APPOINTING BUILDERS

When was the last time that you made a purchase based solely upon the lowest price? Buying a meal? A mobile phone contract? A holiday?

We all know that a cheap price invariably camouflages shoddy goods and poor service. Getting the best price for a clearly defined set of requirements is a world apart from getting the cheapest price for a poorly defined set of aspirations.

There are many ways of ensuring that you will pay a reasonable price for your building work. But none of them involve cutting costs on the information that you put in front of the contractor when you ask him to give you a quote.

Just remember, before they get the job all builders are salesmen. They will try to convince you that what you want is exactly what they are offering. You have to ask yourself “How sure am I that what I’m being promised is exactly what I am expecting?”

At Design Principle Studio we have a wealth of experience in getting best possible value for money from builders.

We will ensure that, before you sign the contract with your builder you have as much certainty as possible that the price you agreed with them before the start of the building work is the price you pay at the end and that the quality you get is the quality you expected.

We have no vested interest in telling you that you will get a “bargain”. We just want you to pay the best price for the most appropriate product.

David Smith of Design Principle Studio recalls…

As my tutor at university told us at our first lecture on preparing tender documentation, “We waste an awful lot of money on ‘bargains’ ”.