buildwiz.uk
Guides

Pre-Construction

Getting your team, contracts, and site ready

12 tasks in this phase

Builder vetting process infographic showing five stages from sourcing candidates through credential checks, site visits, quote comparison, and final appointment, with red flag indicators at each stage
1
How to Find a Reliable Builder for Your Extension
Where to find builders, what to ask them, and the red flags that save you from a costly project going wrong. Practical vetting guide for UK homeowners.
Free with email
Builder quote comparison infographic showing three quotes side by side with highlighted differences in scope, exclusions, and VAT treatment
2
Getting and Comparing Builder Quotes
How to get like-for-like quotes from builders, what each line item means, where the hidden costs are, and a systematic approach to choosing the right builder at the right price. UK-specific for extensions.
Contract and payment schedule infographic showing six milestone stages from deposit through completion, with retention held back at each stage
3
Contracts and Payment Schedules: Protecting Your Money
Why a handshake deal can cost you thousands, what a proper building contract covers, and how to structure stage payments so you never pay ahead of completed work. UK-specific guidance for homeowner-managed extensions.
Insurance coverage map for a UK extension project showing builder's insurance, homeowner's insurance, and the gaps between them
4
Builder's Insurance: What to Check Before They Start
Around 80% of homeowners doing major building work are underinsured. What your builder must carry, how to verify it's genuine, and the cover gaps that could cost you thousands.
Process infographic showing the five parties involved in utility meter relocation for a UK extension: gas distribution network, electricity distribution network operator, energy supplier, electrician, and groundworker, with arrows showing coordination flow
5
Utility Meter Relocation: The Task Nobody Warns You About
Moving gas and electric meters for an extension involves five companies and takes months to coordinate. A real-world guide to getting it right.
Infographic showing a residential property site layout with skip placement, material storage area, access route, and protected zones marked during extension construction
6
Skip Hire and Site Setup for Extensions
How many skips you need for an extension, what they cost, why grab lorries are better for heavy waste, and how to set up your site before the builder arrives.
Timeline infographic showing the kitchen gap period between old kitchen strip-out and new kitchen installation, with icons for temporary cooking equipment at each stage
7
Setting Up a Temporary Kitchen During Your Extension
Your kitchen will be out of action for months. Here's how to set up a temporary cooking and washing station for £100–£300, plus the food and laundry strategies that actually work.
Decision flowchart showing recovery routes when a building supplier goes bust, branching by payment method from credit card to debit card to bank transfer
8
What to Do When a Supplier Goes Bust
Construction suppliers fail at record rates. Learn how Section 75 credit card protection recovers your money, how to spot warning signs, and what to do when a supplier goes into insolvency.
Escalation spectrum showing five levels of builder behaviour from normal friction to crisis, with recommended homeowner actions at each stage
9
Managing Your Builder: Communication and Expectations
How to communicate with your builder, keep a site diary, spot warning signs early, handle disputes, and manage the relationship that determines whether your extension succeeds or fails.
Dashboard-style infographic showing a cost tracker with three columns (estimate, committed, actual) across extension build phases, with a variance alert on one category
10
Tracking Your Build Costs
Fewer than 1 in 3 extension projects finish within 10% of budget. Set up a cost tracker, enforce written variation approvals, and review at every milestone to stay in control.
Construction programme timeline infographic showing eight build phases from planning through completion, with hard dependency arrows, lead-time callouts, and a builder delay buffer zone
11
Construction Programme: Building Your Schedule
An extension takes 9-15 months from architect to sign-off. A construction programme stops you losing weeks to avoidable sequencing mistakes.
Dispute escalation ladder showing six resolution steps from direct negotiation through to county court, with costs and timescales at each level
12
Dealing with Builder Disputes
What to do when the builder relationship breaks down: your legal rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the dispute escalation ladder, mediation, small claims court, and how to recover your money.