If you've never engaged a builder before, the first time is intimidating. Most people pick on price, get burned, and end up paying more in the long run. There's a better way to do it. This is the one we'd recommend.
Start with the work, not the price
Before you ask for a quote, decide what you actually want done. A scope is a written list of every part of the job. "New kitchen" is not a scope. "New kitchen including removing partition wall, installing steel beam, replacing floor with engineered oak, supplying and fitting Howdens cabinetry to attached layout, granite worktops, integrated dishwasher and fridge-freezer, repositioning gas hob, plastering and painting, plus disposal of all old units" is a scope.
The reason this matters: builders quoting on a vague brief will all give you a different price, because they're all pricing a different job. Builders quoting on a written scope will give you prices that are actually comparable.
Ask for three quotes from three different kinds of firm
Get a quote from a directory listing — Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Trustatrader. Get a quote from a small local builder you found through a personal recommendation. Get a quote from a designer-led firm that publishes their work on Instagram. The prices will probably be very different. The work won't be the same either.
Read each quote carefully. The cheap one will usually have either left things out, or used cheap materials, or be a builder who plans to take the deposit and leave. The expensive one isn't always better — but it usually has the work specified properly.
Check the work, not the website
Anyone can build a slick website. The test is the actual work. Ask to see two or three finished projects in person. A builder who can't show you finished work — and who won't introduce you to a recent client — is one to avoid.
When you do visit a finished project, look at the small things. Are the grout lines straight? Do the doors close properly? Are the skirtings the same height? These are the details that show whether a builder cares about finishing.
Ask the awkward questions
Some questions feel rude to ask. Ask them anyway. They're the ones that filter out the wrong builders.
How long have you been trading? What's your most recent project that went badly, and what did you learn? What insurance do you carry? What's your VAT number? Can I have the address of two completed projects so I can drive past them? What's your payment schedule, and do you ask for cash?
A good builder will answer these without flinching. A bad one will get defensive.
Read the contract — actually read it
A proper builder will give you a written contract. The JCT Minor Works contract is the industry standard for residential renovation under £500,000. It covers programme, payments, variations, snagging, and what happens if either side breaks the agreement.
If your builder offers no written contract, walk away. If they offer their own contract on a single sheet of paper, read every word and ask about anything you don't understand.
On payment
Stage payments tied to milestones are normal. A deposit on signing, payments on first fix complete, second fix complete, and final payment on snag list sign-off. Some firms also include payment on materials being delivered to site.
Avoid: any builder asking for more than 30% upfront. Any builder asking for cash. Any builder who structures payments in a way you don't understand.
What good builders charge
Honest pricing for a London residential renovation is somewhere between £2,000 and £4,000 per square metre depending on specification, scope, and area. Bathrooms typically run £25,000–£50,000+ for a full strip and refit. Whole-house refurbishments £80,000–£250,000 and up.
Anything substantially below those numbers is either a builder who plans to cut corners, or one who has missed something off the spec.
A short version
Write a proper scope. Get three quotes. Visit finished work. Ask awkward questions. Read the contract. Don't pay cash, don't pay too much upfront, don't pick on price alone.
Most builders aren't bad. But the bad ones are very bad, and the cost of getting it wrong is months of stress and tens of thousands of pounds. It's worth taking three weekends to choose properly.