Choosing a builder

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The Housebuilders Bible outlines how to choose a builder on page 88.

This will, in part be determined by the building method.

Simon Crabb (planned project administrator) has suggested that in terms of managing the project cost, to get each of the contractors to provide a separate quote for the groundworks as this could be done by an additional separate contractor.

It seems to make sense to get builders / contractors to break down the quote, so that they can be compared with others.

Contractors / Routes

There are a LOT of companies that have a variety of full service or part service systems to consider:

Homebuilding & Renovating magazine are piloting a new service within My Building Project, and have teamed up with HBXL to create a unique network of builders local to you to help build your dream home. So when looking for estimates, a local builder etc. could be worth looking at http://www.mybuildingproject.co.uk/en/builder-network.html

Have a look at this blog post, on companies that will off-site build the house (usually with SIPs).

Suppliers:

  • The Cornwall Sustainable Partnership (www.csep.co.uk) provided initial information on local energy experts and green roof suppliers.
  • The Association of Environmentally Conscious Builders (www.aecb.co.uk) is a British-wide network that promotes sustainable building; find local professionals and product suppliers via its website.
  • The Green Roof Centre (www.thegreenroofcentre.co.uk) is an independent research hub founded by the University of Sheffield that has excellent general information about green roof uses.

Partial Builders Short List:

Also see this post re What to do, with who.