- Be reasonable
You need to be reasonable about releasing the final payment. A builder only earns when the job is complete, and the final payment is only released upon satisfactory completion of snagging. Further, the retention is released only at the end of the defects liability period. Therefore, don’t keep your builder waiting for the money they have already earnt by holding back payments for excessively finicky things. Some rogue homeowners refuse to pay or draw out final payment on spurious grounds in the hope of saving money or squeezing more work out of the builder for free. Regrettably, this sort of conduct is a known phenomenon in the industry.
- Be patient
Please exercise patience when awaiting additional works. Whilst the trades are on-site, homeowners often ask their builder to carry out extra work around the house, as additions to the contracted schedule of work. However, it is likely that the builder will already have lined up the next project and so needs to complete your extension by a specific date, so you might have to wait for the team to return at a later date to tackle the extras. As much as you might want the hallway repainted before unveiling your spanking new extension to the neighbours, please be patient – the builder simply might not be free to do it right away.
- Allow pictures
Give the builder permission to post updates of project progress on their social feed and help them share their craft to a wider audience. Indeed, some may ask to return to take photographs a few weeks after completion, once the new space is fully decorated and furnished, to add those pictures to their project portfolio.
4 . Make a social media shout-out
Post a picture of your fabulous extension on social, and credit your builder with a tag and a shout-out. Doing so is free, and you get to show off your house at the same time. If the public shares aren’t your thing, you could instead offer up your builder’s details when someone posts a recommendation request online. Facebook and neighbourhood apps are particularly good for this.
- Give a testimonial
At the end of the job, give a testimonial about your experience. Leaving a review on the builder’s preferred social platform or Google listing will be the most helpful form of positive feedback, as reviews endure and proliferate brand exposure. If you are feeling really chuffed with the job, leave a video testimonial.
- Complete the circle
Back when you were shortlisting builders for your extension, you would have (you should have) visited previous projects as part of your due diligence. Now, fresh prospective clients will want to do the same, and allowing a handful to tour your lovely extension would be very welcome. The same applies to serving as a reference, if requested.
It goes without saying that if the job went well, you would want to recommend the builder when the natural opportunity to do so arises.
Nonetheless, to help ensure that you end your building project on a high, implement (at least some of) the suggestions laid out here. Doing so doesn’t cost you anything, leaves both parties feeling happier, and may just earn you a quid pro quo for the future.
