Unfortunately, a minority of so-called builders in Chelmsford have made homeowners increasingly more cautious about who they hire to do building work. However, we’re not all bad. With that in mind, here are 7 mistakes to avoid when choosing your builder for your home renovation project.

 1. Hiring the ‘correct type’ of builder

Now, we know what you’re thinking, a builder’s a builder, right? Wrong… Builders with an all-round skillset are a rarity. Typically, builders will have a particular specialism and a number of secondary skills.

With that in mind, if you’re planning a loft extension for your Chelmsford home, you should be talking to builders in Chelmsford with experience of completing loft conversion projects. Equally, if it’s a new build home, you should be contacting a Chelmsford contractor with a proven portfolio of work.

Hiring the best new home builder in Chelmsford could turn out to be a catastrophe for your loft extension, for instance. Plenty of TV shows demonstrating bodged building work are often the result of a builder who took on more than he bargained for.

At Grant Builders, we employ 5 full time members of staff as well as using regular specialist sub-contractors so you can be assured that you are getting the right person to complete each element of the build.

While a new home builder might offer you a competitive quote for your loft extension, don’t be swayed. Exercise caution because chances are, the quote is competitive because they don’t have the experience of preparing quotes that sufficiently cover the complexities of a loft conversion.

2. Failing to get complete quotes

Builders in Chelmsford

Always get a comprehensive quote when hiring a Chelmsford builder.

Too many homeowners hire a Chelmsford builder despite quotes that lack transparency and often have a number of key items missing.

This results in additional costs because if a builder is working from plans only in order to prepare a quote, there’s a higher risk that elements you thought were included in a quote, actually aren’t.

To avoid this, and prevent potential conflict with your builder, you should always provide your contractor with a complete list of what you expect to be included in any work. A comprehensive ‘inclusions schedule’ reduces the chances of you receiving a completely inaccurate quote.

3. Thinking that the ‘cheapest’ quote is the right price

It is human nature to find the cheapest building quote the most appealing, thinking that it will save you time and money. However, if you’re following the standard practice of getting three quotes before you hire, and that cheap quote is way off compared with other quotes for the same work, alarm bells should be ringing.

A collective group of quotes will give you an average of what the right price should be for your work. If two quotes are in the same ball park, the cost will likely be somewhere in between. Choosing the builder with the lowest quote could lead to issues as the project progresses.

Ultimately, what you don’t want is your builder cutting corners or to start charging for more expensive variations of materials if they have indeed made an error with their quote.

Builders in Chelmsford don’t come any better than Grant Builders

Call Grant Builders for a free, no obligation quote on 01245 422226. Alternatively, contact us using our online contact form.