Key takeaways
- Ask every builder the same questions, in writing, and keep the answers.
- A builder who cannot answer the engineering and certification questions is quoting a product, not a project.
- Vague answers at quote stage become disputes at handover.
Ask these of every company you shortlist, in writing, and file the replies with the quote. The point is not to catch anyone out. It is to make the responses comparable, and to find out early which parts of the job a builder does not intend to carry.
Scope and responsibility
- What exactly is included in this price, and what is explicitly excluded?
- Who applies for approvals, and who pays if a condition requires a design change?
- Who is responsible for the engineering design, and who certifies it?
- Who does the installation, and are they your staff or a subcontractor?
- If the structure forms part of a larger permitted work, who holds overall responsibility?
Design basis
- What design vessel or loading did you use, stated as figures?
- What water levels did you design to, and what is the source of those levels?
- What is the freeboard at the boarding point, at what load?
- What wave, wind and current conditions did you assume for this site?
- What restraint system are you proposing, and why that one here?
- Will the structure ground at low water, and is it designed to take that load?
Materials and detailing
- What materials are used for structure, fasteners and fittings?
- How are dissimilar metals isolated at every junction?
- How does water drain from closed sections?
- What anodes are fitted, where, and what is the replacement interval?
- What is the deck surface, and what is its wet slip performance?
Evidence and documents
- What drawings will I receive, and when?
- What engineering certification is provided, and in whose name?
- What material certificates or product data are included?
- What as-built records are handed over at completion?
- What happens to these documents if I sell the property?
Commercial terms
- What is the deposit, and what does it secure?
- What are the payment stages, and what milestone releases each one?
- What is the program, and what causes it to move?
- How are variations priced and authorised?
- What is the defects liability period, and what does it exclude?
- What does the warranty cover, for how long, and what voids it?
- Is any amount retained until defects are rectified?
After handover
- What maintenance regime does the warranty assume?
- What are the inspection intervals, and what is inspected at each?
- Which components are consumable, and what do they cost to replace?
- What is the lead time on replacement parts?
- Who do I contact for a defect, and what is the response time?
How to read the answers
A good response is specific, written, and comfortable with the engineering questions. Watch for three patterns instead:
- Deflection on certification. "The engineer handles that" is not an answer until you know who the engineer is and what they certify.
- Design by product. If the design vessel and water levels come back as a product code rather than figures, the site has not been assessed.
- Silence on maintenance. A builder who cannot state the maintenance the warranty assumes is selling a warranty that will be difficult to claim on.
Questions buyers ask
Is it rude to send a builder a list like this?
No. Competent builders answer these questions routinely and often welcome a buyer who has thought about the project. The responses also protect the builder later, because expectations were documented.
What if a builder refuses to answer in writing?
Treat that as information. Anything that cannot be written down at quote stage will be difficult to rely on after the deposit is paid.