Get the best from home-building pros and tradespeople when renovating or extending

Most building contractors and tradespeople are well-qualified, organised, hard-working — and in high demand, writes Kya deLongchamps

Your relationship with your builder relies on mutual responsibilities. This is not all laid out in the contract. File picture

Scarce, and flocking to potentially more lucrative work on housing developments, builders and trades suited to one-off builds and renovation work really do have all the cards. The majority of building contractors and tradespeople are not deceitful chancers, but well-qualified, organised, hard-working individuals, deftly managing their own employees or sub-contractors over many years. 

The best are tough to secure as their talents are in extremely high demand. Will you be ghosted in your pursuit of some firms and popular individuals? Highly likely. We may, through recommendations, have a contractor in mind. The architect or engineer who drew your plans may have a reliable crew they will promote to you.