How to judge a builder's past projects: references, case studies and site visits

A portfolio tells you a builder can finish a job and photograph it well. It does not tell you whether they can do your job, on time, to the standard you need, and what they do when something goes wrong. That takes a little more digging, and most of it costs nothing.

This article is a practical way to test a builder's track record before you shortlist them. It works whether you are an owner planning a renovation, a committee choosing a contractor for common property repairs, or a developer comparing builders.

Step 1: Ask whether the project is like yours

A beautiful kitchen renovation says little about a facade repair on a six-storey strata building. Match on:

• Type of work. New build, renovation, repair or maintenance.
• Scale and complexity. Similar value, similar number of trades, similar constraints such as occupied buildings, limited access or tight programmes.
• Building type. Freestanding house, apartment building, commercial or hospitality.
• Recent. Standards and regulations move on. Work from last year tells you more than work from fifteen years ago.

Ask for two or three projects that resemble yours, not the three best-looking ones.

Step 2: Speak to the referee, and ask better questions

A reference is only useful if you ask questions that a polite "yes, they were fine" cannot answer. Try these:

1. What was the original scope and price, and what was the final price? What caused any difference?
2. Did the job finish on the date promised? If not, how was that communicated?
3. How many defects were on the list at completion, and how quickly were they fixed?
4. Who turned up on site day to day? Was it the person you met at the quote stage?
5. What went wrong during the job, and how did the builder deal with it?
6. Have you needed to call them back since handover, and what happened?
7. Would you use them again for something bigger?

Question 5 matters most. Every project has a problem somewhere. A referee who can describe one and how it was resolved is giving you far better information than one who says there were none.

For strata work, ask the strata manager or committee chair, not just the builder's nominated contact. They can tell you how the builder handled owners, noise, access and communication, which is half the job in an occupied building.

Step 3: Visit, or at least see the work

If a completed project is accessible, look at it. If it is a private home, the owner may allow a visit, but do not count on it. For common property, a strata manager can often arrange access.

When you look at finished work, check the things that show care and are hard to fake:

• junctions and edges: where tiles meet walls, where flashings meet cladding, where trims meet floors;
• silicone and sealant lines, which should be neat and continuous;
• doors and windows opening and closing smoothly;
• level floors and straight lines; and
• signs of leaks, staining or cracking, especially in work more than a couple of years old.

The best evidence is a project that has been through a few seasons of weather and use. New work always looks good.

Step 4: Read photos and case studies with a critical eye

Photos in a portfolio are chosen and styled. They can't show you concealed work, programme, price or how the builder behaved when problems arose. A useful case study will do more than show a finished room. Look for:

• A clear brief. What did the client need, and what were the constraints?
• The problem that made it hard. If there is no difficulty described, the case study is probably a gallery in disguise.
• What was done, and why. Specific methods and materials, not adjectives.
• The checks along the way. What was inspected before it was covered up? See our article on hold points and the handover record for what this looks like.
• The outcome in measurable terms. Programme, scope changes, defects at handover, and what the client received at the end.
• A named, willing referee. Or at least an honest explanation of why the client has not been named.

Be wary of stock photos presented as completed projects. Check that the images are of the builder's own work, taken on their own sites.

Step 5: Check the paper trail

Past work leaves records you can verify:

• the builder's licence, categories and history, using the steps in checking a builder's licence in NSW;
• the HBCF insurance certificate for a comparable past job, if the builder is willing to show one with the owner's details removed;
• any public warnings, penalty notices or tribunal outcomes on the licence record; and
• the builder's insurance certificates, explained in our article on builder insurance in NSW.

Warning signs

• Photos only, with no named projects, no referees and no description of the work.
• References who are friends, family or the builder's own staff.
• Reluctance to let you speak to a client or visit a finished job.
• Case studies in which nothing ever went wrong.
• Vague answers about who will supervise your job and who did the work in the photos.

How we present our work

Where a project on our website is a representative example of the kind of work we do, rather than a specific completed job, we label it that way. As we publish named case studies, each will set out the brief, the difficulty, the method, the checks and the result, so that you can judge it on the same terms as this article. If you would like to talk through how we would approach something like your project, get in touch. Our How We Build page explains the method behind the work.

Sources

• Checking your contractor or tradesperson is qualified, NSW Government
• Check a builder or tradesperson licence, Service NSW

This article is general information, not legal advice. Full website disclaimer