Contract

PaddyCar

What sort of contract would normally be drawn up between a client and a builder for a one off dwelling? I am aware of the public works contracts but i presume they wouldn't apply in a one off situation.
Also, would a bill of quantities be prepared or would the builder be required to provide a fix price off the plans and accompanying specification?

Metric Tensor

There's a few different ones that can be used:

Law Society Form
CIF Form
RIAI Blue Form (without quantities)

There's also an RIAI "Pink" Form, which I think is also aimed at small projects but I know nothing about it.

Each type has it's own pros and cons and the only way to decide which suits you best is to read each one!

As you can detect from the above the "Blue Form" is priced based on drawings and specifications without including a BOQ but there is a "Yellow Form" you can use if you want to include quantities. Again it's a "horses for courses" affair - the inclusion or exclusion of a BOQ has certain effects on risk, conflict resolution, etc.- so you can go either way provided you understand the pros and cons of each.