Dave Ripley (00:01.55)
Welcome to our third pastcast. Do you dream it? We build it. How many quotes do you need? Okay, so who am I? My name is Dave Ripley. I've got 15 years experience in the construction industry and I'm proud to be the owner of a multi -broadway company called Surrey House Builder. 

So how many quotes do we really need? 
I would always recommend three builders to come and visit. Make sure you can work with them. They're going to be coming in and out of your house.

Sometimes when you're not there and you have to trust them. Make sure the quotes are fully priced and you understand what you're paying for. Not a one liner with an all in price. Do your due diligence with the builders. Ask for references. Speak to previous customers and see what they've been had done. Check company house. Just make sure that they haven't had companies time and time again go into liquidation.

If you see that, run a mile. Expect to wait for a good builder. In the current market, we're booking six months in advance. Saying that sometimes jobs do move, the spaces do come available. How long will it take? Ask the builder for a build schedule so you can check to see when something's going to start and when it's going to finish. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Hope that helps.

Thank you very much.

Welcome to our second podcast. If you dream it, we build it. How to find a builder. So who am I? My name's Dave Ripley. I've got 15 years experience in the construction industry. And I'm proud to say that I'm the owner of a multi award winning company called Surrey House Builder. So how do we find a builder? First off, speak to friends and family, neighbors, recommendations. That's what we're looking for. Just to see what they've had, if they've had good experiences.

and hopefully they can point you in the right direction. Next is local trades. Have you had an electrician or a plumber in your house? Have a chat with them, see if they've worked with a decent builder and they can also help you out. Have a drive around, just see who's doing what in the area. If you find somebody you like, have a chat with them, see how tidy the site is, see how polite everybody is on site. Also look at trade federations.

like Federation of Master Builders, architects, they're also great. They also have builders that they work with all the time. But one thing I would point out is please use local builders. I've seen it time and time again where people have used builders from miles away and they've given you an amazing quote and they've saved you loads of money, but they don't have a reputation. They had a great reputation.

they would not be working outside of their area. So if it's too good to be true, there's a reason for it. I hope that helps.

My name is Dave Ripley and I have 15 years in the construction industry. I own a multi award winning company Surrey House Builder. 

The idea of the podcast is to help you find an architect that will work with you to put on to plans your dreams and desires so the builder can produce your dream house/project.