Home improvements and building

If you are undertaking improvement or building work on your home, here is some useful advice.

Before work starts

don’t forget to contact our planning and building departments as necessary
if you have adjoining or shared walls, give your neighbours a party wall notice
if your home is listed or you live in a conservation area, check if there are any restrictions on what changes you can make.

make a detailed list of everything you would like to have included
compare quotes item by item and not just by the overall cost of the job
check that VAT is included in the final cost
set aside some money for unexpected problems
if you are thinking about taking out a loan or using another form of credit to pay for the work, consider the full cost of the credit including the interest
if you take out a loan or another form of credit to pay for the work, check the requirements of the agreement
a cooling off period may apply if you take out credit. This is a set period of time from when the credit agreement was agreed, during which you have the right to cancel
include costs for labour and parts in your overall budget
when purchasing items shop around and check online
agree who will purchase items and be responsible for making sure they arrive on time.

carry out checks to find a good trader. TrustMark, a non-profit organisation, promotes local, trustworthy and reliable tradesmen
check online for websites with a feedback option to rate traders, but be wary of relying completely on the reports
be clear about whether you need building regulation certificates for any of the work you are doing
be prepared, look for a trader well in advance of when you would like the project to start
be careful about using anyone who comes to your door cold calling. They may be rogue traders.

obtain written quotations and ask for them to be broken down so that you can see the price of work and materials for each item
produce a list or specification of what work you would like to have done
discuss who is responsible if there are delays and who pays
discuss and clarify house rules, for example no smoking in the house, or no muddy boots
check if you will be given a timetable for the work
agree how payments will be made
check if there any health and safety aspects you need to be aware of.

agree a single point of contact for the project
have regular on site meetings
raise any issues as they arise, don’t wait for the end of the project
check that you are actually paying for the work that has been completed
check that your our Building Control department has signed off key stages of the work, if they are required to.

clarify what you would consider to be the end of the project. Make this clear at the very start and put this in writing so everyone knows
be clear about when you will be required to make the final payment and what it covers
remember that you are entitled to withhold a reasonable amount of money to ensure problems are put right.

clarify at the start what marks the end of the project and make a note of this
have a clear idea of when the final payment is due
you have a right to withhold a reasonable amount of money if work has not been done to satisfactory quality
keep a running list of items that are outstanding to form your snag list
if the trader is reluctant to talk to you, you can get advice about from the Citizens Advice consumer service.

have the correct forwarding details for your trader
make sure that you have paperwork for items purchased by the trader and certificates for work, instructions and warranties.

Last updated: 21 June 2021 08:59:05