Choosing a builder
A building project is easier to assess when the scope, responsibilities, evidence and decision points are visible. This page explains the questions worth asking TCM — and any contractor — before you appoint.
What a decision-stage page should prove
Claims such as “quality”, “professional” and “best” are difficult to use when comparing builders. The more useful test is whether a contractor can set out a scope, identify the project-specific checks, show relevant public evidence and explain how changes will be managed.
A useful quotation starts with the proposed outcome, site constraints and the work included. Before comparing totals, ask every builder to identify assumptions, exclusions, programme allowances and the decisions still needed from you.
For a conversion, extension or refurbishment, it should be clear who is coordinating surveys, design information, planning or Building Regulations steps, procurement and sign-off. The contract and payment schedule should match that scope.
Before appointing a contractor, agree how progress, decisions and changes will be recorded. A named contact, a programme and regular updates make it easier to spot a mismatch before it becomes a cost or timing issue.
Look beyond a headline rating. Review the builder's public profile, recent feedback and project information; then ask which parts of that evidence are comparable with your own property, budget and intended finish.
Planning permission, permitted-development limits, Building Regulations, structural design, party-wall matters and specialist certification are project-specific. A credible early conversation flags the relevant checks rather than assuming every project follows the same route.
The right choice is not necessarily the lowest first figure. It is the proposal whose scope, evidence, payment stages, change process and completion obligations you can understand and compare on a like-for-like basis.
Evidence routes
Use the public Checkatrade profile to review published feedback and make your own assessment.
Visit Checkatrade profileView the project portfolio and discuss the relevance of any example to your own scope at the enquiry stage.
View projectsOur guide explains the questions to put to any contractor about scope, payment stages, insurance and change control.
Read the checklistBefore you appoint
These questions reduce ambiguity for both sides and make quotations easier to compare.
A clear next step
Share the property, intended use, drawings or concerns you already have. The first conversation should identify the information still needed before a meaningful quotation can be prepared.
Ready to talk?
Compare the scope as well as the total. Check the assumptions, inclusions, exclusions, specification, programme, approvals, payment stages and change-control process. A lower total can represent a smaller or less-defined scope.
A written quotation should state its scope and assumptions. Changes can arise where the client changes the brief, an allowance is selected above its stated level, or hidden conditions are discovered. Ask how changes will be explained, priced and approved before work proceeds.
Yes. The applicable route depends on the property and proposal. Ask which approvals, drawings, inspections or specialist input are likely to be needed, and confirm the final position with the relevant authority or qualified professional where appropriate.
You can use the public Checkatrade profile for published feedback and the Projects page for portfolio material. Discuss the relevance of any example and the current scope directly before appointing a contractor.
