Advice needed on building work....

JJ2006

We have had an offer accepted on our dream house. We knew it needed a lot of work doing but the survey has come back with even more work that needs doing. My question is how do we go about finding a company that will do all or most of the work in one go? Or is it better to get all the different trades in separately? Our problem is with the second one is we dont know what order to get the work done. We need new Floor joists, new plumbing, new electrics, new kitchen and bathroom,work on the guttering and roof, plastering and decorating.

littlereddevil

We just found a building company to do everything as it was so much simpler b ut it is cheaper to do thing separately I think

silvercar

If you get one company to do the lot they will coordinate everything for you. Get people indivdually and you will constantly be on the phone rebooking the dates when you want jobs done.

clutton_2

get a local builder - if it is a new area for you - drive round and see which houses local builders are working on - go back in the evening and ask the householder if they would recommend them, and if so why ? Did they work each day and work a full day ? Did they change the price part way thru ? Did they want money up front ? etc etc A good bulder is worth his weight in gold. Ask the builder if you can go and see some of his earlier customers and the work he did - if he says no, dont use him.

Careful_girl

Absolutely!! Be careful! there are posts on here explaining some of the stresses people have had, read them and ONLY take on people to work on your home with personal recommendations, if possible from those you already know. The FMB can be helpful too. Don't rush just to get the job done or go with yellow pages as I did because I didn't know many people in the area. I think a good builder may not be the cheapest. Then communication is the key with a clearly understood contract and dated plans.
All the very best.
CG

Debt_Free_Chick

JJ2006 wrote:

We need new Floor joists, new plumbing, new electrics, new kitchen and bathroom,work on the guttering and roof, plastering and decorating.

Are you sure all that extra work is absolutely necessary? Fair play, if you simply want to do it .... but .... surveys will pick up on anything that's less than perfect. In the real world, the majority of us live in "less than perfect" properties and simply do this work over a period of time. If we get around to it

clutton_2

"FMB " - i assume you mean Federation of Master Builders ? - the worst builder i ever used was a member of this !!! you dont have to prove skill to join FMB - in my view, personal reccommendation is the only way to find a good builder, and then you will almost certainly have to wait for them to start work - good builders are Never instantly available !!!

Careful_girl

I totally agree Clutton and I only said they may be a help. When I had all my problems in the North East I not only took on a cowboy but had no idea who to get to come and sort out the mess he had made. It was a nightmare. I also agree that good builders are always busy and also are not always the cheapest.
Cheers Clutton!!:beer:

clutton_2

you are very welcome