Hiring the Right Team for Your Project
It’s not easy finding the right builder for your project - you’ll need to not only assess whether they will do a good job, but also if they’re the right fit.
Here we explain everything you need to know on finding the right team and how to assess if they are the right fit for your project:
1. Find a Builder Working Locally
Finding a local builder can have some major benefits when it comes to carrying out your project. Time on site, knowledge of local planning, builders’ merchants and other local trades are all invaluable nuggets of information that will go a long way towards helping your project come together.
And you could always take a short journey around your local area and keep an eye out for any works currently going on - it’ll give you an idea of the builders who are active close by.
You don’t necessarily even have to like the style of build they are working on – a builder can only produce what’s on the plans in front of them after all!
2. Find a Builder Other Tradesmen Recommend
If you’ve used an electrician or a local plumber before and liked their work, why not contact them and ask if they can recommend any good builders?
Most tradesmen have preferences for who they like to work with and who they know will do a good job. If you can engage with one of them, you can open up a whole network of local, reliable names.
3. Find a Local Builder Through a Friend
It may sound obvious but when you’re on the lookout for a tradesperson, start by asking friends and family if they’d recommend anyone.
5. Where else to find your builder
A good place to starting looking for a builder is online, with sites like the Federation of Master Builders.
Checkatrade and the Guild of Master Craftsmen are also good places to find a builder local to where you live, offering stringent checks, which should give you more reassurance.
It is far better to have an accurate and realistic quote in the first place - and it's your responsibility to make sure of this.
So, the bottom line is that, whatever your project, it’s important to find the right fit for you and for the job you need doing.
If you’re building an extension with the view of including some stylish sliding doors, there is no point in getting in a huge building firm that specialises in self build. On the flipside of that, if your plans are ambitious then you’ll want to look further than a local bricklayer who has only built a few extensions!
Here we explain everything you need to know on finding the right team and how to assess if they are the right fit for your project:
1. Find a Builder Working Locally
Finding a local builder can have some major benefits when it comes to carrying out your project. Time on site, knowledge of local planning, builders’ merchants and other local trades are all invaluable nuggets of information that will go a long way towards helping your project come together.
And you could always take a short journey around your local area and keep an eye out for any works currently going on - it’ll give you an idea of the builders who are active close by.
You don’t necessarily even have to like the style of build they are working on – a builder can only produce what’s on the plans in front of them after all!
If your project is an ambitious loft conversion, you’ll want to look further than a local bricklayer!
2. Find a Builder Other Tradesmen Recommend
If you’ve used an electrician or a local plumber before and liked their work, why not contact them and ask if they can recommend any good builders?
Most tradesmen have preferences for who they like to work with and who they know will do a good job. If you can engage with one of them, you can open up a whole network of local, reliable names.
We at Doors Direct have a network of recommended fitters for example - people we work with closely to ensure that you get the best possible service and who we know will do the job to the highest standard.
3. Find a Local Builder Through a Friend
It may sound obvious but when you’re on the lookout for a tradesperson, start by asking friends and family if they’d recommend anyone.
So many trades rely on word of mouth to find new business and if you can find a builder through someone you trust and whose work you can go and visit, then you can make a decision about whether they’ll do a good job.
Be sure to check with other tradesmen, friends and family before making a final decision.
If they’ve done a good enough job they’ll be happy to provide details, and it’s a great way of finding out not just about the quality of a builder’s work but also other things that are important to you.
We for one understand the importance of hearing from other customers, particularly when it’s a larger and more expensive project, and so add all reviews we receive to our website.
5. Where else to find your builder
A good place to starting looking for a builder is online, with sites like the Federation of Master Builders.
Checkatrade and the Guild of Master Craftsmen are also good places to find a builder local to where you live, offering stringent checks, which should give you more reassurance.
You could also ask your local designer who they’d recommend, as often they’ll have worked on dozens of projects similar to yours.
And finally ask the local authority building inspectors. They’re a very under-utilised resource for helping local people taking on building projects!
It’s important to pick the right team to carry out your project - double check with other customers to see their previous work first hand.
6. Beware of ‘Too Good to Be True’ Quotes
Just because a project is expensive, that doesn’t mean it’s a sign of quality! However, on the flipside, it’s important to resist the obvious temptations of a low price.
6. Beware of ‘Too Good to Be True’ Quotes
Just because a project is expensive, that doesn’t mean it’s a sign of quality! However, on the flipside, it’s important to resist the obvious temptations of a low price.
It is far better to have an accurate and realistic quote in the first place - and it's your responsibility to make sure of this.
Finding a low price isn't always a bad thing. It could be that you’ve found a particularly good value quote - but more than likely the firm is putting in a speculative bid to try and get the work, and will try to make extra profit on the project by cutting corners or adding charges further along the line.
So, the bottom line is that, whatever your project, it’s important to find the right fit for you and for the job you need doing.
And keep us at Doors Direct in mind for any extensions or conversions, as our sliding doors are not only made to measure, but suitable for all areas of the house!
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