Questions to Ask a Builder Before You Hire Them
Written by James Walker · Last reviewed 15 August 2026
James Walker has 2 degrees in construction (BSc (Hons) Building Surveying · MSc Environmental Design of Buildings) and an extensive background in issue resolution, resolving over £4 billion of consumer issues.
The short answer
- Ask about payment structure before you ask about price. It affects your risk more.
- Ask who will actually be on site, and who is managing them.
- Ask what is excluded, not what is included.
- Ask what usually goes wrong on this kind of job, the answer separates experience from confidence.
- How they answer matters as much as what they say.
About the work
- What exactly does the price cover, and what is excluded?
- What standard of finish are you quoting for?
- What are the likely unknowns, and how would they be priced if they arise?
- Who will be on site day to day, and are they employed or subcontracted?
- Who manages the other trades, and is that in the price?
- What do you need from me, and by when?
About money
- Is this a quote or an estimate?
- What deposit do you need, and what does it cover?
- What are the payment stages, and what work does each correspond to?
- Is there a final amount held back until snagging is done?
- Is VAT included?
- How are variations priced and agreed?
Ask these before discussing the headline figure. The structure of the payments affects your exposure more than the total does, and asking about it first signals that you will be paying attention.
About credentials
- Which registrations do you hold, and under what company name?
- What insurance do you have, and who is the insurer?
- Can I see two recent jobs like mine, and speak to those customers?
- Are you a member of any accreditation scheme?
About time
- When could you start, and how long will it take?
- Will you be working on other jobs at the same time?
- What would delay it, realistically?
- What happens if it overruns?
The second question is the useful one. Most builders run several jobs at once, and that is normal, but a straight answer tells you whether to expect continuous presence or intermittent visits.
The question that tells you most
"What usually goes wrong on a job like this?"
An experienced builder answers immediately and specifically. They have seen the joists that were not deep enough, the wall that was not where the survey said, the lead time that always slips. They will tell you how they handle it.
Someone who says nothing ever goes wrong is either inexperienced or not being straight with you. Both are worth knowing.
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Common questions
- Is it insulting to ask all this?
- No. Good builders prefer clients who ask, because those jobs run more smoothly.
- Should I ask in person or in writing?
- Talk it through, then confirm the answers in writing.
- What if they cannot answer on the spot?
- Reasonable. "I'll check and come back to you" is a good answer.