Residential Building Contractors Can Be a Blessing Or a Curse

The term Residential Building Contractors can conjure up different responses based on whether you have had a positive or negative experience with the builder who carried out your last building project.

Building companies operating within the domestic United Kingdom household sector can come in many varieties, but in the main present themselves as Residential Building Contractors offering a range of associated trade related services. building construction

In the United Kingdom the media often report on dishonest building companies who have abused the trust their customers have placed in them. With that said and commonly acknowledged, how can homeowners assess whether a firm professing to be a professional building contractor is a suitable candidate for their project? home construction

For most homeowners the term project really means a bigger job with upheaval, expense and if gotten wrong will cause them a lot of financial and emotional pain. So what is considered a bigger job in homeowner speaks? home contractors

In the United Kingdom they usually fall into the following categories:

New house builds

Loft conversions

Attic conversions

Property extensions

Complete property refurbishment.

If a company is being employed to carry out work in any of the above categories, aside from the required materials, a broad range of skills are going to be required and employed at different stages of the project. These requirements create more risk and increase the possibility of things going wrong. flooring contractor

So, how should you prepare to be able to confidently assess Residential Building Contractors pitching for your project?

A good place to start is to be honest about your own experience and capabilities in assessing exactly what your project will entail. For major jobs such as a new house build, loft conversion or property extension an architect should be consulted and if required, a structural engineer. Getting professional advice will create a sound foundation in terms of setting realistic expectations for what is possible and what it will entail in terms of upheaval and cost. local contractors

Once you have a firm idea of what you are getting into, you will need to consider the following:

Is my budget sufficient to complete the project?

How will additional costs be managed?

Who will be the Project Manager?

Will I need to vacate my property whilst work is being done?

How long can I allow for the work?

Are you uneasy about having strangers in your home?

Can one contractor provide all the required tradesmen

All of these considerations will become questions that you pose to potential Residential Building Contractors submitting quotes for your project.

Now go ahead and make contact with potential firms that match the profile of your requirements. You can do this in a number of ways, such as: building contractors

Talking to family, friends and associates who have had major building work successfully completed

Searching online for local firms

Contact local Building Inspector

Search for accredited members of recognised trade associations

Yellow Pages.

Make sure that you write out your questions before contacting the firms that match your profile. When contacting, carry out a brief Telephone interview to assess whether they are polite, friendly and patient. Thereafter, invite 3-4 companies you felt most comfortable with for a formal meeting where you can discuss your requirement in depth and present professional documents/drawing prepared by your architect or structural engineer.

From this meeting you should aim to:

1. Request a formal written itemised quotation

2. Names of 3-4 previous customers you can visit

3. Understand their payment terms

4. Answers to all your questions.

If you are a particularly nervy type, you should carry out a credit check to assess their financial status.

Yes, building companies do come in many varieties and unfortunately sometimes bittersweet. By following the advice in this article, it will hopefully go some way to helping you locate and employing the right firm of Residential Building Contractors that meet your profile and the requirements of your project. When you achieve that it will be a blessing!