Mr Skill

Unfortunately cowboy builders keep on popping up under the guise of pretending to be handymen and women. The difficulty comes when they start fiddling with basics like roofs, windows, doors and even foundations. Newspaper reports across the UK every week attest to the foolishness of hiring the services of an unqualified, incompetent builder. Mr-Skill exists to help you Find a Builder you should be able to rely on.

My old friend Bill Sykes who is a venerable Builder in London with decades of experience just laughs when he reads these stories. “What fools they are”, he chortles. “Haven’t they heard about the NHBC?” In case you have not heard of it either, The National House Building Council is the leading warranty, insurance and standard-setting provider in the UK building industry. They have been protecting the nation’s homeowners for over 75 years so something must be working well.

Their warranties (which naturally apply only to work done by builders in good standing with them) cover around 80% of new houses being built today, and all-in-all 1.7 million British homes are under current protection. This provides assurances against only major defects though, not cosmetic issues like plaster cracks.

After you receive your Building Quotes from Mr-Skill remember to ask “are you NHBC registered?” and to request to see a current paid-up certificate too. If you receive an excuse instead then we recommend you pass that builder over in favour of another. When the job is done, but before you pay them finally, please remember to insist that you receive your written NHBC Warranty.