Pay 50% up front for a building job?

[happylady 10]

Hi.

 

is this normal?

 

having some work done and have been asked to pay 50% up front. would be interested to know what others think.

 

no way - we had our holiday place refurbed at the beginning of this year. Was amazed when the builder didn't ask for a penny up front and when I questioned him about it he said trust is a two way thing. If I paid anything it would be only for the materials which would be understandable.

 

think he's trying to pull a fast one! have you got any recommendations for him?

[gnvqsos 10]

that why most joiners/carpenter become foremans . a thinking man trade we there from the start to finish. i do like your sense of humour at times

 

I thought that most foremen had to be decisive and adept at man management.What is it about a carpenter which develops this attribute?I know what you mean about thinking,as most joiners seldom bend their back as a plasterer or brickie would,and power tools have opened the trade up to the more delicate male.

[gnvqsos 10]

Be very careful we work on no payment till completion. seen many customers get ripped off

 

Yes a friend of mine on Walkley Bank Road got ripped off by a roofer in an orange van:hihi:

[Bladesman 10]

see, I had never thought of that, why would people get a builder to order things they had no intention of using? but it obviously happens as your post states.

 

They wanted something for cheap but had no intention of paying full price for the work to be done.

 

E.g. pay the builder £1,000 on a £5,000 job then make excuses not pay him the 4k when the job has been done.

 

What can the builder do break into your house afterwards and remove the bathroom he fitted? Waste money on court fees trying to get the money owed?

 

The builder will probably have another job to start but will be left severely out of pocket.

[gnvqsos 10]

never read so much nonsense in a thread in the 4 years been using the forum. been a self employed builder 18 years you can not even pay cash on delivery at most builders merchants any more let alone cheque. been stung twice by customers going bust on me costing me £3500 and £15,000 most of these losses where due to the fact that i put materials on my account and thus when i did not get paid i stiil had to settle may accounts. to assume a builder should fund your project for you and carry all the risk is in my opinion not acceptable. you would not go to work and then pay for the priverlidge untill your boss was happy to pay you. we allways ask for a payment the day works commence (normally around 20/30%) then stage payments at pre agreed stages ( these are normally at the building inspection stages)

 

not all builders are conmen as tv would make you think. best advice is to use a builder that is recomended.

 

So who is right -the person demanding an up-front payment,or the customer.The solution would be for the customer to buy materials in their name etc.Unfortunately many builders will prefer to use a global figure as it conceals the labour charges.Once customers can work out the cost of materials they can calculate the labour costs-this may prove revealing.

[katy3 10]

So who is right -the person demanding an up-front payment,or the customer.The solution would be for the customer to buy materials in their name etc.Unfortunately many builders will prefer to use a global figure as it conceals the labour charges.Once customers can work out the cost of materials they can calculate the labour costs-this may prove revealing.

 

But you could say that about anything if a dress is £150.00 has a £150.00 of labour material gone into making that dress ?

[cgksheff 44]

So who is right -the person demanding an up-front payment,or the customer.The solution would be for the customer to buy materials in their name etc.Unfortunately many builders will prefer to use a global figure as it conceals the labour charges.Once customers can work out the cost of materials they can calculate the labour costs-this may prove revealing.

 

Again, any builder worth his salt would provide a rough quote indicating approximate estimates of materials, time, taxes etc. to show a final price.

 

Many small builders are either unwilling or incapable of producing a reliable quote that they are willing to work to if they have got it wrong to their own detriment.

 

To be fair many extensions/repairs cannot be totally quantified until existing work has been opened up, but experience can help with this.

 

Many other businesses factor in the costs of pre-financing, why can't builders?

 

Personally, I believe in written quotes, deposits and final payment after completion.

For a long job, an interim payment can be made but it will never totally cover work-to-date.

[gnvqsos 10]

But you could say that about anything if a dress is £150.00 has a £150.00 of labour material gone into making that dress ?

 

Clearly not as there would be no budget for materials.What a ridiculous suggestion!

[maryjane 11]

well thanks to all advice on here I questioned it and they have said I dont need to pay anything until the job is done, so thanks all. love this forum. xx

[Del_Boy 10]

Any building company worth their salt would have good cashflow.

[savena 10]

Don't pay anything up front !

I did this, and Mark Cashin aka Cashin Construction walked off with my money.

 

Very interested to see this. Mark Cashin of Cashin Construction did the same to us early last year (2012). Foolishly, we gave him the money to pay for a new conservatory ((13K) and he disappeared, leaving our garden and shed like a tip. It cost another 2K to get the heaps of earth and rubbish removed, and to get his preperation work (for which he had been paid generously) put right - because it was all wrong. So we lost £15,000.00 not including his pay for poor work. We then found that we needed planning permission (he'd insisted we didn't) so thank God he went. We were in a mess with his going but would have been in a worse one if he'd stayed. I discovered he has previous. I do hope someone can learn from our bitter experience. Also his web site claims to be a Limited Company. It isn't. I would never again pay anyone any money upfront.

Edited April 13, 2013 by savena
bad english

[GoLdFInGeR 10]

I recently had a building job done, I paid nothing up front, not even for materials. After one week of them working on site, I paid for the materials. Once the job was completed a week later I paid the full balance the day after they finished. They were very happy, I was very happy. Nice to be happy.