Ten questions to ask any builder before you sign

On this page

Short answer: a good builder survives an interrogation and a bad one survives a vibe. Ask every builder the same ten questions, in writing where you can, and compare the answers side by side. To hold ourselves to the standard, our own answers are underneath every question. Where our answer is still being finalised as a new division, it says so rather than bluffing.

The ten questions, with our answers on the record

1. Who actually does the work: your team or subcontractors?

Ours: one in-house team. Our own builders, NICEIC-approved electricians and certified heating engineers, under one contract and one point of accountability. Where a specialist trade is genuinely needed, we name it in the quote rather than hide it.

2. What accreditations do you hold, and can I verify them?

Ours: MCS, NICEIC, REFCOM F-Gas, SMAS Worksafe, and ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 management systems, all verifiable with the issuing bodies. Company: Lifecycle Development Ltd, No. 10920425, trading since 2017.

3. Can I see your standard specification in writing?

Ours is published: The Lifecycle Spec, including the lines still being finalised. Compare any quote against it line by line.

4. Is the quote fixed, and what does it assume?

Ours: fixed against a written specification, with assumptions stated and changes priced in writing before work continues. Our price promise means the quoted price is the price you pay for the quoted scope.

5. How are payments structured, and is my money protected?

Ours: staged payments tied to visible progress, agreed in your contract before the project starts, never large sums up front disconnected from work done. The standard stage percentages and deposit protection arrangement are being finalised for publication.

6. What insurance covers my project while you build it?

Ours: the cover levels are being finalised for publication here. Certificates shown at consultation, on request, every time.

7. Who handles planning, building regulations and party wall matters?

Ours: we do, as part of the design stage, using the full plans route for structural work so problems are found on paper rather than in brickwork.

8. What happens when something goes wrong or I want a change?

Ours: changes are priced and programmed in writing before work proceeds. Problems get told to you straight, with options and costs, not discovered in the final invoice.

9. What do I get at handover?

Ours: building control completion certificate, electrical certification, manufacturer registrations and drawings, in one pack. Aftercare terms are being finalised for publication.

10. Can I speak to previous clients?

Ours: the construction division is the newest part of the company, and its first projects are being documented as open case studies with client permission. Meanwhile everything else here is checkable today: the company record since 2017 on Companies House, the accreditations with their issuing bodies, the published spec and the staged process. Ask everyone else question 10 too, and ask to verify their answers to the other nine.

When this is not what you want to hear

If a builder's answers are vaguer than these but the price is dramatically lower, the difference usually lives in the assumptions, the insurance, or the paperwork you will not get. Cheap becomes expensive at the completion certificate stage.

Next step: a free consultation on your actual project, or browse the rest of the advice hub.