Builder for Self Build

[Jack757]

We are going to demolish a bungalow to replace with a new build. We like a builder we have been in touch with and seen previous work and spoke to owners of new build, which we are more than happy with.

My only concern is that his company is not listed on federation of master builders site, which I got advised at a recent building show they should be.

Advice please. If not really a requirement, how do I protect myself, the house etc and know we are using the right company. Thank you.

[Gus Potter]

The FMB is a trade association, by subscription. Make of that what you like. 

 

This is good you have seen other work, but check that was not for a relative. Check Face book and other social media for suspicious connections.

 

Don't assume all builders are there to rip you off, many are good honest hard working folk. Just browse and if there is a rat you'll likely smell it. A fatal mistake here is to fall under the builders "charm".. you like them but don't want to uncover bad news. Be brave and grasp the nettle. You don't have to tell them you have checked them out!

 

If you struggle on social media then get say your kids , nieces and nephews etc to check this stuff for you, they will do it in a fraction of the time!

 

Do more due dilligence. Check companies house if they are limited. See what other links the directors have. 

 

If not limited then this can be an advantage. If something goes horribly wrong then sometimes you can chase the builders own personal assets. Check to see where they live, go to the land registry and see if they own the home (in Scotland this cost me £3.00) and how big their mortgage is. Check to see if they hold it in joint names. You can't chase easily (and nor would you probalby I hope) if the house is in joint names and you end up putting a family out their home. 

 

If vat registered then you can check their registration. If not vat registered then you need to ask them why. If their turnover is that low then how do they build houses? 

 

Once you have done this kind of due dilligence then you need to sort out a contract that is fair to all parties. 

 

To finish on a light note. I have posted this kind of stuff before. Last year a Client engaged me and told me they had followed my advice and done the full due dilligence on myself! I thought... well at least I passed and if you want to dish it out then expect the same in return!

 

 

 

 

[saveasteading]

9 hours ago, Gus Potter said:

FMB is a trade association, by subscription

I won't criticise but it is not high on my list of good signs. I assume that the exhibition advice was from FMB or a builder who is in it.

The best sign is a long existence and dozens of reference projects. Any such would walk into FMB membership but probably don't want to.

 

[gamestrolley]

Make sure they have current insurance. Also make sure you have insurance. 
also check out where they live, type of house and vechiles they drive. If they and all their family drive likes of defenders they are taking to much money out of the business and you could be in trouble half way through your projects. 
speak to their sub contractors to make sure they are getting paid by the main contractors. 

[Mr Punter]

The only concern with FMB would be if they were claiming to be members but were not.  You have done decent research.  Did you get 3 quotes?  If not, make some calls.  It is going to cost you a lot of money, so make sure you choose someone who is good and you get along with.  You don't need to be mates, but there may be potential differences that will need resolving.

[Gus Potter]

On 04/12/2025 at 09:03, saveasteading said:

I won't criticise but it is not high on my list of good signs. I assume that the exhibition advice was from FMB or a builder who is in it.

The best sign is a long existence and dozens of reference projects. Any such would walk into FMB membership but probably don't want to.

This says lots in two sentences! It's well worth considering as written by a construction professional with decades of experience. 

 

On 03/12/2025 at 23:25, Jack757 said:

Advice please.

 

On 04/12/2025 at 17:11, gamestrolley said:

Make sure they have current insurance. Also make sure you have insurance

This is great advice. To go into a little detail.

 

If you are a builder and building things, like a self build project / extensions etc for Clients and employing or sub contracting then there three types of insurance that I want you to demonstrate and evidence to me (on behalf of my Client) that you hold. If you as a Client have a mortgage then your lender has in interest, thus you as a Client should make contact with your lender. It can be a bind but to tick all the boxes this is what you should do. 

 

1/ The builder needs to hold Public liability insurance. This is actually quite cheep to obtain for a small builder as the policy terms are really restrictive. It basically covers them for saying leaving a barrow on a public foot path and for some drastic event where no other policy kicks into place. I have this type of cover as an SE, its cheep cf my professional indemnity insurance but if I damage someones BMW with my ladder it could be a sore one.  

 

2/ The next one up is employers liability insurance. This is serious as if you don't protect your employees then you can go to jail.. this is a statutory requirement. So you have to check that when the builder presents this and the extent of thier cover it makes some sense. Even if they say, I only employ my wife and, all the rest are sub contractors you need to do enough due dilligence to say.. can you demonstrate that your sub contractors who may employ ten people are also sufficiently insured. It sounds over the score at first glance but if there is an accident on site the HSE may take a different view!

 

The moral stand point makes it own case. 

 

Cost wise employers liability is not massivley expensive unless you have black marks against your past performance and have systems in place to stop folk getting hurt on site. 

 

3/ In terms of cost the last bit a contractor needs is contracts works insurance. This covers most of the things that a Contractor might make a complete pigs ear of and they do from time to time they do. One simple one is say on a house extension; the plumber makes a temporary connection, it fails and floods the house. At the other end they may not follow the SE design, SE pitches up and says.. you need to take that back down and rebuild. 

 

Now in context. Before I reinvented myself as an SE I was a Contractor, employed people. There was occasion where I and my employess made a mess, got it wrong. I paid to fix it as that comes with the job. But if I had made too much of a mess then I would have had to pass this onto my contracts works insurer. 

 

The key bit here is that contracts works insurance is expensive. Many builders have policies that are written "in aggregate". This means that if they cock up on more than one job at a time then their policy may not pay out the amount you expect. 

 

So to sum up. It's worth just asking a few questions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DownSouth]

Hadn’t heard of the FMB until this post. Yet our house is up, building control happy and so are we. My one piece of advice would be ‘go local’ - people who have reputations to protect do good work in our experience. Most of the people we’ve worked with had no websites or brochures. But they did have insurance, good references and lots of local connections to make recommendations for others to work on our house which turned out to be invaluable when we needed support. 
Actually a second piece of advice - look every company up on Companies House, make sure they’re a viable business and not so stretched they’ll go under before they complete your job.