Avoiding the Cowboy Builders

At DIY Homefit we are fascinated by home renovation programmes! One that we are enjoying at the moment is Cowboy Builders. The show’s website describes its aim as follows:

“Up and down the country, cowboy builders are causing devastation and dismay. These reckless workmen are always bad news, leaving behind them piles of rubble, financial angst and heartache – and it’s up to our team to fix up ruined homes and drive the bad builders out of town. Standing up for aggrieved consumers everywhere are Dominic Littlewood and Gabrielle Blackman.”

Some of the examples features on the programme are truly shocking. At DIY Homefit we pride ourselves on the ease of installation of our products – whether it be bespoke furniture or replacement kitchen doors or wardrobe doors.

Many of our satisfied customers have chosen to fit their products themselves. For those that do not feel confident to do so, we offer a Find a Fitter service. All the listed fitters are tradesmen who we understand have the experience and qualifications necessary to complete a successful installation. They operate independently from us and must have completed and met our registration criteria. Some of these carpenters/fitters have experience of installing our products whilst others may have recently registered and are looking for the opportunity to work with us and our products.

Whilst we will have received references for them all, you should – as always – satisfy yourself that they are right for you.

So, how do you ensure that in your kitchen refurbishment or bedroom makeover, you do not end up being a potential candidate for Cowboy Builders? We’ve put together the following list of hints and tips to help you:

• Word of mouth is always the best recommendation! Try and find a builder or fitter that has been personally recommended by someone you know and trust.

• If you don’t have a personal recommendation then do the next best thing and get another reliable recommendation. Ask the builder for a reference from a recent customer and feel free to check them out.

• Review websites such as Checkatrade.com can also help you to find builders and fitters that others have been happy with.

• Check whether the builder is happy to confirm things in writing as this helps to keep things on track and gives you evidence in the unhappy event of things going wrong.

• Be very clear right from the start about what money is to be paid when. Ensure that you do not pay all the money until you are completely happy with the job that has been done.

• Check whether they are willing to guarantee the work for a certain amount of time. If not, why not?

• Check what kind of insurance they have and what would happen in the event of your home being damaged during the building/fitting process.

All the best with your bedroom makeover or kitchen refurbishment! Make sure to browse through our website to see our vast range of DIY furniture and replacement kitchen doors or wardrobe doors. We hope that you will find the right products for your needs and manage to avoid any cowboy builders in the process!