Home Extensions
How to find and choose the best builder for your home extension project.
There’s no doubt that you love your home. But the thing is, the longer we live in our homes, the more things tend to get old, or need a refresh. The great thing about homeownership is that you can always improve and add on to if you so desire. Which is why, if your home is starting to feel like it needs something new to spruce it up, building an extension is a great way to do just that.
While moving sometimes can be a completely overwhelming thing to even think about taking on, adding an extension is a far less alternative. You’ll also increase your living space and add a good deal of value to your home in the process.
But an extension to your home is no easy or cheap undertaking, which is why it’s important that you hire the best builder for your home extension project. There are some things to look for when you’re talking to prospective builders for your extension, and we here at ClickATrades asked a few of our most experienced builders what they are.
- Have they done similar extension work to what you’re looking for?
- Get as many quotes as you can and make sure that they’re thorough.
- What are their accreditations?
- What will their follow up look like when the work is complete?
Be sure that you’re looking for and answering these questions before you hire the builder that will be doing the extension project on your home.
Have they done similar extension work to what you’re looking for?
When it comes to home extensions, it’s true that no two are the same. Which is why it’s important that you ensure the builder you hire has actually done work that is in the similar vein that you’re looking for. If you’re adding a large, Italian style kitchen onto your home and you hire a builder whose specialty is home movie theatres, then you’re going to find that things may not come out exactly as you’d dreamed.
In your search for a builder for your home extension, be sure to find ones that have done similar builds to what you want. Ask them to see pictures of their previous work, and to speak with some of the previous clients directly. You can also find a great deal of detailed customer reviews on the ClickATrades site for the extension builders that are on our site. Don’t be afraid to ask the builders you’re speaking with to even be able to go out and see some of their work firsthand. Ones who know and understand the value and quality of their work won’t hesitate to point you in the direction of their previous work.
Get as many quotes as you can
At ClickATrades, we recommend that no matter the job around your home, that you get a minimum of three detailed and thorough quotes for any work to be done. This is important for many reasons. Having at least three quotes to compare side by side allows you to see instantly what every potential builder is charging for and doing, or not doing. Are they removing any demo materials, or are you responsible for that? Will they be subcontracting out any of the work?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions about any line or part of the quote that you’re uncertain about. Great builders will be able to answer openly, not vaguely.
What are their accreditations?
While it’s always important to review a potential builders previous work, you want to be sure that you find out what professional organisations they belong to as well. When it comes to an extension for your home, you’ll want to ensure that any builder you hire belongs to some, if not all, of these organisations:
- Federation of Master Builders
- Guild of Builders and Contractors
- Guild of Master Craftsmen
- National Federation of Builders
- FairTrades Association.
These organisations are great because they all hold all of their members up to a certain standard and quality of work.
What will the follow up be after the job is done?
The bigger the extension project on your home, the more important it is that follow up will be done by the builder. Issues may not show up right away after a build, so be sure that whichever builder you hire will be coming out after the extension is a little more lived-in to follow up on their work.
These are a few of the most important things to be looking for when you’re meeting with potential builders for the extension work on your home. You can find more information on the ClickATrades builder listings as well.