Asking builders for changes (estate)

Thoie

I'm looking at a house that will be built in an estate next year. Not having done this before, I know that you can ask the builders for some changes (which they'll charge you extra for), but I'm not sure at what stage you do this.

I'm not thinking of anything structural, but things like
USB sockets in some places instead of just normal sockets
A few extra sockets
Different kitchen tap
Installing an outdoor electric socket
Different glass on the back door
Adding a light in the attic (with a switch for it somewhere)

Do you ask at around the time contracts are being signed, or after they've dug the foundations, or some other time?

Gumbo

Thoie wrote: »

I'm looking at a house that will be built in an estate next year. Not having done this before, I know that you can ask the builders for some changes (which they'll charge you extra for), but I'm not sure at what stage you do this.

I'm not thinking of anything structural, but things like
USB sockets in some places instead of just normal sockets
A few extra sockets
Different kitchen tap
Installing an outdoor electric socket
Different glass on the back door
Adding a light in the attic (with a switch for it somewhere)

Do you ask at around the time contracts are being signed, or after they've dug the foundations, or some other time?

Put the list in an email to the foreman and see what he can/cannot do.

Most seem ok, extra sockets etc.

Johnnyhpipe

They won't even want to know until contracts are signed. Eg if you decide to alter the standard spec, they spend money on it, you don't sign and end up pulling out, they're left standing with your bespoke creation!

Thoie

kceire wrote: »

Put the list in an email to the foreman and see what he can/cannot do.

Most seem ok, extra sockets etc.

None of them are a major deal, and I could do a lot of them myself after I'd moved in, but it would be neater to have things like sockets done before they painted.

Where do you get the foreman's email address - is this something that's usually given to you as standard, or do you just pop over to the site and ask someone when the work starts?

Johnnyhpipe wrote: »

They won't even want to know until contracts are signed. Eg if you decide to alter the standard spec, they spend money on it, you don't sign and end up pulling out, they're left standing with your bespoke creation!

Let's say contract signing is January 1st (it's not). Trying to figure out if it's better to ask (and I realise they may perfectly well say no) on January 2nd, or just as they dig the foundations, or do you wait until the walls are up.

I worry that if I ask too early they'll be forgotten about, but if you leave it too late things like the outdoor sockets would become a bigger job. Or the glass for the backdoor for example - presumably they'll be ordering 10 or 20 doors or whatever - do they order those mad early, or do they only order them a week before they're ready to put the doors in.

Utah

Estate agent should be able to tell you the foreman and give you his number