Why it Pays to Appoint Your Builder Early

The benefits to approaching a builder early in your project’s timetable are myriad, says Andy Stevens, and are likely to save you time, stress and money

Expert Andy Stevens explains the benefits of approaching your builder early on — the earlier the better

Approaching any type of building work – whether on an existing house or a new

build – can be unsettling and nerve-racking. The most commonly asked question I hear is: ‘ Where do I start?’

There may not be a right or wrong answer to this, but in my opinion, getting a builder involved immediately is the way to go. Having worked in the building industry for many years, and running my own construction company for the last 12, I know that bringing a builder on board at the earliest opportunity can save you a lot of headaches, stress and money.

If I’m brought on to a job I spend an awful lot of time going through everything before it starts — from payment schedules, works timetables and contracts, to layout, design and deadlines. This means there is never that awkward moment during the build where there is confusion between the builder and the client about whether something was included or not, and the project can start from a stable and clear base.

This process, which includes plenty of back and forth, helps to develop a strong working relationship between client and builder, which is absolutely vital. If you start off on a good footing with your builder, the whole build generally goes well. (One job went so well, and the relationship was that good, that I was asked to be the godfather to the client’s little girl who I saw grow up over the course of the six months we were working on site.)

The Design Process

I would advocate approaching your builder during the design process because they will bring with them one invaluable attribute: their experience. Your builder may well have undertaken similar builds to the one you are looking at doing — in which case they’ll be able to cast a critical eye over the layout and material choices, as well as providing trade contacts for specialists.

An experienced builder will also understand the whole process, from pre-planning meetings and the digger going in the ground, all the way through to the final coat of paint going on. All of which is knowledge that can save you money.

“If you start off on a good footing with your builder, the whole build generally goes well”

Builder’s Top Tips

Small things can make a huge difference to the builder and their team, and will help the job run more smoothly. A compliment on the quality of the work or a timely cup of tea can be the difference between being billed for small jobs and builders not charging for little tweaks.

As well as offering design and layout ideas and being able to discuss the specifics on finish options, they can also give you rough estimates for anything being discussed. This is key, because it is pointless – not to mention heartbreaking – paying an architect to draw up a fantastic design only to realise you can’t afford it once the tenders from the builders come back.

For example, I once looked at a job which had a set of drawings showing a flat roof extension, but the client didn’t pick up that an intricate detail on it added about £10,000 to the job. Not only could they not afford this, they didn’t even want it! They later told me the architect had recently set up on his own and wanted to show off his design skills.

Structural Elements

The benefits of getting the builder involved early can also extend to looking over the structural elements of the build — particularly where something has been specified by the architects or designers that may sound fantastic, but may not be practical or cost-effective. For example, steels are getting larger and larger and as such their method of installation is more complicated. The builder may be able to advise of an easier or even cheaper way to install them. If a crane is needed because the steel is far too heavy to lift, the builder may be able to offer alternatives such as parallel flange channel (PFC) steel or having it spliced and bolted/welded on site, which would eradicate the need for a crane — saving you money.

This cropped up on one of my jobs, so I went back to the structural engineer, requested a different grade of steel and had them spliced and bolted on site. This saved on a crane and labour to the sum of about £6,000 — paying for the client’s underfloor heating!

What to Know Before you Appoint Your Builder

The most important element in order to achieve an accurate quote for the works is to make sure a proper tender document is drawn up. This will mean that all the builders that are quoting for the job are quoting for the same works. Just having a set of drawings and not much detail on floor finishes, painting and decorating or electrical spec means you’ll likely be sifting through a large variety in prices.

There are a number of people who will be able to help you come up with a full tender document, including builders themselves (your architect/ designer should also be able to help). On larger jobs I work with a third party that specialises in pricing up jobs — this generally means it is a quicker turnaround for the client and it is far more detailed. H

“It is pointless paying an architect to draw up a fantastic design only to realise you can’t afford it”