Top Tips

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When choosing a builder to undertake work on your home, there are a number of things you need to bear in mind and questions you should be asking. Here are some tips to ensure you are making an informed decision to make sure you pick the right company for your loft conversion.

Is the builder a loft conversion specialist or general builder?

We are a loft conversions specialist with over 30 years of experience and have converted over 1000 during this time! Rest assured that we are specialist in this field, meaning you get the right loft conversion for you.

Is The builder or loft company a proper builder or an agency that take on lofts and sells them on to a variety of builders?

Touchstone Lofts undertake and manage all our loft conversions, we do not sell them on to builders and take a cut of the sales from the contract. You stay in touch with our team from day and we don’t farm your contract out to another random builder.

How much public liability insurance has the builder got?

It goes without saying how important this is! Please find the details of our insurance policy on our website.

Does the builder take responsibility and control of the Health and Safety? – Do they offer CDM- construction design management?

Did you know that current regulations make the homeowner responsible for the Health and Safety of a project unless the builder takes this over? Again, rest assured that we take over the CDM for the whole project, including the Health and Safety aspects.

Does the builder provide a scaled drawing so you can see the size of your loft conversion? You may get a cheap price but what exactly does it include? You do get what you pay for in building works and a cheaper price generally means you get less.

This can be a good indicator of their experience and the level of trust you can place in them to do a good job and finish it!

How long has the builder been trading?

Touchstone Lofts have been building lofts for 30 years, just saying!

Does the company have a website and other credentials e.g. purpose-built showroom?

You are on our website, please do take a look around. We also have a purpose-built show-house, a major investment to showcase our works.

Are all plumbing works carried out by a Gas registered plumber or plumbing handyman?

All our plumbing works are carried out by qualified plumbers so all building regulations are followed and all plumbing works are completed to a high standard.

Are the electrical works carried out by NICEIC qualified contractor?

As above, all our electrical works are carried out by a qualified electrician.

Are the dormer window flashings lead or tin, as opposed to plastic trims?

I see many dormer windows with plastic trims around windows which look cheap and will eventually leak. Our external windows are professionally finished with lead or tin flashings.

Does the builder fit bespoke solid pine stairs?

Solid pine stairs are computer designed as opposed to hand finished stairs which are built bespoke. These are available to see in our show house and are what we design and build for your home. We don’t use chipboard or ply, ensuring that you have high quality stairs that you could varnish if you wanted to.

Does the builder keep a photographic record of the build available for inspection if required?

So that you can see what we are building, this photographic record is available to all of our customers, which in turn provides full transparency.

Does the builder use a structural engineer with appropriate structural calculations for the loft structure build?

For all our loft conversions we use a qualified structural engineer, who calculates the loading required for each structural steel and timber that we use. They do a full assessment of your existing home and the structures. This ensures the whole works are structurally rigid and you will not get any issues with the structural integrity of your home.

Does the builder provide a 10-year guarantee?

We provide a 10-year guarantee in addition to a Trading Standards approved 10-year warranty, which is insurance backed for all our works.

Does the builder provide, in addition to the above, a “Trading Standards Approved” Home Improvements insurance?

The warranty we offer is Trading Standards approved and covers your deposit and your works from the day we start, up to 10 years after completion.

Does the builder use quality brands and suppliers like Velux, Jewson’s, Lawsons and Travis Perkins, who supply quality products?

We can provide full details of where our materials are from, all timber is sourced from responsible and replenished sources, and we by locally where possible.

Does your builder dispose of waste responsibly?

All of our waste is recycled and none goes to landfill.

Does your builder give proper planning advice?

Touchstone lofts send out fully trained and knowledgeable surveyors not salespersons who are just trained to sell. With a 98% success rate in planning. We will provide you with honest and correct planning advice when we visit your home for a survey.

Does your builder give proper plumbing advice?

Touchstone lofts are a Gas Registered building company and we send out fully trained surveyor who know about plumbing and heating. Whatever your existing system we can advise on what may be required for your loft conversion.