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Look beyond your builder’s first impression
Foundation Series · Episode 9 of 12
Tina Patel & Bart Kolosowski · 26 February 2026
A newly finished project can look excellent. What does the same builder’s work look like a few years later?
Bart and Tina explain how to check contractor suitability, prepare a fair tender process and assess more than the headline price before appointing the team that will build your home.
Visit the older project as well as the freshly finished one
Bart recalls seeing a contractor’s new project looking polished, then visiting earlier work where timber floors, joints and other finishes told a different story.
Tina explains why older projects can reveal the quality of the work and how the contractor has responded to problems after handover. A newly painted room cannot answer all of those questions.
Speak to previous clients and, where possible, the professionals who worked with the builder. Ask about communication, problem-solving and returning to deal with issues—not just whether the end result looked attractive.
01
Define the fit
Identify the skills your job needs.
02
Check early
Review work, references and capacity.
03
Compare clearly
Clarify scope as well as price.
04
Prepare the start
Keep the team engaged and ready.
A good builder can still be wrong for this job
A contractor’s strengths, team and supply chain need to fit the work you are proposing. Experience with a straightforward extension may not be enough evidence for a basement or a project with substantial specialist packages.
Check current capacity and financial position as well as past performance. The hosts stress that a successful job last year does not tell you everything about the company’s situation today.
Start those conversations before tender returns create pressure to appoint. A shortlist of suitable, interested contractors is more useful than a collection of prices from builders you have not yet assessed.
Three prices are only useful if you understand what they cover
The tender package needs to bring the design, specification and project requirements together. Gaps can produce missing items, unclear allowances or different assumptions in each return.
Allow time for the contractor to involve suppliers and specialist trades. Pricing a staircase or glazing package is part of a wider chain, rather than a number one person can always provide immediately.
When the returns arrive, clarify exclusions and queries alongside the price. Agree the selection criteria early so programme, delivery approach and useful contractor input receive attention too.
Keep the project moving after the appointment
Selecting the contractor is a transition into preparation, not a reason for everyone to disappear until the start date.
Bart describes arranging introductions, agreeing early programme information and maintaining contact between the contractor, client and design team. That helps the builder prepare to deliver the work.
An early start date is not enough on its own. Ask what needs to be ready and what the team will do between appointment and arrival on site.
Three decisions to take into your project
01 Check the work after it has been used.
Visit older projects and ask how post-completion issues were handled.
02 Vet the shortlist before tendering.
Look at relevant experience, current capacity and financial position.
03 Compare complete proposals.
Resolve exclusions and assess delivery approach alongside the headline price.
The full conversation
The Foundation Series is our 12-episode guide to the home project journey. Architect Tina Patel and quantity surveyor Bart Kolosowski work through the decisions, people and processes involved, step by step.
In Episode 9, Bart and Tina walk through contractor selection—from deciding what the project needs and vetting the shortlist to assessing tenders and preparing for the build.
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