So you have decided to go for home renovation this X-mas and now looking for a trusted builder to do the job for you. Great! In case you know — and have access to — a top-class builder, just go ahead with the work. For those with no idea how to find a good builder, here are some tips to locate one.

1) Ask friends, family or neighbor for recommendation

Chances are your friends or family have recently repaired or renovated their houses. Maybe you can approach the neighbor who has added some extension to his home. Find out if they are satisfied with the work and people who did it? The best bit is you can just go and see the work yourself and then decide if the hands behind it are worth employing again.

2) An architect knows the best

If you know some local architect, or have ever hired one, they can recommend few of the best builders around. The thing is they work with so many different builders all the time and have skill and experience to separate sheep from the goat.

What?? Have never used any architect or designer? Think of phoning up one for advice. Trust me they will be more than happy to recommend. Just tell them the nature, scope and budget of your work and get a list of recommended builders most suited to your requirement.

3) Need inside information? A building inspector might help!

A building inspector might seem like an odd choice, but it’s effective none the less. He is the guy who ensures that all construction work done in the area is up to the correct standard. They happen to know all the builders in the given area: those who follow all the rules and standards in addition to usual suspects who are behind all the shoddy jobs.

Moreover, hiring a builder your local council gets on with will also help you in getting licenses and permits you require for your construction, extension or renovation.

4) Go online. There are so many portals connecting you with best builders in your area.  

You don’t book a hotel or plane ticket offline. Heck, you might even prefer getting your groceries online. Then why go door to door trying to get hold of a competent builder?

You can try “Bag a Builder” – an online portal connecting homeowners (or construction firms) with certified tradesmen and builder all over the UK. You can customize your search by budget, area, skills, experience, ratings and a whole lot of other parameters.

Online portals come super handy especially if you are new to an area or are really struggling to find recommendations. Who knows you were going to hire an incompetent builder and an online check in time saved you from a potential disaster.

5) Authenticate competence, verify terms and conditions

Last but not the least; make sure the builder is certified and competent. This may become an issue if you are hiring offline. Verify their skill-and-safety credentials (like CSCS Card, SKILLcard, JIB Card etc.) before you appoint them. Establish the terms and condition –quotation, guarantee, payment schedule – of the work beforehand so that if something goes wrong you have the papers to enforce compensation later.

Also read related articles  Checklist to Hire Good Tradesmen in the UK  and

How to Find a Reliable Tradesman