Are You A Competent Client?
Many developers have a list as long as your arm of complaints about builders, we often hear the phrase My builder is no good . Many of them blame the failure of their project on the incompetence of their builder
Should the builder know everything?
Everyone expects their builder to know everything, be competent and not make mistakes. But let’s look at this from a builders point of view. A builder is a professional in the industry he has chosen to make a living in, but many of the people he works for are amateurs. They are people who have no construction background. Many of these will have got their information from Facebook groups, Youtube videos and watching TV programmes
Or even worse they will have paid thousands of pounds for 3 or 5 day courses telling them how easy it is to make a fortune in property. Every one of these courses will just toss out a casual phrase of “ find a builder” and make it sound so easy
Who would a builder rather work with?
A builder would always prefer to work for a professional client who is a competent client . When he does he knows he is working with someone who understands every single part of the job, how long it takes , the cost, the materials needed and the potential problems. He knows he will turn up to a well organised and safe site . Before he starts he will be given all the information he needs. This will include a copy of the programme of works and a complete scope of everything required. He will be given a specification document ( spec) detailing the exact materials and finishes required. He will have signed a contract detailing exactly what is required of him and also the clients obligations and requirements
What could happen when a builder works with an amateur client?
When he works for someone just starting out it is often not like that. He might not be given a detailed spec. So he will be unsure of the standard required. If this is the case the builder just gets drip fed information. If he doesn’t get a detailed tender pack he will be unable to accurately submit a price for it. So he will underprice or overprice the job. Each of these will cause their own problems. Without a clear project programme the client may have an unrealistic expectation of how long the builder will take to complete the project.
If the builder is not given detailed building control drawings he could end up missing crucial parts of work that is needed. In these cases after a 10 minute conversation with the developer the builder just knows it is going to be hard work dealing with this person because they haven’t got a clue. And when someone hasn’t got a clue there is a good chance they are going to complain about how long the job takes or the cost
When things go wrong
Inevitably when things go wrong they wont blame themselves they will blame the builder. When someone doesn’t actually understand what’s involved there is also a good chance they may change their mind halfway through the project. Consequently this is guaranteed to cause chaos and add extra costs and delays.
Given all these things who do you think a builder would rather work for? Before you ask a builder to come and look at a job, ask yourself a few questions. Have you got all the information in place for the builder? Are you sure you planned this project properly? Have you done an accurate appraisal of the project costs and duration? And finally and most importantly, are you a competent client?
If you would like help with running a job like a professional contact us