High praise for Britain's builders

Posted: 05 Jul 2006 10:51:07 GMT

British builders have not always had the greatest of reputations, but a new report seems to suggest that their efforts are now being appreciated.

Conducted by YouGov, a survey has found that 91 per cent of homeowners were either satisfied or extremely satisfied with building work carried out during the last three years.

Tellingly, property owners who exercised caution when choosing a builder were those who were ultimately happiest with the work that was done and as more people adopt this approach, there is hope within the industry that "cowboy" builders will eventually be weeded out.

A significant 82 per cent of respondents had employed a builder known to them already or someone recommended by a friend, while 91 per cent had received a verbal or written quote before the work commenced.

And sensibly, 82 per cent either followed up references or checked that the builder belonged to a professional body, in an attempt to minimise the risk of shoddy work.

Nonetheless, as observed by the Chartered Institute of Builders, the Office of Fair Trading still receives over 100,000 complaints each year about rogue traders.


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