What To Ask Your Bristol Builder

By Andy McDonald

As the housing market begins to recover, builders in Bristol are seeing an increase in work. As well as building new houses, people are often looking to improve their own houses, whether it is to add value or to give a better standard of living for themselves and their families.

Say for example this recommended person is a family member. You may like them, they may be the loveliest person you could ever meet, but they are slow, they talk too much or they expect special treatment because you know them.

Like with any quote, it is important to check what you are getting for your money. Make sure the company is reputable and never accept quotes from people who are offering services door to door, as there is no way you can be sure. If in doubt, always ask for identification badges and be sure there is somebody you can contact.

One possible option is to look at the website of the Federation of Master Builders, who can point you towards recommended builders in the local area. The Federation of Master Builders is a non profit organisation made up of around 12,000 building companies and they look to have better relationships between businesses and customers.

It is important to check with companies not just the price of the quote but what they are offering. Many will offer free estimates and others can also provide full public liability insurance. As ever with any contractual work it is important to check clauses in any contracts and read the small print carefully.

There are numerous ways of comparing companies online. First of all there is seeing their experience. Some companies have had commercial experience in things such as shop fitting, so it would be possible to get a closer look at their work. With some websites it is possible to get feedback from customers to see if they are satisfied.

There is of course the issue of your budget. What you want from your house will depend on time, money and any features you want added into your home. In some cases, items like energy efficient boilers or sunroofs may be eligible for environmental grants from the government, so it is worth exploring those options to see if you can save money.

If you are unsure, many building companies have Computer Aided Design software that can help you finalise plans and come up with a more detailed approach to what you want in terms of room size, positions of doors and so forth. Naturally as well you must make sure that planning permission is granted before any actual building work takes place!

Remember that any quote a company gives you is an estimate and sometimes unforeseen circumstances can affect the cost of your building work. This does not necessarily mean you should be a push over, and you should agree a clear time frame with the company.

Like with any contractual work, take care when signing any forms and be sure to ask lots of questions. If in doubt, look up your local government website or discuss it with the council.

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