I'm getting a bathroom extension built. Need to as I became disabled this year and cannot walk too well now. First time I have ever hired a builder. How do I pay him?
I'm aware I should not pay the whole lot up front but he will need the materials paying for and his own labour. It is a 1.8M square extension on the end of the house.Tiled floor, tiled walls, toilet, shower washbasin, radiator and light. Needs a door knocking through from the kitchen
Any thoughts on how to split the payments?
NEVER, NEVER pay anything up front. Most builders have at least 28 day cred it accounts with their various suppliers. If your extension was being funde d by a mortgage then your lender may only release funds in a phased process . Such as completion of foundation, first storey, roof and so on. If you do not want to get into arguements with your builder then make sure any stage d payments are agreed and on paper as part of the contract and use a survey or to confirm that the work has been successfully carried out before any fu nds are released. Finally, do not be brow beaten with any sob story about c ash flow problems that's their problem not yours.
Richard
The builder is a neighbour. I do expect to buy the materials as they are needed. No problems with that as long as I see the stuff delivered
A reputable person will be happy with 2-3 stage payments. The last payment for 50 or 33% of the total will be due when *everything* is finished and you are happy.
Materials are usually either included (if he gets them on account) or purchased separately.
Never ever pay in advance or weekly. That means he can wander off at the last minute with loads of finishing work undone and no real incentive to come back (I know this from a mate's unfortunate experience).
Then you have ignored the sensible reply you were given.
+1 and the contract is even more important in this case.
In my opinion, on its own, this sounds a very poor reason to choose a particular builder to build your extension.
Presumably you don't know him well enough to have already asked him about payment.
Are there any other reasons why you chose him ?
Does he have a particularly good reputation ? For instance has he been recommended to you by friends who've had work done by him ? Or has he given you a list with the names and addresses of satisfied clients of his, who you can contact ?
Otherwise the fact that he's a neighbour might suggest he'll be using your extension as a convenient stop-gap close to home, when there are any hold ups on his more distant jobs. While on the other hand the fact that he's a neighbour won't be a lot of use if he's working miles away most of the time.
michael adams
...
recipe for trouble if being paid
NT
My parents had an ensuite loft extension built a few years ago. The architect (for an extra fee which my parents thought well worth it) defined when the staged payments would be and had to sign off the progress for each one. Something like 10-15% was withheld for 6 months after the work finished and paid only when any snagging issues during that period were fixed. There were also penalties in the contract for overrunning the completion and the snagging period (which I think my parents chose not to impose, because they were very pleased with the result, even though it slightly overran).
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.