The builder you choose matters more than any other decision in your project — more than the design, more than the budget, more than the materials. Yet most people spend weeks choosing tiles and about ten minutes choosing the person who’ll fit them.
These are the ten questions we’d tell a friend to ask any builder — including us. It’s not about catching anyone out. A good builder will answer all of these easily, and how they answer tells you as much as what they say.
1. Can I see examples of similar work?
Not just any work — work like yours . A builder who’s brilliant at extensions may have never fitted a bathroom . Ask for photos of comparable projects, and ideally addresses or references you could follow up. A confident builder offers this before you ask.
2. Can I speak to a recent customer?
Online reviews are useful, but a five-minute phone call with someone whose kitchen they fitted last month is worth fifty stars. If a builder hesitates at this one, pay attention to the hesitation.
3. Is your quote itemised — and what’s excluded?
A single-figure quote tells you nothing. You want the work broken down, and — just as important — the exclusions listed. Skip hire? Decoration? VAT? The cheapest quote is often just the one hiding the most. Comparing two itemised quotes is easy; comparing two vague ones is guesswork.
4. Who will actually be doing the work?
Some firms sell the job and subcontract everything. That’s not automatically bad — but you should know who’s turning up. Ask who’s on site day to day, who supervises, and who your single point of contact is when you have a question at 8am.
5. Are you registered for the gas and electrical work?
Any gas work legally requires a Gas Safe registered engineer , and electrical work must meet building regulations. Ask how these parts of the job are handled — in-house or subcontracted — and check registrations yourself (the Gas Safe Register is searchable online). A builder who’s vague here is a builder to walk away from.
6. What insurance do you carry?
Public liability insurance is the minimum — it covers damage to your property while work happens. Ask for the certificate; legitimate builders expect the question and have it ready.
7. How do payments work?
Sensible answers: staged payments tied to progress, with a clear schedule agreed up front. Warning signs: large sums demanded before work starts, or “cash only.” A fair payment structure protects both sides — good builders prefer it too.
8. What happens when something unexpected turns up?
On renovations especially, surprises happen — that’s not the test. The test is process : does the builder stop, explain, and price the change before doing it, or steam ahead and hand you a bigger bill at the end? Ask how variations are agreed. The answer you want involves the words “in writing.”
9. What’s the realistic timeline — and what could move it?
Anyone can promise fast. A trustworthy builder gives you a realistic schedule and tells you what might stretch it — weather on external work, lead times on materials, what they find when things are opened up. Suspicious confidence is worse than honest uncertainty.
10. What happens after you finish?
The question almost nobody asks, and the one that separates professionals from the rest. Is there a snagging visit? If something needs adjusting three weeks later, will they come back? A builder who talks comfortably about aftercare is planning to still be answering your calls after the invoice is paid.
What Good Answers Have in Common
Read back through the ten and you’ll notice a pattern: every good answer involves clarity, paperwork, and a willingness to be checked. Itemised quotes, written variations, verifiable registrations, contactable references. Builders who welcome scrutiny tend to be the ones whose work survives it.
And one last, less tangible test: how did the conversation feel ? You’ll be dealing with this person in your home for weeks or months. If they explain things patiently at quote stage, that’s what the project will feel like. If they’re evasive now, it won’t improve once your deposit clears.
Ask Us the Same Ten
We’d rather you asked than didn’t. Judson Developments is Gas Safe registered, has over 13 years in the trade, and quotes every project itemised, in writing, from a proper site visit — and we’re happy to put you in touch with recent customers across Essex and Suffolk.
Planning a project? See our home renovations in Essex & Suffolk service, our whole-house renovation checklist, or get a free quote.
