IS THERE A RIGHT TIME TO GO OUT FOR TENDER PRICES

From experience and for a client / home owner to obtain the best value from the builder tender prices, going out to tender during the winters months for their home extension usually produces the best and keenest prices from house extension builders.

The months of December & January are particularly good. This is mainly due to the dropping off of interest in new buildings works coming forward during this period and many builders start to get a bit anxious for lining up their next jobs.

When the home extension builders are continually being offered work to price week after week, they simply add higher & higher margins due to the feel good factor. The reverse happens when it gets quiet as it does with any business so they are not usual.

Economic cycles that affect a home owners desire to spend money on their homes also affects home extension builders prices. I remember during the last recession years of the early nineties, I had a sudden upsurge of previous clients requesting extra copies of approved plans as they were now obtaining construction prices 15 to 20 % cheaper than they had done 2 years previous and all down to that elusive builders added margin.

Regretfully, house extension works seem to become abundant during the spring & summer months due to the home owner lemming effect when most good builders are now very busy on committed jobs & the builders prices submitted will reflect this extra demand.