Budgeting for your build

Planning some home improvements? DIY expert Chris Rice has 10 top tips for spending your cash wisely.

1CALL YOUR BUILDER EARLY DIY expert Chris Rice says: “A mistake people often make is assuming a tradesperson will be available the next day, when some of us will be booked up a year in advance during peak seasons. It’s better to call as far in advance as you can to avoid missing out.”

2 A GOOD BUILDER IS WORTH WAITING FOR

“I’d say up to six weeks is a reasonable amount of time to wait for someone to come in in off-peak periods.”

3 LISTEN OUT FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

“If you have friends or family who rely on someone, they’ll probably be your best bet. Before getting started with any new builder, it’s also worth trying to look at what they’ve done previously. I often let new clients know where they can go locally to get an idea of my work.”

4 SAFETY FIRST As the pandemic is still with us - and likely to be for some time still - you’ll need to factor this in when making any arrangements. Chris urges people to stay mindful of social distancing guidelines as lockdown restrictions are eased throughout the summer.

5 IS THE QUOTE A ‘FOOT-INTHE-DOOR PRICE’

If you’re tempted by a cheap quote, consider how much any “extras” may cost. Chris explains: “For jobs like kitchen re-fits in particular, it can be hard to give a truly accurate estimate. For example, you may uncover a whole load of rotten plaster that needs to be redone once the old units have been torn out. If a price seems too good to be true, ask your builder to provide a list of what it covers, and any added extras they think may come up. This acts as a good indicator of how honest the tradesperson is, and could avoid you getting into financial difficulty.”

6 GET SEVERAL ESTIMATES

A general rule of thumb is to aim for three quotes per job, but Chris says getting as many as possible will increase the chances of finding someone you like.

With the pandemic in mind, you may want to consider doing some thorough research online first, to minimise your visitor numbers.

Chris says: “If you’re able to get a few quotes, you’ll get a much better sense of the sort of person you want to have working on your home and what a fair price looks like.”

7 SET A CLEAR BUDGET AND PLAN FOR AN OVERSPEND

“Typically, I try to price for a ‘worst-case scenario’ and if it doesn’t come to that, I can take money off. It’s very unlikely that I have to say something is going to cost extra, and I know those are the words that any client hates to hear.”

8 LET THE BUILDER HANDLE MATERIALS

Chris says many builders will get preferential rates on materials – so buying them yourself may not actually save money.

9 COMMUNICATE IF YOU’RE UNHAPPY

If you let a contractor know you’re are not 100% happy with the work, they should come straight back and fix it to a high standard. However, this doesn’t always happen.

To help guard against rogue traders, Chris adds: “The best precaution is ensuring they have a legitimate home or office address for someone, so that they are able to find them if something goes wrong. Be careful if someone is only offering a telephone number or email address.”

10 LEAVE IT TO THE EXPERTS

Find someone you get along with and trust their expertise. Having that chemistry feeds into the whole client/builder relationship.