What to ask a builder before any work starts

Get a written contract, never pay a big deposit up front, and check their insurance before anyone picks up a trowel. Miss any of those and you’re rolling the dice.

Hiring a builder is the single trade where people stand to lose the most money. A botched plumbing job costs hundreds. A botched extension can cost tens of thousands and your sanity. There are builders and construction firms listed on WotsItCalled, and the work you put in before hiring one is the best insurance you’ll ever buy.

Start with what they’ve actually built

Anyone can put up a website with a stock photo of a kitchen. Before you get anywhere near a quote, ask for:

• At least three recent jobs similar to yours. Not just photos – addresses you can drive past, and ideally one client you can ring.
• References from the last 6-12 months. Recent matters. Builders can be great one year and awful the next, depending on who’s on their team.
• Photos of work in progress, not just finished. Anyone can tidy a completed job. Work-in-progress photos tell you how they manage a site.

Ring one of the references. Ask them: did the job come in on budget? On time? How did the builder handle problems? Would you hire them again? One honest ten-minute phone call is worth more than every review you’ll read.

Check their registrations and insurance

Builders aren’t regulated the way electricians or gas engineers are, but there are a few schemes that mean something:

• FMB (Federation of Master Builders). Members are vetted and offer access to warranty schemes. Not a guarantee of quality, but a signal they take the business seriously.
• TrustMark. Government-endorsed scheme, covers multiple trades. Members agree to a code of practice and are subject to complaints procedures.
• CITB CSCS cards. For the individual workers on site. Basic health and safety plus trade competency.
• Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). For the professional end of the market – site managers and surveyors.

On insurance, you want two things confirmed in writing before work starts:

• Public liability insurance. £1-5 million is standard. Covers damage to your property and third parties.
• Employer’s liability insurance. Legally required if they have employees. Covers their workers if they’re injured on your job.

Ask for the certificate. A genuine builder emails it over. A dodgy one finds excuses.

The contract is not optional

For any job over a few thousand pounds, you need a written contract. Not a handshake. Not a quote. A contract. It should cover:

• Exact scope of work. Itemised. Every element listed. “Fit new kitchen” isn’t scope. “Remove existing kitchen, dispose of waste, install base units, worktops, splashback, plumb sink, fit hob, oven, extractor” is scope.
• Materials and specification. Which tiles, which paint, which fittings. Either named or marked as “PC sums” – provisional costs to be confirmed.
• Start and finish dates. With penalty clauses if it’s a big job.
• Payment schedule. Staged payments tied to milestones, not calendar dates.
• What happens if things change. Variations – the formal process for agreeing extra work and extra cost.
• What happens at the end. Snagging period, retention, final sign-off.
• Who handles building control and planning. The builder, you, or an architect.
• Guarantees and warranties. How long, what’s covered, who pays if something fails.

The Joint Contracts Tribunal does standard contracts for residential work. Any builder worth hiring will have seen one.

Payment terms – where most people lose money

The single biggest way people get stung is handing over too much money, too early.

• Deposit. Small deposits are sometimes fair for materials – 5-10% of the total. A builder asking for 30%, 50% or more up front is waving a red flag.
• Stage payments. Paid as work is completed, not at the start of each phase. “Payment on completion of first fix” not “payment at start of first fix”.
• Final payment on snagging. Hold back 5-10% until you’ve done a snagging walk-through and they’ve fixed everything you’ve listed.
• Never pay cash for a big job. Trail paperwork. Bank transfer. It’s for your protection and theirs.
• Never pay for materials up front that you can’t see. If they want £3,000 for a kitchen they haven’t ordered yet, ask which supplier, get the receipt, and only pay what’s on the invoice.

Questions to ask before you sign anything

1. Is this your quote or an estimate? Fixed quotes are binding. Estimates are guidance. You want a fixed quote for known work and a clear PC sum for anything unknown.
2. How do you handle variations? Extras, scope changes, unexpected issues. You want a written process – not a verbal “we’ll sort it at the end”.
3. Who’s on site day-to-day? Are you talking to the owner, a project manager, or a main trade? Who makes decisions when something comes up?
4. What’s your working hours policy? Early mornings, weekends, radios on all day – worth agreeing up front if you’re living through it.
5. How do you handle waste and skip hire? Included or extra? Where does the skip go? Who deals with neighbours?
6. What happens if you need to pull off-site? Illness, weather, a bigger job coming up. You want to know in advance.

Where to start looking

The builders and construction directory lists builders across the UK. Wirral, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham. Shortlist three. Get three quotes. Ring every reference. Only then sign anything.

Snagging – the stage most people mishandle

Snagging is the walk-through at the end where you make a list of everything not quite right. Most clients treat it like complaining. Do it properly and it’s the most important hour of the whole job.

• Walk every room with a torch. Check corners, edges, where trim meets wall, where tile meets grout.
• Test every switch, socket, tap, and handle. Every one.
• Open every door and drawer. Do they close properly? Do they hit anything?
• Write everything down on one list. Short descriptions, room names, photos if possible.
• Agree a date to fix everything. Two weeks is normal for a kitchen. A month for an extension.
• Only release the final payment after the snags are done. Not when they’re promised. When they’re actually done.

The short version

• See three recent jobs like yours, and ring at least one reference. No shortcuts.
• Check public liability insurance and ask for the certificate in writing.
• Get a proper written contract with itemised scope, stage payments, and variation process.
• Never pay a large deposit up front. Never pay cash for a big job.
• Hold back 5-10% until snagging is done. That’s what gets the last fixes over the line.

WotsItCalled is a free UK business directory. No signup, no catch. Find the place everyone’s on about, or browse the full builders and construction firms directory.