If you are in the lucky position where you were going to spend over £100,000 on a new car then you will probably be shopping for a premium model (probably German), built in a clean modern factory by a trained workforce who are well supervised and highly motivated. Your new car will be backed by a warranty where most, if not all faults are put right free of charge with the minimum of disruption to your day to day life.

However spending £100,000 on building works on your home can be a totally proposition and unfortunately you are not offered the same sort of guarantees of quality or after sales service.

Over the past few weeks I have seen both extremes of quality building. I am working with builders who take a real pride in their work but also a real passion to see that their customers are totally satisfied and at the other extreme I have seen new build houses which to be honest have more problems than you would think are even possible when you are buying something that costs over half a million pounds – floor that aren’t level, decoration that looks like it was done by a three year old and more leaks than a rusty wheelbarrow.

So what is key to making sure your build is completed without these problems?

I have written in previous articles about the importance of finding and appointing the right builder. I also want to reiterate that a good builder is a busy builder – especially at the current time. I was recently talking to the managing director of a Buckinghamshire based building contractor and depending on the project he is currently telling prospective clients that they will have to wait between 6-12 months for their next available slot. If your chosen builder is busy and can’t start immediately then don’t be tempted to choose second best unless there is a very good reason to do so.

 It is also very important that you inspect the works regularly – you may not be an expert in building but most of us know when something doesn’t look or feel right. If you find something then raise it with your builder and express your concerns. Don’t worry about feeling a little foolish because you will feel a lot more foolish if you don’t raise it and then when your builder has left you realise that you have a problem.

If you are not satisfied with the answers you get or you are still not happy then get advice – from your architect or designer. Ask them to come round and look – it may cost you a couple of hundred pounds but it could save you ten times that amount – if not more.

My own personal belief is that the most important factor to a quality job is quality supervision. Most builders will have a foreman on site or someone who is in charge – it may even be the owner of the building company you have employed. This person is the key and he should be supervising all the trades to make sure that they are doing it right with no short cuts. Get to know the supervisor and build a relationship with him – it is a lot lot harder to let someone down you have a personal relationship with. Let them know the importance of the build to you and your family.

Having said all of this – most problems on building projects are normally minor and can be resolved quickly and amicably but it pays to be always vigilant, always asking questions and most importantly not afraid to potentially make yourself look a little silly!