Appointing Your Builder!

You have most likely taken time looking through the 'questions to ask your builder', where these questions are aimed to help in the tendering process and other questions are more relevant to when your builder is on site.

We therefore feel the best way to help you actually choose and appoint your builder is to make it a seperate task, but - it is to be read in conjunction with the 'questions to ask your builder' page.

Ok, so we assume that you have your plans, your planning permission, prepared your specification, pricing schedules and sent out your tender packages and all being well, all the builders you have had to quote have returned their prices - so this is where we pick up!

Tender Analysis

• This is where you will benefit and save time if you have properly prepared your tender package
  • Your builder has hopefully completed the pricing schedule you have sent him - you can therefore use a spreadsheet or paper with columns in and put each builders prices in, so you can compare and check them.
  • Remember to check the quotes - this is so important, make sure that each priced item adds up to the total at the bottom. It is easy to make a mistake on a calculator or a formula in a spreadsheet, and the reason one price may be the cheapest is because of a mistake. If you put the total in as your contract sum, it will complicate things further down the road with your extension.
  • If there are any missing items, see if the builder has made notes that he has included that price in another part of the quote or not priced it.
• Additional Notes or Qualifications
  • When submitting quotes it is not uncommon for builders to accompany their quote with a letter, notes or qualifications. This is done often to help them explain to you how they have priced the job, what they have or have not allowed for, or what assumptions that they had to make to return the price to you.
• Compare Like for Like
  • This is what a tender analysis is all about, make sure you can compare each quote like for like, they have included prices for the same materials, same elements of work, etc etc, if there is anything you are unsure of ask your builder.

So, you are happy that you have compared your tenders and are a bit closer to choosing your builder. If you are undecided, and have looked through the tenders, invite each builder back to meet with them and discuss the quote. It is always best to be honest and up front with your builder, so dont worry about telling them they are one of 2 or 3 you are trying to decide on. They will still be aware there is a possibility they can win the work, and if you structure the meeting so that you ask all the questions you need to know answers to, when you have met the contenders you will hopefully be in a position to choose your builder. In addition, if the builder knows he is in contention, he will hopefully take the meeting as an opportunity to 'sell' himself to you as well.

You are almost ready to finalise the deal and appoint your builder - below is a checklist of items to make sure you have agreed that will all form a part of the contract you and your builder will agree to sign :

• The price is agreed
• What is and is not included is agreed and in writing
• You have agreed a start date, a programme of work and a completion date
• The materials are all agreed
• You and your builder are happy about the basis of the quote i.e labour, plant, materials (all inclusive) or labour and plant (if you have decided to supply the materials)
• You have agreed dates when the builder needs to know of any changes to the plans that may cost money to change
• Still not sure about your builder, try one of these sites - finding a builder