How to Choose a Builder in Sussex: Scope, Stages, Payments and Project Control

If you are choosing a builder in Sussex, get the scope, assumptions, payment stages and process for changes clear before work starts — because most expensive disputes begin with two people thinking they agreed the same thing when they did not.

The cheapest total is not automatically the cheapest project.

Give every builder the same information

For meaningful comparisons, each builder needs the same brief.

For a larger project, that may include:

• drawings;
• structural information;
• planning decision where relevant;
• specification;
• fixtures/finishes schedule;
• access constraints;
• working-hour restrictions;
• waste arrangements;
• whether you will remain in the property;
• target start or completion dates.

If one builder prices from a sketch and another prices a detailed specification, the figures are not comparable.

Ask what is excluded

Inclusions get attention. Exclusions often create the surprise.

Ask specifically about:

• decorating;
• floor finishes;
• kitchen or bathroom supply;
• utility connections;
• scaffolding;
• skip/waste;
• structural engineer fees;
• building-control fees;
• temporary protection;
• making good;
• landscaping after works;
• VAT;
• specialist subcontractors.

A good quote does not need to include everything. It needs to make clear what it does not include.

Separate fixed items from allowances

Some projects contain provisional sums or allowances because the final cost cannot yet be known.

That can be legitimate.

The important question is:

“Which figures are fixed, which are allowances, and what happens if the real cost is higher?”

Examples might include:

• excavation;
• drainage;
• structural opening-up;
• specialist finishes;
• sanitaryware;
• electrical upgrades.

Knowing this before work starts helps you keep a realistic contingency.

Ask who will actually run the site

The person who quotes may not be the person you see every day.

Ask:

• Who is the day-to-day contact?
• Who supervises subcontractors?
• How often will the main builder be on site?
• Who can approve changes?
• Who will speak to building control?
• How will progress updates be given?

For landlords or property managers, one clear contact is especially valuable.

Payment stages should match real progress

For larger projects, agree payment stages before the start.

A useful stage should relate to something you can identify.

Avoid vague schedules such as:

50% at start, 50% near the end

without understanding what those payments fund.

If a deposit is needed for materials, ask what is being ordered.

If a stage payment is due after structural work, define what “structural work complete” means.

Keep written records of invoices and payments.

Plan for variations before you need one

Building work changes.

A wall is opened and reveals damage.

You upgrade a product.

A drawing changes.

A service route cannot go where expected.

Agree a simple rule:

1. the change is described;
2. cost effect is stated;
3. programme effect is stated;
4. you approve it;
5. then the work proceeds where practical.

Small urgent decisions may happen verbally on site. Confirm them afterwards in writing.

Without a variation process, ten “little extras” can become a major final-account disagreement.

Building Regulations are not the same as planning permission

GOV.UK makes the distinction clear: you may need Building Regulations approval even when planning permission is not required, and some projects need both.

Before starting, identify:

• what approvals are required;
• who is applying;
• who books inspections;
• what certificates should exist at completion.

For homeowners, that paperwork can matter later when selling or remortgaging.

Do not assume the builder, architect and homeowner each believe someone else is handling it.

Health and safety still matters on a domestic project

HSE notes that domestic clients are not expected to manage construction like professionals, but they still have an important role in choosing people capable of carrying out work safely.

Ask straightforward questions:

• How will the site be secured?
• How will occupants be separated from works?
• What is the access plan?
• How will dust and debris be controlled?
• Who manages scaffolding or excavations?

You do not need to write the contractor's method statement.

You do need a project that is being treated like a real construction site.

References are most useful when the projects are similar

“Can I see previous work?” is better when narrowed.

Ask for examples similar in:

• scale;
• property type;
• structural complexity;
• finish level;
• occupied/unoccupied conditions.

A beautiful kitchen photograph does not tell you much about managing a structural refurbishment.

If speaking to a previous customer, useful questions include:

• Did the final cost broadly match the agreed scope?
• How were changes handled?
• Was the site organised?
• Was communication reliable?
• Were defects dealt with after completion?

Landlords: define who makes tenant-facing decisions

For work in occupied rental property, agree:

• access responsibility;
• tenant communications;
• working hours;
• temporary loss of services;
• protection of belongings;
• emergency contact;
• who can authorise small extras;
• who handles complaints.

Do not make the tenant act as an unpaid project manager between builder and landlord.

Using TradeKind

You can browse builders across Sussex and review the services and areas shown on public profiles.

For a defined project, post the job on TradeKind and include enough detail for builders to decide whether it fits.

For example:

“Internal refurbishment of a three-bed house in Chichester: remove non-structural partitions, new kitchen, plastering and decorating. Drawings available. Looking for a main contractor for the whole project.”

That is more useful than “builder needed ASAP”.

TradeKind makes it easier to start the search, but the written project documents remain important.

Before you choose

Make sure you can answer:

• Are all builders pricing the same scope?
• What is excluded?
• Which sums are provisional?
• Who manages the site?
• How are variations approved?
• Are payment stages linked to progress?
• Who handles Building Regulations and inspections?
• What records/certificates should I receive?
• Does the builder have relevant similar-project experience?

If those points are clear, you are much closer to comparing builders rather than comparing incomplete numbers.