We've been helping homeowners build their dream homes for over 30 years, and during that time we've found that some questions get asked time and time again. Here are 10 frequently asked questions that will help you choose the right builder for your project.
Top 10 frequently asked questions by homeowners
What legal duties do I have when embarking on a building project? At Saunders Brothers we know all the legal requirements under The Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM 2015) that you need to consider, but as one of our domestic clients, we take care of these for you, giving you complete peace of mind. You can ask your architects to handle the legalities, but you'll need to make a written agreement with them.
Am I a domestic client? A homeowner is a domestic client provided the work is for use of the house as your home, and not in connection with a business, e.g. for renting.
If it’s the law, wouldn’t the other contractors I spoke to handle it for me too? They certainly should. Try asking to see their Construction Phase Plan for a previous project. We’ll happily show you one of ours.
Is it alright for the kids to play with the bricks and things? A construction site is far too dangerous for children to be in. We’ll fence the working area securely to keep children and others safely away from danger.
How can we stop your team tramping dirt through our home? We’re proud of our cleanliness on site. We’ll lay protection on floors, etc. and we won’t go anywhere that’s not necessary for the work.
We’ll be away for part of the time, can we trust your team in our house? We’ll give you references from previous jobs. We know they’ll say you’ve nothing to worry about.
You’ve given us a completion date. How do we know you’ll finish on time? The right resources and enough time have been allowed. To be truthful, no one can do more. We can’t know some things until work’s started, e.g. the Building Inspector may insist on deeper foundations. If we can’t help a delay, we’ll talk to you and your architect, explain it and keep it to a bare minimum.
Will you charge the price you quoted? Do make certain that you understand our quotation fully. Do talk to us and talk to your architect. Sometimes extra charges can’t be helped but we would always keep them to a minimum. Your architect will advise you on what’s fair.
What happens if you damage the existing part of the house? We take pride in the protection we provide and we work carefully, but we have a job to do. If we did cause any damage, which is extremely unlikely, we’d always make full repairs.
What will happen at the end of the project? We will inspect the work with you and/or your architect. Our Site Manager will have inspected the work during the project, but if there's anything you're not happy with, we'll put it right immediately. When we’ve finished, we will inspect again. We don’t leave a job until everyone is happy.
We're highly experienced in building contracts, but this may be your first building project you've ever undertaken, so if there's anything you'd like to know that's not covered here, simply ask one of our team mail@saundersbrothers.co.uk or call us on 01844 273783 and we'll only be too happy to help.