Unfortunately, there are always horror stories in the media about builders doing a poor job and leaving property owners out of pocket. Understandably then, people can be anxious when comes to choosing a builder for their project, but there are steps you can take to ensure that you find the best, and most trustworthy, builders for the job.

An important first step in finding a good builder is to simply ask other people for their recommendations. If you are aware of anyone who has had building work done recently, either a friend, work colleague or neighbour, ask them what kind of job their builders did. Was the job completed on time and to budget? What was the quality of their workmanship and, the biggest question of all, would your friend / colleague / neighbour recommend that building company for your project?

Word of mouth recommendations are by far the best way to find a reliable building company. Good builders take pride in their work and the service they provide to their customers. An independent referral is an excellent indicator that the builder is reliable.

If a building company is suggested to you ask the company if they can provide you with the names and telephone numbers of other customers who would be willing to provide a testimonial. Get in touch with the people who have left the testimonials and ask them to confirm the details. Don't worry about approaching people in this manner, most folk are only too happy to talk if they have received good service from a building company.

If you have received good reports about a building company ask them to submit a quote for the work you need doing. Don't go through this process with just one builder but make sure you get at least three quotes from different building companies. Make sure each quote you receive outlines all the work that will be done and the costs involved.

Once you have decided which quote to accept, and bear in mind that the lowest is not always the best, ask to see details of the building companies insurance. It is essential that they have adequate public liability and professional indemnity insurance in case of accidents or if you are unhappy with the standard of work.

Before work begins make sure the contract you have with the building company covers all the angles and take professional advice from a solicitor on the contents of the contract.

Finally, it is always sensible to budget for some unforeseen costs. No matter what the project is there are bound to be unforeseen costs and having an extra 10% in your budget will make sure those extra costs can be met.