Trades and building supplies

building on their good names

You have found the land, sourced the finance and worked with an architect to design your home, now all your hard work, hopes and dreams are put into the hands of the people who will make it happen.

It is time to choose wisely.

Many find the prospect of sourcing the suitably qualified people so daunting that they opt for a ‘turn-key’ package where the trades people are included but if you are project managing the build yourself look to each trade’s own organisations to find the best men and women for the job. Scotland has some of the best, and oldest, accreditation systems around.

The Scottish Building Federation Established in 1895, making it one of the oldest and biggest of its kind, its membership is not automatic; ‘reputable builders can apply to join’. Associate membership is for smaller firms and individuals plus chartered quantity surveyors and architects and other businesses supplying goods and, or, services to the Scottish construction industry. The SBF Code of Conduct for the domestic market includes provisions on liability insurance, building standards, technical capabilities, employment and training, health and safety, the environment and customer care.

Select Founded in 1900 as The Electrical Contractors’ Association of Scotland, SELECT became the first trade association in the world to serve the electrical industry and is its authoritative trade association in Scotland.

Members undergo a rigorous technical assessment on a regular basis to ensure that their work is safe and installed to recognised industry standards.

If you accept a quote and conditions of trading from a SELECT member, the work is covered by the association’s Contract Completion Guarantee paying for the completion of that work by another member, if necessary.

Gas Safe The Gas Safe Register operates a registration scheme for gas businesses and individual gas operatives to ensure that they carry out their work in a competent manner. It is the only scheme recognised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that complies with the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. OFTEC OFTEC’s accredited registration schemes are for heating technicians working in liquid fuels, offgrid gas, heat pumps, solar thermal, biomass and

solid fuel.

To become OFTEC registered, all technicians must first undertake an approved training course and assessment. They are inspected regularly by OFTEC to ensure their work meets the required standard and the business they work for must also pass an audit.

SNIPEF The Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF) is the principal trade association for plumbing and heating businesses based in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Since 1923 it has represented the plumbing and heating industry, from sole traders to large-scale businesses by managing the training of plumbing apprentices. Its aim is to provide reassurance to consumers that they are hiring a qualified professional and will receive a high standard of work.

NFRC The National Federation of Roofing Contractors’ Scottish region has 97

members.

To join them a contractor must have a satisfactory trading record, including financial stability; inspections of past contracts to verify quality craft skills and technical competence and have satisfactory public, employers’ and third party insurance cover. They must also comply with Health and Safety Legislation and its own code of practice as well as British and European Standards. All member contractors are rigorously vetted before joining NFRC and then every three years.

Do you know a man who can?

We all love to be proved right, who wouldn’t? And one of the most difficult parts of building your house is finding the right people to do the job. The right person, with the right skills at the right price who arrives at the right time will make or break your project. So many rights, no wonder we worry about getting it wrong! As we have said, all the trades have their own representative bodies and organisations and it is essential you make sure your trades people are fully accredited. Make sure they have qualifications you can verify and a good company always has a good mix of people – from older employees down to apprentices who are attending recognised courses. In an age where anyone can build an impressive webpage, or print off masses of fliers and business cards, you need to be vigilant. Remember that with any trade you are paying for skill, experience, good quality training and up-to-the minute knowledge of products and regulations. And also remember that good people get snapped up! If you live somewhere remote or you are looking for a highly-qualified specialist in any field, especially renovation and conservation then get them booked as soon as possible. This is why working with an architect is so valuable; they know their specialists and where to find them. The same goes for building supplies; don’t always look to the big boys for the best deals; in the more rural and remote parts of the country the smaller, private firms are often part of a buying consortium and their prices and personal service might astound you. Having said that, the neighbourhood branch of a national firm with an excellent local manager is also worth finding; time spent of reconnaissance is never wasted, as they say in the military.