Many homeowners fail to vet their Sydney builders
Children reaching their teenage years need their own space, and if they don’t get it, parents (like me) are at risk of losing their sanity. With one teenager already firmly established in our household and aggressively marking their territory, plus another on the way, I was in imminent need of either a bigger home or expanding the one we were already in.
For most households, it’s the finances which dictate your options in these scenarios, and for us, that meant renovations were in order, and soon.
I’ve seen the current affairs type programs where homeowners connect with a builder, part with thousands of dollars, and are left with unfinished renovations, new rooms with sub-standard construction, or homes which don’t keep the rain out.
When it comes to builders, Sydney has its fair share of shifty sorts who are more interested in showing up at the bank to cash your cheque than they are at showing up to your property to do the work.
There were always themes common to most of the dodgy builder stories; most homeowners failed to vet their builders properly, didn’t check their qualifications, or took the cheapest quote.
Here’s how to ensure the Sydney builder you choose is one you know can get the job done and at a fair price.
1. Ask friends and relatives to recommend a Sydney builder
There is a good chance that if your friends have used any of the builders around Sydney in the past and are happy with the results, then you will be too. So, if you know of anybody who has used a builder, ask them for the contact details and put the builder on your shortlist.
The other advantage of asking for a friend’s or relative’s recommendations is that you can see firsthand the quality of their work just by getting yourself invited around for dinner.
2. Ask the local hardware store
Builders are regular users of hardware stores for obvious reasons, so it makes sense that your local hardware dealer will have a handle on who the quality builders are around Sydney.
If the hardware store gives you a few names of builders they have been trading with for some years, then you can safely put them on your shortlist for a quote.
Builders who have been regular customers at a hardware outlet are likely the ones who have been paying their hardware bill on time, which is another indication that they run a reputable business.
3. Use a secure trusted local directory
For finding builders, Sydney trade sites have been connecting homeowners with tradies of all types for a few years now, but even here you need to know who you can trust. For some local directories, all that is necessary for a tradie to get a listing is to front up with the monthly fee.
There’s no vetting for quality on many of these sites, so if you use one of these directories you may get lucky and connect with a reputable business, but you also stand a good chance of losing your money.
Instead, stick with a secure local directory such as tradebustersconnect.com.au.
All the businesses listed on Tradebusters Connect have been vetted for quality so you can be sure that whoever you end up dealing with will be sure to provide value for money.
Other Useful Links:
List of New Home Builder Sydney
Local Builders Eastern Suburbs
Local Builders Lower North Shore
Local Builders Northern Beaches
List of Renovation Builders Sydney
Renovations Builders Northern Beaches
Renovation Builders Castle Hill and Hills District
Building Consultants & Quantity Surveyors Sydney
Building Estimation Services Eastern Suburbs
Building Estimation Services Upper North Shore