Guides
Build with more confidence.
Practical guides for keeping the financial story of your project clear. These guides are general information, not professional or legal advice.
Before your builder starts
The few minutes before work begins are the easiest time to agree what is and isn't included.
- Save the latest written quote or estimate, with its date.
- Write down what the price covers and what it excludes.
- Agree how extras will be priced and confirmed.
- Agree the payment stages before any money changes hands.
What to record at the beginning of a project
Your starting point is the figure everything else gets compared against later.
- The original agreed amount and the document it came from.
- Who you are working with and how they will confirm changes.
- Photos of the property before work begins.
- Any conditions, provisional sums or items marked 'to be confirmed'.
How to keep track of building payments
Payments are easy to lose track of once a project runs over several months.
- Record each payment on the day you make it.
- Note the amount, date, method and reference.
- Save the bank confirmation or receipt with the payment.
- Check what you've paid against the stages you agreed.
How to record extras and variations
Most disagreements come from changes that were agreed verbally and never written down.
- Write down what changed and who raised it.
- Record the amount, and whether that amount was agreed.
- Keep unpriced work visible but separate from your expected cost.
- Save the message or email where the change was discussed.
What building documents should you keep?
A short list covers almost every situation.
- The original quote, estimate or contract.
- Written confirmations of extras and reductions.
- Invoices, receipts and payment confirmations.
- Certificates, sign-offs and warranties handed to you at the end.
What photos should you take during a renovation?
Photographs are the simplest evidence to collect and the easiest to forget.
- Before work starts, room by room.
- Anything that will be hidden later: pipework, cabling, insulation, foundations.
- Deliveries of materials you are paying for.
- The finished work, once everything is complete.
Questions to ask before agreeing an extra
A short pause before agreeing keeps the project record clean.
- What exactly is the extra work?
- What is the price, and is that price fixed?
- Does it replace anything already in the original quote?
- Can you confirm it by message or email?
What to keep after your building project is finished
Your records still matter after the builders have left.
- The complete record of quote, changes, payments and final invoice.
- Guarantees, certificates and manuals.
- Photos of finished and hidden work.
- Contact details for anyone who worked on the project.
For location-specific information, visit Rules & Rights.