I need some advice concerning the building of a new roof/loft and employing a builder.
Our house has a concrete flat roof with a shallow pitch roof later built on top. We would like to remove this roof and put a higher pitched roof on top and then convert to a new bedroom. I have contacted the local planning department and they have said to send in rough plans to see if all is OK before having proper plans drawn up to avoid unnecessary expense. We spoke to a builder who says he can do the job, and he has plans from his own house that he converted in the same way, and it is the same layout as our. I am to receive these plans this evening to send off for the nod from the local planning office before they are redrawn in our name to the specification of our house (where different).
This is what I would like to know.
Do I leave it to the builder to get the drawings re-drawn or do I organise this myself? If I am to do it, how and who?
What insurances does the builder need, how do I know they are real?
What other agencies need to be informed of the job and when?
If we agree a fixed rate for the job how do I make sure it does not go over this?
What % of the builder's fee do I pay up front?
Is there anything else I need to be aware of?
Thanks for any help in advance.