How to choose the
right builder for you
PROMOTIONWe know buildinga newhomeordoinga majorrenovationisa bigdeal–
you need a builderyoucantrust.Herearea fewtipsfromMasterBuilders,
New Zealand’s leadingbuildingassociation.TIP 2 Asklotsofquestions.
Don’tbeafraidtoaskthebuildera lotof
questions.Thisis yourchancetofindoutas
muchaboutthemasyoucan.Afterallthis
is thestartoftherelationship,soyouwant
togettoknowthemandtheirbusinessto
seeif theyarerightforyou.Youneedto
knowthingslike,howlonghavetheybeen
inbusiness?Dotheydoa lotofprojectsthat
arethesamesizeandtypeasyourproject?
Cantheyshareexamples?Howlongwillthe
buildingconsentprocesstake?Howwillthe
communicationprocesswork?Wehavemore
questionsyoushouldaskonourwebsite.
Thebuildershouldalsobeaskingyoulots
ofquestionsastheyalsoneedtogettoknow
youandyourprojectandunderstandwhat
yourexpectationsare.It is a goodideatobe
clearaboutwhatis importanttoyouwhenit
comestoyourbuildingorrenovationproject
soyoucanbeopenaboutthiswhenmeeting
potentialbuilders.TIP 3 Trustyourgutfeelings.
Spendsometimewitha fewdifferentbuilders
orbuildingcompanies.Makesureyoufeel
comfortablewithyourchosenbuilder.Onany
projecttherewillupsanddowns– youneed
tobeabletoworkthroughthesewithyour
builderassmoothlyaspossible.TIP 4 Geteverythingin writing.
Makesureyougeteverythingin writing,
especiallycostestimatesandquotes. Don’t
relyonverbalagreements.There will be a lot
of newinformationtotakeinand having it in
writingmeansyoucantakethetime to read
thingsagainanddomoreresearch if you need
to.It alsogivesbothyouandthe builder clarity.
Whenyouhavechosenyourbuilder, it is vital
thatyouhavea writtencontract in place.TIP 5 Checktheyarea Master Builder.
MasterBuildersmustmeethigh quality
standards.Thisincludesbuilding experience,
tradeandprofessionalqualifications, on-site
managementexperience,workmanship and
financialstability.Choosingtouse a Master
Buildermeansthatyouarechoosing quality.
And,onlya MasterBuildercan offer you the
MasterBuild10-YearGuarantee.Anddon’tjusttakeourword for it.
Ourrecentbrandresearch* shows
thatpeopletrustMasterBuilders:- KiwissayMasterBuilders are more
trustworthythanotherbuilders –
almosttwiceastrustworthy. - Kiwisaremoresatisfiedwhen they
usea MasterBuilder– people who
usea MasterBuildersaythey are
moresatisfiedthanthose who use
otherbuilders. - Thetopreasonsforchoosing a Master
Builderarequalityworkmanship and
havingback-upif thereare any issues.
*2018 Brand Research
BUILDING OR RENOVATING
To get more helpful
advice, and to find a
Master Builder, visit
masterbuilder.org.nzChoosing a builder is like starting a new
relationship. You both need to be honest and
open from the beginning for the relationship
to work.
Spending some time finding the right
builder for you will set you and your builder
up for a successful relationship for this
project, and maybe even for others.Five tips to finding a
builder you can trustTIP 1 Get referrals and ask around.
Word of mouth is great way to find an
experienced builder. Ask family, friends, work
mates and don’t forget your architect (if you
have one) and other tradies. We recommend
you talk to and meet at least three builders and
get quotes from them that you can compare.
Ask them if you can speak to some of their
other clients. When you talk to their clients
don’t just ask them about the end result, ask
what it was like working with the builder
throughout the build, for example how was
their communication? What happened when
there was a problem (which is bound
to happen) or when they didn’t agree with
their builder?