10 questions to ask when choosing a builder to renovate your home

A renovation is a significant investment of your time, money and emotions! Having as much information as possible before embarking on your renovation can save you stress and money down the track. The best person to answer those questions is your builder. But before that, you need to choose who to engage to renovate your home! The builder you choose can make or break your renovation. We’ve all heard horror stories about cowboy builders from hell who either blew the budget or didn’t finish the renovation!

Whether it’s a new bathroom, kitchen or full renovation here’s 10 things to ask your builder before you renovate

How long have you been operating?
Although this isn’t a dealbreaker, ideally you want a builder who is well established and prides themselves on their long term relationship with other tradespeople.

Are you licensed?
Seems like an obvious one, but how can you be sure if you don’t ask! Unlicensed tradies may be cheaper but they’ll offer you no protection when things go wrong. Check their license online, if legit, they should be more than happy to provide their credentials for you to do this.

Are you insured?
Renovations cost a lot of money so it is important to ensure you are fully protected. From home indemnity insurance and workers compensation to public liability insurance; your builder should have it all to protect you against any accidents that happen or damage caused from the renovation works.

Can I see recent examples of your work?
Ask for examples of customers they have had in your area so you can go and seek testimonials yourself; if they did a good job they’ll have no concerns in doing this as they’ll be confident in their work and be happy to put you in touch.

What are the payment terms?
Builders should accept progress payments in instalments once certain stages of works have been completed and you are satisfied.

Are there any hidden costs?
Quotes should include all costs, there should be no nasty surprises! However you should always budget for there to be some blow outs, as things can change if there are any problems with the site when work starts that the builder isn’t able to foresee. They should quote for some unexpected costs so you have a close to maximum quote to work with.

How many clients are you working for?
You don’t want your builder spread so thin that your project gets delayed but you also don’t want them able to start the next week due to having no business at the moment. Ideally they’ll have a few projects operating alongside each other and be well versed in managing schedules.

What is your building maintenance period?
There should be a maintenance or warranty period whereby if any issues crop up after completion the builder will come and fix at no additional cost.

Can I meet the supervisor?
The site supervisor is crucial to the project running smoothly so meeting them is essential to feeling comfortable throughout your build, as you’ll have many conversations!

What are the timeframes?
It is a known fact that building schedules rarely stay 100% on track and are subject to the elements, reliability of suppliers and everything going well, but still a timeframe for completion should be set at the beginning so you can monitor the progress.

If it doesn’t feel right, shop around until you find a builder you feel wholly comfortable with!

If you are looking to renovate why not arrange an obligation free chat with AMS Property Renovations? Whether your renovation is one room or your whole house, we’d be happy to discuss how we can help support you with a stress free renovation of your dreams.