How to get a Good, Small or Jobbing Builder in Cyprus

Most of the advice on property sites focuses only on the main developer who does the major construction work on your dream home in Cyprus.

But if you use a Cyprus based main contractor or developer for those extra paths, pergolas, fences, walls, gates, patios etc then the general advice is beware because you often pay through the nose. Often many times the market price.

Local, small  Cypriot builders are often better on pricing but tend to produce work to the price, style and standard that they have always done, whatever you say.

So you try the local expat builders because there are no langauge problems, no differing expectations on standards, no design communication issues and other cultural differences about what they expect of you. But beware again. The British Builders usually have adverts in publications meant for expats, like the Grapevine in Paphos, which often cite meaningless past membership of building federations in the UK or the eternal maxim of being “a time served craftsman”. 

Expect the worst, whatever choice you make and just hope for the best ?? No, read on about what else you need to know and what to avoid so that you get the job at a reasonable price for what you want, to the highest standard. It should be a joy to improve your home, not a series of concerns, worries and fears where you get ripped off or worse.

Many of these these small or jobbing builders, whether Cypriot Nationals or Brits often operate marginal businesses. With few assets beyond a few hand and power tools, the pick-up trucks and a rented office – and a crew that shrinks or expands as needs dictate with little skills – general contractors are viewed as high-risk business models. Ask any banker how he or she feels lending money to builders. That’s why they don’t have bank accounts and ask for cash or cheques that can be cashed.

Many small builders run jobs very inefficiently, and this can badly affect the job they are doing for you. Lots of projects end up with massive scheduling problems – and they come to a head right around the last week or last few days so when they have a clear view that they on a for a loss, often asking for a final payment early so they can scarper or leave the job unfinished.

Here are some examples of readers problems of using small jobbing builders. You need to avoid all of these.

-They needed to borrow my tools because they came without their own !!
-Any tools I did not have were hired at additional cost to me.
-Poor workmanship.
-Not turning up when promised.
-No communication about variations and other issues that arise. Just bad fixes.
-Complaints being ignored and problems not being fixed.
-Phone calls not answered nor returned (mobile only).
-Delays which become a nightmare because of other jobs or it was too hot or too wet or there is no water.
-No Trade Credit – demanded that I pay their suppliers direct for materials as they were delivered to the site.
-But they took away any supplies that were not used !!
-Left their mess all over our site and adjoining land which served as a tip.
-At the end of the first week demands for cash to pay workers wages.
-No paperwork for estimates,quotes or invoices.
-Not registered for VAT or Income Taxes.
-Jobs unfinished claiming they are making a loss.
-Payment required before finishing or payments upfront.
-Matrimonial or relationship problems !! Not mine – theirs.
-Drink problems – worse for wear every morning.
-No address given for work or home.
-Plush convincing adverts in local magazines.
-Workers being paid to sit around waiting for concrete deliveries.
-Workers leaving early because they run out of supplies and materials.
-Threats of calling the police because you won’t pay for an unfinished job………threats to smash up the job or personal threats if you do not pay up.
-Electricity cut meant no work – no generator.

In contrast, people who’d had positive experiences reported that the builders they hired all had the following qualities.

-Skills
-Capital and Trade Credit so that the job was funded by the builder with payment at the end to the satisfaction of the owner.
-Honesty and integrity, i.e. someone who tells the truth, keeps promises and accepts responsibility when it is due.
-Knowledge and wide experience of the building industry and good construction methods and materials
-A personality that meshed with their own.
-Patience.
-Sympathy for the owners goals and budget.

So what can you do and what should you look for in an small or jobbing builder?

When the written quotes come in, don’t automatically choose the cheapest. Use a number of criteria to decide, such as Price – if a tender is way above or below the others you should question it. Some builders tender low on the initial bid just to get the job – but they’ll probably be forced to cut corners, or rely on expensive variations along the way to make the job pay. They may even put their own business into jeopardy and be unable to finish the job. Expect to pay a fair price for the job – you get what you pay for. They DO usually have the lowest price initially, but that low price almost ALWAYS turns into the highest, if even one small thing goes wrong.

Examples of their work – Get an independent opinion, ask them if you can talk to someone who has used them and look at examples of their work.

They should maintain a local, publicly-accessible place of business.  I think you should visit, or at least know the location of, the offices or yard of your contractor sometime before your job starts. Most small contractors make the mistake of mixing their business and personal affairs and that is a financial disaster.

Finally, talk to each one and decide if you think you can work with them on a daily basis. You need to be comfortable with them, believe communication channels will be open, and confident they are capable of turning the designs into a high quality/satisfactory job.

Cyprus Property Help & Advice Centre™ ® ©
The Black Art of Buying Property in Cyprus™ ®
The Cyprus Informer™ ® ©
http://cyprusinformer.eu

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