Choosing a Builder for Base Laying

Choosing the right builder for a concrete garage base comes down to a handful of checks: get two or three fully inclusive written quotes, never hand over more than a 15–20% deposit, put every detail of the job in writing, and allow time for the concrete to cure before the building arrives. Do those things and the job almost always goes smoothly.

We install over a thousand buildings a year, and most of them go onto bases laid by local builders, so we've seen what separates the good jobs from the painful ones. These are the seven things worth settling before anyone breaks ground.

Always obtain two or three quotes so you can compare prices meaningfully. Just as important: confirm in writing that each price is fully inclusive, labour, materials, skips and VAT. A cheap-looking quote that quietly excludes the skip or the VAT isn't a cheap quote.

Price isn't always the deciding factor. Choose the builder who shows genuine interest in your requirements, the one who asks questions about the building going on the base is the one who'll get the base right.

Ground workers are quieter in the winter months, which can mean shorter lead times and better pricing. If your timetable is flexible, it's worth asking what the same job costs in November versus May.

You should never pay more than a 15–20% deposit, with the final payment due the week of completion. A builder asking for most of the money before starting is a warning sign, decent trades don't need to fund a small base job from your pocket.

The builder needs to understand every requirement of the job, especially the base dimensions and specification the garage supplier calls for. If anything is unclear, have the builder speak to the supplier directly. Our base teams and sales office do this routinely; a two-minute phone call now prevents a base that's the wrong size on delivery day.

The concrete needs a minimum of a week to cure before a building goes on it, so your garage delivery should be booked at least a week after the base is finished. Then build in more slack on top of that: builders overrun and weather intervenes, so allow a few days beyond the builder's estimated finish date before you commit to a delivery date. A base that's finished the day before installation hasn't finished curing.

If you want ramps or mortar fillets, make sure they're specified in writing within the quote. Anything agreed on a handshake has a habit of becoming an extra invoice, or not happening at all.

In short: choosing a builder to lay a concrete garage base comes down to a handful of checks. Get two or three quotes and confirm in writing that each is fully inclusive of labour, materials, skips and VAT, because a price that quietly excludes the skip isn't the cheap price it looks like. Pay no more than a 15–20% deposit, with the balance due the week of completion, and treat a demand for most of the money up front as a warning. Put every detail in writing rather than agreeing extras such as ramps or mortar fillets verbally. Choose the builder who asks questions about the building going on the base, because that's the one who will get the base right. Allow the concrete a minimum of a week to cure before the garage is installed, and book delivery a few days beyond the builder's estimated finish date to absorb overruns and weather. Ground workers are quieter in winter, so a flexible timetable can mean shorter lead times and better pricing. Nucrete installs over a thousand buildings a year, most onto bases laid by local builders, and also lays bases with its own teams, which removes the size-and-specification risk entirely, because the people laying the base are the people supplying the garage.