The building industry is a mixed trade as there is no formal training that a builder has to undergo to establish his own business. However that is not to say that there are not many good builders out there. On the contrary, there are many excellent builders who have years of experience in the trade and this article is meant to help you find them rather and separate them from the ‘cowboys’. Firstly it has to be understood that most builders learn their trade through practical experience, i.e. working as an apprentice under an established builder or building company and then eventually becoming self employed once they have gained considerable experience.

So the question you are probably asking is: how do I know whether my builders are up to the mark?

Well, to answer exactly this question we have compiled a list of 5 things good builders generally do or provide in comparison to the cowboys. So go through the list and check whether your builders match up to the stated criteria.

1. Does you builder provide you with a written contract? Good builders provide formal contracts to their clients which state the project costs in depth.

2. Is your builder able to provide references? Good builders generally are able to provide references for previous works which they have undertaken. Our suggestion is that you should actually pay a visit to the sites your builders have worked on previously to check the quality of their work. Physical evidence is always better than verbal statements.

3. Do your builders provide guarantees for the works which they will undertake? This is a bit of a mixed one as if the builder closes down then your guarantee becomes invalid. However most established building companies do provide guarantees for the works which they conduct which is an indicator of their commitment to the job. If your builder does provide a guarantee then make sure you get it in writing. A better option however in our opinion is to get insurance cover for the building works from an insurance company. This is particularly important for larger development projects.

4. Is your builder a member of any building organisation such as the Federations of Master Builders?

5. Does your builder appear to have a good technical understanding of what the job entails? At the end of the day, remember to never underestimate your intuition as more often than not it is a good judge and will point you in the right direction.

This article has been written by Apple Construction which is a leading building company in London. Apple construction specialises in all types of residential building works and can be contacted on 0845 224 9214.