Before you appoint a builder.
What you need in place before the quotes come in, and the questions worth asking every contractor who walks your property. Ours included.
What you need in place
Get these sorted before you ask for prices. Every gap here becomes a variation order later, when you have the least leverage.
What to ask every builder
Ask all of them the same questions, and write down the answers. A contractor with nothing to hide will not mind being asked. There is no law compelling most of these, which is exactly why they are worth asking.
We publish ours before you ask.
Same thirteen questions, same order, so you can lay ours next to anyone else’s.
- NHBRC registered? Yes, number 4000022154. Note that NHBRC cover does not currently extend to renovation work. we explain that gap here rather than let you assume otherwise.
- Contractors All Risks? Yes. R2.5 million on contract works, R2 million public liability. Ask and we send the policy schedule.
- COIDA Letter of Good Standing? Yes, CF 990001226194. Ask and we send the letter.
- VAT registered? Yes, 4290294406.
- Registered for asbestos? Yes, Type 2 contractor, certificate 2026RAC/OHS-CI069.
- Fixed and itemised, or an estimate? Fixed and itemised. Not a lump sum, but a line for each part of the work, so you can see what each part costs and decide what you want and what you do not. The price is fixed for the agreed scope and stated allowances.
- What is excluded, and what is provisional? Assumptions and exclusions are written into the proposal before you sign anything, not discovered later.
- How are variations handled?
The quotation fixes the price for the agreed scope and stated allowances. Requested changes, hidden conditions or work outside that scope may require a variation. We explain the reason, price and effect on the programme and agree the variation in writing before carrying out the additional work.
- What is the payment schedule? On approval we issue the work plan: the programme and the cash flow together. The sequence of the work, dated, with the payments set against it, so you can see what falls due and when. A deposit when you sign, then payments follow completed stages, never run ahead of the work.
- Who is on site every day, and who do I call? Every project is assigned a foreman or a construction manager. That is the person on site, and that is the person you call. You get the name and the number before work starts, not after you have gone looking for it.
- How do you handle the snag list? We walk the finished work with you, list anything that needs attention, and close every item on that list before we ask for the final payment.
- What happens after handover? All work is backed by a 12-month guarantee covering the quality of our workmanship. We come back at sixty days and put right anything that has failed through our workmanship, at our cost.
- Can I see a recent project and speak to that client? Yes. Ask us for a reference and we will put you in touch with a client whose project resembles yours. Our Google reviews are from named clients in Goodwood, Retreat and the surrounds.
Send us the same list you send everyone else. We will send the documents through without being asked twice.
Site visits are free. Standard construction quotations follow a visit and agreement from both sides to explore working together, without committing to the works. Bond or home-loan quotations carry a non-refundable preparation fee agreed before the visit. If FN is appointed subject to bond approval and the bond is approved, that fee counts towards the deposit.