Home Building Questions

Building a home extension can be a major challenge. Finding someone who can transform your vision of a house extension into reality will result in a new home extension that will lead to years of security and enjoyment.

Selecting the right builder is therefore an important first step, and all prospective customers should be prepared to ask plenty of important questions. The following list of questions to ask your new home extension builder up-front offers a useful starting point for formulating your own set of inquiries.  Many of these questions will have been resolved by your home extension designer.

Logistical Issues * How long will it take to build my new home  extension?

• What is your price range?

• What kinds of amenities can you provide?

• Has there been any special assessment financing for this property?
• How can I find a good mortgage company, and what are the key differences from one company to another?

• How do you compare with other builders? Why are your prices higher/lower?

• What kind of warranty do you offer, and what are the critical factors in evaluating a warranty?

• Should I add a clause to the contract to ensure that any material installations performed by your workers does not void the warranties?

• Is there anything in your contract about material changes? Don’t I have to give you approval first?

• How many years have you been in business? Are you financially strong?

• How often will I have access to the home during the building process?

Additional Expenses * How much is the VAT or other warranty costs.

• Is there a lot premium for the home site? Should I pay for one?

• Are there any other hidden costs or charges?

Land and Safety Concerns * What will be built on the adjoining/adjacent properties?

• How is any undeveloped property zoned?

• Has a soil test been done, and has it passed inspection?

• How can I ensure that this home extension will be built completely compliant to current building standards?

Construction-Related Considerations * How do the subcontractors feel about the building quality?

• How can you ensure that my house extension will reflect my individual style? What types of interior finishes and upgrades could you provide, and do you offer the services of a professional interior designer to implement my visions?

• What kind of drainage system will the home extension have? Is it the correct one?

Reputation and Stability Issues * Ask your builder for a list of referrals. Is there a list of previous clients that would give the builder a good recommendation?

• Ask for a list of several of the builder’s properties in your area that will give you a broad representation of his or her work. Take a close look at the quality of those properties.

• Ask whether the builder has ever been associated with a builder that filed for bankruptcy. Builders often file for bankruptcy, abandon their home owners, and start up their companies under new names.

Customer Service Issues * How responsive and accountable are you in terms of customer service? Are your existing homeowners satisfied?

• Explain your processes and systems. Do you provide literature that specifies what I can expect while you are building my home?

• What is the customer service policy after I move in? When and how often will you check in on my extended home?

• Some home extension builders have computerized systems that keep track of all customer service follow-ups that can let you know how consistent and responsive they really are. Ask builders whether you can see records from these systems.

The above questions are just a sample of the many issues you should flush out before deciding to retain someone to build your new home  extension. Asking and receiving good answers is necessary to achieve strong communication between you and your home extension builder, which is critical to avoid problems and delays, and keep extraneous expenses down. 

NOTE - These are general discussion articles only.