Customers are not usually aware of what a good builder’s contract should include. This article has been written to provide you with an outline of the main points which should be covered in a contract for a residential building project up to about £75,000 in cost.

1. Cost: in the contract the builder should clearly state the cost of both individual works and the cost of the entire project. The builder should also separate the costing in the contract to include the following:

A. Cost of materials: If you are going to provide the materials to the builder, he should still provide you with the cost of any supplies coming from the building company, e.g. mortar, insulation material etc.

B. Labour costs: the builder should state his labour costs in the contract. A good builder should not be reluctant to state his charges.

C. Any miscellaneous costs: builders often forget to add miscellaneous costs which are consequently left uncalculated for in the initial budget forecasts. These include costs such as congestion charge if the project is based in London and skip hire etc.

2. Payment method: the contract should clearly state the payment structure for the project which you and the builder should both be happy with. This should include any deposit payment you will have to make before the project commences and the stages of completion at which the consequent payments will be made. Make sure you don’t pay the entire amount to the builder until the total job has been completed.

3. Specification of works: the contract should describe the works which will be conducted in sufficient detail to ensure that the project is completed to your satisfaction. You should take time to discuss the exact specification of the work with you builder and have this in writing so that there are no problems once the work commences.

4. Guarantees: all good builders in London provide guarantees for the work which they undertake. Make sure any guarantees are clearly stated in the contract and the time frames for which they are valid.

5. Penalty clauses: many developers like to add penalty clauses into the contract to ensure that if there are unnecessary delays from the builders end, then the builder is liable for the extra costs incurred.

6.Contact details: the contract should clearly state the name, address and contact details for both parties. The contract should also be signed by yourself and the builder to ensure its validity.

Apple Construction specialises in all types of residential building works and can be contacted on 0845 224 9214 for more information.

Source: http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/472389?articleid=472389

A common reason for doing a home extension is to create a larger kitchen. There are a number of benefits of doing a kitchen extension which include:

• The kitchen is one of the main features of a property which affects its value. Most housing surveys show that the kitchen is amongst the top 5 factors to be considered by home buyers when thinking about purchasing a new property. Hence having a good sized spacious kitchen is one of the key factors which property developers and home owners in general should take into consideration when thinking about increasing the value of their home.

• Having a spacious kitchen is something that home owners often require as their family size increases. Hence rather than moving houses, in many cases a more suitable option is to add an extension to the existing house which includes a kitchen extension.

• A kitchen extension is always advisable if the kitchen area is relatively small compared to the rest of the house. For example if you have house which contains 5 bedrooms and are considering doing a home extension to increase the number to six bedrooms but have a small kitchen, this will result in the house being out of proportion. A good builder and architect in this situation will always advice you to increase the property size in proportion. For example it would be better to add a sixth bedroom alongside increasing the size of the kitchen and number of bathrooms if required.

What steps shall I take once I have decided that I want a kitchen extension?

The first thing you need to consider once you have decided that you want to proceed with undertaking a kitchen extension is obtain planning permission and building regulations approval. To do this you will have to submit your extension plans to both of these authorities. It is advisable that you get an architect to work on and submit the drawings for approval. Most builders work closely with architects, so if you have already found your builder then it is a good idea to ask your builder whether he can refer you to a good architect.

On average, planning permission approval usually takes around 8 weeks from the time the drawings are submitted to the relevant local authorities.

Designing your ideal kitchen

Once you have submitted your planning permission application, you can move your attention towards designing your kitchen extension. The first thing you will have to consider whilst designing your kitchen extension is whether you would like to strip the entire existing kitchen and add a new one or simply add more space to it in the form of a dining area etc.

If you are considering re designing the entire kitchen then you should consider the following factors in your design layout:

A. You kitchen should divide into three main areas: the food preparation area (e.g. where the fridge freezer is placed), the cooking area and the cleaning area (e.g. where the sink is placed). These zones should make a triangle in the kitchen known as the work triangle.

B. If you are doing a large extension, then always consider having a dining area next to the kitchen.

Apple construction specialises in home extensions which include designing and building kitchen extensions. Our builders have a collective experience of more than 20 years in the trade and can be contacted for a free estimate on 0845 224 9214.

Source: http://www.greatarticles.co.uk/articledetail.php?artid=6706&catid=99

The building industry is a mixed trade as there is no formal training that a builder has to undergo to establish his own business. However that is not to say that there are not many good builders out there. On the contrary, there are many excellent builders who have years of experience in the trade and this article is meant to help you find them rather and separate them from the ‘cowboys’. Firstly it has to be understood that most builders learn their trade through practical experience, i.e. working as an apprentice under an established builder or building company and then eventually becoming self employed once they have gained considerable experience.

So the question you are probably asking is: how do I know whether my builders are up to the mark? Well, to answer exactly this question we have compiled a list of 5 things good builders generally do or provide in comparison to the cowboys. So go through the list and check whether your builders match up to the stated criteria.

1. Does you builder provide you with a written contract? Good builders provide formal contracts to their clients which state the project costs in depth.

2. Is your builder able to provide references? Good builders generally are able to provide references for previous works which they have undertaken. Our suggestion is that you should actually pay a visit to the sites your builders have worked on previously to check the quality of their work. Physical evidence is always better than verbal statements.

3. Do your builders provide guarantees for the works which they will undertake? This is a bit of a mixed one as if the builder closes down then your guarantee becomes invalid. However most established building companies do provide guarantees for the works which they conduct which is an indicator of their commitment to the job. If your builder does provide a guarantee then make sure you get it in writing. A better option however in our opinion is to get insurance cover for the building works from an insurance company. This is particularly important for larger development projects.

4. Is your builder a member of any building organisation such as the Federations of Master Builders?

5. Does your builder appear to have a good technical understanding of what the job entails? At the end of the day, remember to never underestimate your intuition as more often than not it is a good judge and will point you in the right direction.
This article has been written by Apple Construction which is a leading building company in London. Apple construction specialises in all types of residential building works and can be contacted on 0845 224 9214.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=871062