Everyone has heard horror stories of cowboy builders, with over 100,000 complaints registered with trading standards each year it is right to be cautious.

To avoid featuring on next week’s episode of watch dog there are some simple guidelines to make sure your team will do the job to the quality required.

 

The best compliment a building company can receive is good feedback and recommendations from previous customers. For young companies, most business comes from word of mouth, making the opinions of clients vital to be a success. Marble Construction’s rapid expansion was only possible because of their reputation for being a very high quality, honest and professional service. For examples of Marble’s work case studies are available here.

 

Official Recognition

There are several reliable builders associations such as the iphe, eca and trust mark but the largest and most widely acknowledged is the FMB (Federation of Master Builders) which Marble is not only part of, but comes highly recommended by and has even won awards for the quality of their staff. To see Marble’s profile and details on FMB’S website, click here

Previous Builds

All reputable builders can supply a list of previous builds to whom you can write or even visit, with Marble Construction this is not a problem and they are more than happy to give the details of those previous customers who have consented to it (most clients are more than happy to be contacted).

Some questions you may want to ask include:

• Did the job start and finish on time?
• Was the rubbish cleared away and were dust sheets used to protect upholstery and furniture?
• How was the attention to detail?
• Were they considerate?
• Would you employ them again?
• How was the quality of the work?

Site Safety

No amount of saving is worth risking your health, so check that the company meets all safety requirements. Like all good companies, Marble Keeps a record of any accidents that do occur in a log book, where in-keeping with data protection, Marble Construction are happy to send copies of the log book to the customer to prove their reliability as a safe company.

Finances

A building firm with finance or cash flow difficulties is always going to cause problems. Marble are more than happy to source and give Bankers references. The FMB also certifies that Marble Construction has:

• Verified no un-discharged bankruptcies or relevant and outstanding County Court Judgments.
• Have a minimum three year trading history and provide three years accounts.
• Have passed credit checks, public record and director checks.

Insurance is also an important factor to consider when choosing a construction company, if the company is not fully insured the customer can be liable for any injuries or damage.

Marble has full public and employer’s liability insurance and can produce certificates and paper work to prove it, this makes sure the customer is fully protected.

It may be tempting to hire a company that does  the work on the sly and does not charge VAT, you should remember that without paying VAT you have very little ability in a court should anything go wrong, the company therefore has very little accountability or traceability which should be enough to make you think twice before agreeing to underhand deals.

Marble construction on the other hand is fully in compliance and registered with V.A.T. Marble also gives you V.A.T receipts for all payments and accepts a variety of different payment methods.

 

Quotations or Estimates

Many people do not know the massive differences between a quotation and an estimate. Whereas an estimate is just a rough figure and the real cost varies greatly, a quotation is a legally binding calculation of costs based on detailed evaluation.

For clarity, honesty and accuracy, Marble always suggests a quotation as a means for helping you make your decision. This requires a detailed survey and measurements to be undertaken by our team to ensure a high degree of accuracy. Despite the amount of work required, all quotations and estimates if needed are completely free as opposed to most other companies.

Marble is also unique in that they don’t do hidden costs. A lot of construction companies may produce an estimate or quotation that does not include certain necessary parts of the construction process whereas with Marble, the quotation is a more honest matter.

 

Guarantees

It is possible for a company to cut corners in ways which only become noticeable after a period of time. A customer’s only defense against this is a guarantee, the most widely recognized and trusted is the Master Bond range of warranties which Marble construction offers. To view details of the Master Bond Warranties, click here

 

Contracts

A contract is always a smart idea, both for the sake of the builders and the customer. Marble Construction suggests the use of the FMB’s free contract as it is renowned for being easier to understand, totally free and covers all the points necessary to ensure both parties get the security they need.