Many domestic small works for extensions, loft conversions or renovations are agreed on nothing more than a handshake with a contractor you’ve only just met. However, leaving the project in the hands of a builder and relying on their experience alone to see the job through without the benefit of any sort of formal contract is a risk.
To be fair, many construction projects are successfully completed in this way, but it’s when things go wrong that you’ll wish you’d had an effective means of resolving a problem. Without a contract, it’s impossible to establish who agreed to do what, when and for how much. Here I’m looking at how these documents can help to achieve the right outcome and even save you money.