TheBuild projecT advice
4
ThefirsTmeeTing
Whenyouhave
anacceptable
quotation,thenext
moveis tomeet
andthrashoutany
questionsthatyoumay
haveandmakesure
thatthisis theright
personorcompanyfor
you.Remember,this
relationshipwillhaveto
lastatleastsixmonths
and,shouldeverything
gowell,willpotentially
resultinfutureworkon
otherprojects—you
maydecidetoextend
furtherdowntheline
ortakeonanotherself-
build,perhaps.
Butbeunderno
illusions.Meetings
thattakeplacebefore
thecontractis signed
area two-waystreet.
Whileyouwillbe
sizingthemup,they
willalsobeassessing
youandweighingup
whetheryouaregoing
tobea suitableclientor
whetheryouaregoingto
causethemtroublethey
couldwelldowithout.5
Builda workingrelaTionshipquickly
Thelong-termpartnershipthatyouandthebuilderareentering into is one that has to
runsmoothly.If youtakeaninstantdisliketotheperson,thenthe only thing to do is
stopandproceednofurther.Equally,if theydon’tlikeyouortheythink you’re not ‘good
forthemoney’thenthey’llrefusetotakethejob.
Butwhenyoudoenterintothispartnershipyouneedtounderstand that it’ll never be
anequalone,giventhatyoubothhavedifferentobjectives—asidefrom getting the house
built.Youareembarkingonpotentiallythemostdauntingprojectofyour life that will bring
rewardsinbothoccupationofthathomeandtheaccumulationofthe monetary value in
thathome.Thebuilder,ontheotherhand,getsnoshareintheeventual value. All they get
is thatonestabat earninga livingfromthisproject,beforemovingon to the next.
Onceyouunderstandthat,it’seasiertobuildupa workingrelationship that satisfies both
parties’objectives.6
makeyourmindupBeforeBuildingBegins
Nothingis moreannoying for a builder or tradesperson
thangoingback onortaking down work that has already
beendone.Eventhefact that you’ll pay for it does nothing to
mitigatethefrustration. That said, for you, this is a once in a
lifetimeexperienceand you may make the decision to insist
onwhat youwant.
Don’tdoit toooftenor it will lead to a breakdown in trust
andyourrelationship— and tradespeople, and subbies
workingforthebuilder, may be reluctant to come back on
thejob.If therearechanges or extras, make sure that before
theyareenactedtheyare agreed and that a price has been
given.That’llhelpavoid nasty shocks at the end of the job.The world of self-build and
renovation can be a daunting
place so don’t forget to email
us with your questions at
[email protected]image: getty images
7
knowThe
hierarchy
Most builders will
employ subcontractors
for specific trades. If you
have a contract with a
builder, you do not have
a contract with their
subcontractors and as
such cannot directly
instruct them.
Agreeing changes
or extras with a
subcontractor will annoy
the builder. You have to
go through the builder for
that and accept that they
may want any price to
include their cut.homebuilding.co.uk 123