midway through a project with the whole payment in their pocket. It’s unfortunate, but some unscrupulous people have done it in the past.
An extra step is to agree to pay more if the project is completed on time or to agree on a financial penalty if the project runs over by a certain number of days. But beware, the stricter you are with your payments, and the less flexible, the harder it can be to get a builder to agree to work with you.
Remember, the good ones are often busy, so they’re not desperate for the work!
How to Manage Trades- Hire a Project Manager
This might not be relevant if the project is something small that won’t take longer than a week or two. But, if you’re hiring a team of builders to undertake a heavy refurbishment or extension, it’s worth looking at getting a project manager.
A project manager will keep things running smoothly and on schedule. Most importantly, under Construction Design and Management (CDM) Regulations, if you employ builders to work on a site that is not your residential home, you are seen as the site manager and are responsible for health and safety. If something goes wrong (even if it’s not your fault), it’s on you. Hiring a project manager can mitigate this risk.
Intanest- Your Hub for All Things Property
Being a homeowner or landlord incorporates all kinds of jobs One day you’re a professional negotiator, trying to get the best price when you purchase the property. The next, you’re an interior designer, trying to create a beautiful space for you or a tenant to live.
All these things require skill. But above all else, they require knowledge, and that’s what our free platform offers you: The knowledge to make informed decisions that help you protect your hard-earned cash.
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