A long-established & registered business generally have a lot more to lose than a sole trader. Limited companies have Directors, who are listed on Companies House. This provides potential clients the ideal opportunity to research their business history.

If you see several ‘dissolved’ companies registered to the same Director, this could be a red flag. If the business has been registered and active for a long period of time, this shows stability and credibility. It also means they are much more likely to take their business name and reputation seriously.

Does your contractor have a registered address? Telephone numbers can be easily changed, which could make it difficult for you to make contact, should anything go wrong.

Registered Office: 25 Wheatfield Drive, Wick St Lawrence, Weston Super Mare, North Somerset, BS22 9WD
Weston: 01934 515 668
Bristol: 01172 120 130
Excellence Living Ltd.
Registered in England: 6596819.
VAT Reg: 938200827

You will often see contractors proudly displaying their affiliation badges, awards & accolades, but what do these actually mean? Are all of these legitimate? & do they truly offer any more peace of mind or security? And just because a business chooses not to pay an extortionate membership fee, does this mean they can’t be trusted? In short, we feel customer testimonials trump any of the above.

Ask to speak direct to the businesses previous customers. At least two of them. Get a first-hand, real and honest account on their performance. How did they manage the project, and did they deliver on what was agreed? Construction is NOT an exact science; things don’t always go to plan, ask how this was overcome. Was the solution customer focused, cost effective & handled efficiently.

Horses for courses. Does your contractor have the right level of experience or expertise for your particular project? Just because they are a competent builder, does not mean they are capable of carrying out something specialist like a Loft Conversion.

Don’t be afraid to ask what level of expertise they have, and can they provide examples of similar work, that they have carried out recently. How many of these types of projects have they successfully completed.

Word of Mouth is BEST! Reputation, Reputation, REPUTATION. If you have a contractor who is always working locally in your area, this is a great sign.

If they have worked hard to gain trust within your local community, protecting their reputation will be invaluable. Meaning they are less likely to deliver a poor, substandard or inconsistent service.

Some things are worth waiting for. Not a truer word has been spoken when it comes to a quality, long established and reputable contractor. These businesses are booked up for a reason. It can be tempting to go with someone else because they can come sooner, but if they have immediate or quick availability, it’s worth considering why?

Contracts can fall through for many reasons, leaving a rare schedule gap, but don’t be afraid to ask about their workload and how much work they are already committed to. Once you have all of the information, weigh up if its best to wait and get the specialist you really need and want. This can often save you time and money in the long run.

PM can be an extremely misunderstood and undervalued part of a construction package.

It is incredibly important to understand the true value of PM and how it can impact on your experience, your budget, your finished results and your stress levels.

Businesses who offer a quality and fully project managed service, will rarely, if ever, be able to compete financially with a contractor who does not provide this invaluable service.

This is because of the number of additional man hours required in the background, which the customer will never see. Things like sourcing, coordinating and managing fully qualified and correctly insured sub-contractors. Sourcing & organising the delivery of the right, quality materials, ensuring your construction team have what they need, when they need it. Should stock not be available, you PM will source appropriate alternatives and reorganise the relevant labour, to prevent your project from experiencing unnecessary delays, which could result in additional costs and
charges.

Your PM should also assume complete ownership & accountability for many on-site risks. Should anything go wrong, you will only have a single point of contact to speak with, rather than speaking to multiple trades and/or suppliers, trying to find someone to take ownership/responsibility for the issue. (This is often impossible without a Project Manager) Your PM should use their extensive expertise to find the most appropriate solution, which is fit for purpose, customer focused and cost efficient.

By hiring a contractor who offers a fully PM service, you are much more likely to keep track & stay in control of your project budget. It is perfectly normal for customers to change their mind once a project starts to take shape. Your PM should help guide you through all of the available & appropriate options and let you know the cost implications of these changes.

So, when comparing quotes, it is incredibly important to remember that all of the above ownership, risk and additional hours to effectively manage & safeguard your project, will be reflected in the contractor’s fee.

A reputable & customer focused contractor, who cares just as much about your experience with them, should have clear ways of working firmly in place.

Test how organised and customer focused they are, by asking how the team will work around you and your family. How they will keep disruption to a minimum and work in harmony with your neighbours / local community – avoiding bad feelings, which you will be left to live with, long after the contractor team has left. How do they plan on communicating with you & keeping you informed throughout the project? Will they ensure you are pro-actively made aware of all the available options and finishing touches?

All of the above can make a real & sometimes critical difference in you loving your new space or wishing you had been given the opportunity to change your mind or tweak something that really doesn’t work for you, now that the project is complete.

Customers should always be wary & mindful of driving their contractor down too much on price. Everyone loves a bargain, but what you win in the battle, may cost you the war – read more on how much a loft conversion costs.

While you may feel that you have been victorious on gaining a great price, what you might actually be doing is restricting the hours & quality that your contractor needs to give you the results you truly want. You can’t demand a 5-star service, if you are only prepared to pay 3-star rates.

If you have opted for an end-to-end service & your contractor is Project Managing the whole process for you, they should take care of all the necessary legalities and paperwork for you. It is sensible however, to ensure you check that they have correctly gained all of the necessary consents, before starting your work.

Some projects may not require Planning Permission and can be carried out via Permitted Development (PD). Your type of house will affect your PD rights and it is always advisable to check your property deeds for any amendments to these.

Depending on the age or location of your property, your PD rights may have been restricted or even removed. This is NOT something your contractor can check, and you must always ensure you have researched this yourself, should you be going down a PD route.

Does your contractor employ their staff or are they all sub-contracted? A business who employs their staff are much more likely to deliver a better & more reliable service. The construction industry is notorious for self-employed individuals who move from contractor to contractor.

Depending on the size of your project, your construction team could be around you, your family & home for weeks, if not months. It can be of great benefit to have a fully committed & stable team who are fully accountable to an employer, who should have established service levels, ways ofworking & set procedures to manage performance and quality.

The instability of a self-employed team could potentially impact on your project’s timeframe, the quality of workmanship and your overall experience.

Nearly all contractors, even if they have a great in-house team will be supported by a team of sub-contractors. For things like electrics, plumbing, roofing or plastering.

Check that your contractor has adequate quality control & service level measures in place, to manage these third-party trades. Even with the best measures in place, due to being self-employed, sub-contractors can sometimes be unpredictable & this is where issues can arise.

If you have opted for a fully project managed service, should anything go wrong, your contractor should assume full ownership & responsibility for putting things right. This is the key difference between a reputable & customer focused contractor and one that will make excuses and leave you with unresolved issues.

Always check that your contractor has up to date and fit for purpose Public Liability Insurance.

Check that their insurance will cover you and your home, should anything go wrong? Ask for a copy of their certificate.
You could even phone their insurance provider and check if their type of insurance is suitable for your type of project.

A reputable contractor should always provide a written contract, which clearly outlines exactly what has been agreed within your Scope of Work.

Don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you need, to ensure you are fully comfortable that the Scope of Work meets your exact needs & expectations.

Ensure your contractor outlines how changes to your initial contract will be agreed and how you will be quoted and invoiced for this additional work.

To protect your experience and to avoid disappointments and frustrations, be careful not to make assumptions.

The safest approach is…. If it isn’t itemised and written down, its more than probably NOT included.

While a quality contractor will endeavor to guide you through the build process and make all available options known, it is impossible for them to pre-anticipate each & every customers personal preferences, individual needs, priorities and thought processes. Just because you think it should be included, doesn’t mean it will be. Often, what customers think is quick and simple, can be a lot more involved, both in terms of time and materials.

Be as thorough and clear not only about the construction requirements, but how you intend to use & live in the space. This will help your contractor deliver the very best service and pro-actively identify any potential risks & forward plan the correct installations of things that are really important to you.

When benchmarking your contractors’ performance & setting your own realistic expectations, it is important to acknowledge that construction is not an exact science.

Most Home Improvement projects involve the merger of new into old. Even with years and years of professional expertise & attention to detail, every property is completely unique, which means each & every project and merger is never the same twice.

It’s important to be aware that not everything can be fully anticipated & yes, things can sometimes go wrong. Some things may only come to light once work has started. You wouldn’t expect a car mechanic to know what’s wrong with your car, before they even had the opportunity to open the bonnet & start to test things.

What’s important, is how professional & customer focussed does your contractor deal with these discoveries or setbacks. Do they bring this to your attention in a positive & solution orientated manner or do they make excuses & refuse to take ownership?

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for some customers to expect the contractor to take responsibility for pre-existing faults, because they weren’t able to identify these at the initial quoting stage. They will then try to force the contractor to put these faults right, free of charge. This is where disputes can easily become a real problem and ruin what should be a positive Home Improvement experience.

Having unrealistic expectations of your contractor can sometimes result in unnecessary disappointments, bad feelings and ultimately the breakdown in your customer-contractor partnership.

As described above (Ways of Working), a truly customer focussed, and quality contractor will have effective communication channels in place.

To avoid the chance of miscommunication. always try to document your personal preferences and changes in writing. This ensuring there is evidence of your verbal conversations on site.

How a contractor intends to invoice you for your project, is also a good opportunity to consider their professionalism and stability.

It is reasonable to be asked for a 10% deposit to secure a date on their schedule. This will be to protect them from customers pulling out and leaving a gap, which can’t be filled. The deposit should also fund things like your Architect survey and drawings, Structural Engineering and initial material costs like steel, timber & scaffolding. All of which will generally be ordered & paid for, prior to the team arriving on site.

Anything larger than a 10% up-front fee, could be a red flag. Ask you contractor why they need so much money up front. If in doubt, do not pay or use a credit card facility, which should offer you some additional protection from your lender. Again, get everything in writing.

Your project should then be invoiced at key stages throughout the build life cycle. These will normally coincide with key milestones and Building Control Inspection points. The staged payments should be in direct proportion to the amount of work carried out.

Finally, you should be left with a final payment, which is withheld until your project is complete and signed off by Building Control. Once paid, you should then be sent your Building Control & electrical certificates. Keep these safe, as they will be needed to protect your investment, should you decide to ever sell your property.