Builders agreements

[Ian H]

He started his own business in 2004 after working at another architect place for 12 years, he is listed as a partner on my Councils website and has MCIAT ACIOB after his name. He came and looked at the job, seemed decent and said it was very straight forward.

After that I did trust him for a couple of months before I found out how bad he was. So, yes, I guess if he was the builder I would have trusted him until things started to go wrong. After using him I got the builder through word of mouth and went to look at 2 of his jobs, 1 finished and 1 being done, after that I felt I could trust him to do a good job and not just talk one.

 

[John D v2.0]

Hoe would you know if he guy you employ to babysit the builder would do a good job? You would have to trust him while paying even more money out.

I don't know, that was basically my point. I don't have a simple answer either unfortunately

 

[wessex101]

I think IanH did all the right things but was just very unlucky. I usually work on the basis that if someone has been trading for at least 10 years and they are qualified they should know what they are doing. I'd forgotten about the MCIAT qualification, I don't know what's involved in getting that one but I would be inclined to have expected better on the strength of that.

ACIOB on the other hand is a mickey mouse qualification. I worked with a chap who had that one and the entry requirement used to be over the age of 30 and something like 10 years experience in the building sector, he had worked in the Council's maintenance department mostly arranging boarding up broken windows and yet he used to swan around as if he was on a par with those of us with proper qualifications.

Mind you, one of my pet hates is someone who has too many initials after their name and anyone with more than 1 makes me suspicious.Most qualified professionals only have 1 unless they have a specialist side line like arbitration. So when you get 2 very different ones like CIAT and CIOB together like that it smacks of someone just trying too hard so what other deficiencies are they trying to hide. You can get some very obscure ones as well that do not have any or very simple technical entry requirement but the initials look good, things like Association of Municipal Sanitary Engineers and Institute of Residential Surveyors etc. etc.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Mind you, one of my pet hates is someone who has too many initials after their name and anyone with more than 1 makes me suspicious.

His Royal Highness Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB, OM, AK, QSO, PC, ADC, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland.

 

[Newboy]

or

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, PC, DL, FRS, RA

 

[^woody^]

So when you get 2 very different ones like CIAT and CIOB together like that it smacks of someone just trying too hard

Perhaps someone who draws plans will have CIAT for that, and if they do project management of the work they might have CIOB, and if they can do structural design they might have StructE, and if they can do surveys and quantities they might have RICS?

 

[noseall]

if they can do surveys and quantities they might have RICS?

You can get treated for that.

 

[^woody^]

You can get treated for that.

It's terminal.