How to Choose a Reputable Surfacing and Groundworks Company: The Prudent Homeowner’s Checklist
Finding a cost-effective surfacing and groundworks contractor nowadays is much easier said than done, especially when taking into account how saturated the home improvement industry has become over the past several years.
With over 190,000 self-proclaimed construction specialists and surfacing experts operating around the UK, the onus is on you as a diligent homeowner to properly vet the local landscape, identify the best-rated firms, and schedule a few consultations before making a final hiring decision.
So if you happen to be in the market for road surfacing contractors in Norwich, for instance, it’s important to understand the calling cards, hallmarks, and salient characteristics of a reputable firm in today’s multifaceted landscape, especially if your primary goal is to augment your property without tearing a hole through your wallet along the way.
Feel free to refer to this brief editorial as a comprehensive agenda during your research.
Industry Experience
If you’d like to sidestep the drawbacks and pitfalls associated with hiring an inexperienced contractor or novice surfacing firm, you’ll have to make sure every company on your shortlist has at least 10 years of experience within the industry. Ideally, your company of choice will also be a generational family-owned business.
Qualified Endorsements
There are several renowned regulatory agencies that keep a close watch on the home improvement industry and the various contractors cavorting within it. As such, it’s in your best interests to take advantage of their diligent research and assiduousness by ensuring that your entire shortlist is comprised of firms that can tout the following certifications and accreditations:
- Constructionline qualification
- CHAS accredited contractor
- SAFEPLANE Federation of Planning Contractors
- Quality Systems Certification (ISO 9001)
- STREET WORKS endorsement
- Member of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme
If a particular website doesn’t feature an “About Us” section, you should be able to ascertain the firm’s accreditations by scrolling down to the bottom of the homepage. More often than not, renowned companies will showcase their qualifications and endorsements by way of badges, logos, and links that correspond to the proper entities.
The Suite of Services
Apart from ensuring a wide coverage area in a multitude of townships, you’ll also want your surfacing and groundworks partner to be resourceful, multitalented, and adaptable. In this regard, the best way to identify a firm’s competences and relevant aptitudes is to make sure they are able to facilitate all of the following tasks on an in-house basis:
- Comprehensive Surfacing: From new-age driveways and contemporary asphalt solutions to tarmacadam, bitumen, pothole repairs, and road maintenance, the company you end up hiring should have the necessary tools, equipment, and know-how to complete a wide range of paving, surfacing, and concrete work.
- Commercial Undertakings: From laborious reinstatement work and highway maintenance to machine laying, hand laying, and road planing, the top-rated surfacing firms are able to transpose their industrial-grade proficiencies onto various residential projects and domiciliary endeavours. Therefore, you’ll want to ensure that your firm of choice has a long-standing history of completing large-scale commercial projects.
- Groundworks Services: The most distinguished surfacing firms tend to feature a robust in-house department that specialises in performing a multitude of groundwork assignments, including excavation, drainage, kerbing, reinforced concrete, trench work, duct work, footpath construction, and soakaways.