What questions do I need to ask to the builder who is building my new home?

Question

I just bought a new home but it needs to be built. I am meeting with the builder soon and was wondering what questions I should have prepared for him?

Answer 1

Tell him your requirement , what need to be built..

Give him some time to think over ..then ask him for a
i. estimated(cost) with detailed description of materials, so that you can also see the cost and cross verify the amount he has quoted for every material.

ii. Ask him what all architectural qualities he has considered while designing. Ask him for practical examples,say the balcony will face east and looks like this building..unless you imagine it you cannot determine whether its beautifull or not.

iii. Ask him , whats special with the builders ? do they deliver quality work?..whats their previous experience in building..
iv. Very important , ask him how payment has to be made..like 10% in the starting & 50 % after some work is done and rest after completion .

iv. Ask the builder about any agreement has to be signed..

v. Once he submits the plan & estimate , cross verify the estimate with another builder , and ask the builder whether the plan complies with the local building standards..distance from electric poll, gas lines,water line, sewage line , front space.

i think this should be sufficient to ask before starting the building..hope this helps you.

Answer 2

Boy, it's late to start thinking about this now.
The most important three things.
1. look over and go over the bathroom/s and kitchen layout with the builder. make sure they are laid out like you want them.
2. THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! have EACH recepticle in the kitchen and bath on a seperate circuit breaker-and have lots of recepticles!! when building it's really cheap to have the above done. a recepticle with it's own circuit breaker cost less than $5 in materials. make sure he/she puts EACH recepticle (plug) on it's own circuit breaker in the kitchen-cause they will not unless you make them. same with the bathroom and about 3 or 4 plugs across the back of the vanity is really handy and cost less then $15 each (they must be GFI plugs)
3. have them install 2 switches for each ceiling light. this way if you want ceiling fans (saves a lot on utility bills) you have the ability to control the fan and the light from the wall (if there is only one switch you power the whole thing and must use the pull strings to turn off light/fan) at the time of installation it only requires running one extra wire. you can also have them install dimmer switches at the building stage if you like. this will allow you to dim the light and run the fan from a wall switch.
everything I've mentioned will cost less than $200 in materials (probably-depending on dimmers etc.) and thousands to retrofit. probably the best money you can spend on the house. the next thing is don't skemp on the cabinets. get them the way you want them-even if it cost an extra $10,000 and that would be some REALLY serious cabinets-ask them if they use a particular cabinet maker or buy off the shelf (off the shelf nearly always uses particle board except for the facings-they may call it some fancy name-but it's still particle board). check around and ask people about cabinet makers-then look at their work.
cabinets will make you happy in your kitchen or keep you frustrated.
the time to ask yourself these questions is before you build-it's just like baking/sewing/cooking-you get everything laid out before you start and it goes smoothly-it's the same with building-if you keep going back to ask questions/change things the builder will get frustrated-that means he's going to charge you for that frustration or cut corners in building to make up for the hassle and time wasted.
one final thing-try to get a list of homes the builder has built that are at least one year old and ask the owners what they think of his (1) taking care of problems and (2) quality of build. OH, and have fun!

Answer 3

A water tight contract about the durability of the work.
Any defect due to materials and workmanship, the
builder has to take full responsibility for future ten years.
Also there must be a compensation clause for not finishing
the work within the agreed time.

Answer 4

How long to do they take for Lunch - T-Breaks etc... Does he employ Polish workers.. Agree a price and Do Not Pay - till the Job is complete - dont listen to rubbish like- I have to pay my suppliers - if the builders say that to you - they are not reputable and do not have a decent line of credit with the suppliers.. Do as much of the Donkey work yourself- eg: If there is rubble lying about after they have gone each day - shift it yourself - it stops them from Dilly Dallying next morning...lets them know you are keeping an eye on the job..You must let them know who is Boss . Dont be flannelled by Gobble-dee-Go-ok... tell him to speak in English..

Answer 5

you should have your plan that have ben approved by the LPA, a bill of quants, a rough guide in your head how much it will costs so he doesnt rip you off, and you must take out a contract with him before he starts work on your house, JCT contracts are available as generic ones and you can add a few things in like deadlines if required. you need to also check that he is competent before entering into a contract, is he registered with the ciob etc???? good luck and be ready for a stressful year.

Answer 6

You need someone with experience to help you with this. Find yourself a local real estate attorney. They can help you with the legal end of it, and they should be able to refer you to an agent to deal with the builder. If you do it yourself, you will pull your hair out. I rebuilt and sold my home with only a real estate attorney for help, and I will never go that far again. Good luck.

Answer 7

Get a written quote and both of you should sign it. What type of insulation will be used? What type of warranty will there be? What is the quality of the wood that is used in the framing? What is the rating of the insulation? Is the ground and foundation going to be properly graded to avoid excessive build up of water? What kind of pesticide will be used in the pre-treatment of the foundation?

Answer 8

Ask him what other houses hes built, how long has he been in business, then talk to some people that he worked for and they will likely be very helpful in giving you insight into any question areas.

Answer 9

The most important questions should have been to his last 4 or 5 customers and the problems they had with him.

Answer 10

First and foremost, is he licensed, insured, and bonded, make sure you have a written quote, that you both sign, and you get a copy, absolutely no verbal agreements.