You should look for an excellent builder that you can trust. Your house, the one that you will be living in for years to come, is on the line. You need to make sure that they know what they’re doing. You will be spending big amounts of money so all your expenses better be worth the price.
To ensure that you get the best possible builder for your house, you should do the following:
1. Choose a local builder
You should always look for local home builders in your area. It will save you so much time and effort because they are near and can easily go to and fro the construction site. As they are from the same area, they will also easily know the following important factors:
- Local permit processing
- Local merchants
- Local trades
- Local tradesmen
EXPERT TIP: Drive around the area and look for active construction sites. Such sites have local builders that are open for work
2. Choose a builder that is recommended by other tradesmen
If you know an electrician or local plumber that you’ve already worked with and highly trust, you should give them a call. Local tradesmen know many contractors and builders so they can easily give you a list of good contractors and builders that you can consider. Asking other tradesmen will make your search easier as they will only give names of contractors that are truly reliable and are active in the field. Once you have the list, you can then zone in on do deep research on each prospect. When asking for help from local tradesmen, make it a point to tell them that you’re looking for someone that is as trustworthy and competent as they are.
3. Have your friends help you
Your family and friends will also be valuable sources of information. You should take time to reach out and ask them if they could recommend builders that they’ve already worked with. It’s always good to start your research on a place of trust and your family and friends more than qualified for such a spot.
If they haven’t worked with any builder recently, there’s a good chance that they know other relatives or friends who’ve worked with one. By asking for recommendations from family and friends, you can be sure that you’d end up working with a builder that you can trust.
4. Interview previous clients
You should go out of your way to interview previous clients. Once you’ve already decided on a contractor, you should request a list of previous customers. Reputable builders will gladly provide you with such a list as it speaks of how successful they are in their job.
Once you have the list, you should reach out to such previous customers. You can meet up with them or call them on the phone to inquire about their experience with the builder. If you have the time and they will allow it, you should also visit their home to see the actual work of your builder of choice.
5. Use the internet
The internet can help you look for the best possible local builder. If you’re from Western Australia, you simply have to type home builders WA’ and hundreds of builders will easily show up.
The good thing with online search is you could easily do deep research on builders even before meeting them in person. You could check their online portfolios and social media profiles to see previous work and their availability to current and future clients. As the internet hides nothing, you’d be able to check if your builder is problematic by reading online reviews and testimonies from past clients.
6. Ask your architect
Your architect is also a solid source of information. Your architect is highly experienced in the field and he or she can point you to the best possible local builder.
Architects have numerous hands-on experiences with builders. In a snap, they can give you at least five trustworthy local builders that they’ve worked with. They know the ins and outs of the industry so you can be sure that any builder that they’d recommend is reputable and credible.
EXPERT TIP: Choose a VAT registered builder. You won’t be able to apply for zero-rating for VAT if your builder is not VAT registered.
7. Chat with building inspectors
You should also take time to chat with building inspectors. More than architects and tradesmen, building inspectors know what they’re talking about if you’d inquire about trustworthy and reliable local builders. Architects and tradesmen may end up recommending builders with their own biases, but building inspectors won’t since they have nothing to gain.
Building inspectors won’t openly recommend any builder so you need to be careful when asking.
8. Beware of scammers
Don’t fall for too-good-to-be-true quotes. Quotes that seem too affordable should raise a red flag and put you on research mode. You should be extra cautious when a builder is promising too much and going above and beyond in giving you what you want even if it seems unrealistic. You should pause and reflect once you notice something off. You wouldn’t want to spend more than you’re prepared for by choosing a builder that promised something affordable but ended up offering work with so many hidden costs or worse, one who costs less but built a house with substandard quality. You deserve the best so you should look for the best. But do take note that high pricing is not a sign of quality.
