Advice · Yeovil & Somerset
Searching for a builder is easy. Working out which of the names that come back will actually turn up, price the job honestly and finish it is the hard part. This is what we would check ourselves before handing over a deposit, written for homeowners in Yeovil and the villages around it.
A builder based in or near Yeovil has usually worked on the same housing stock you live in, and that matters more than it sounds. The 1930s to 1970s estates around Preston, Westfield and Penn Mill throw up predictable problems: shallow foundations, cavity walls with corroded ties, and rear extensions added in the 1980s with no damp proof course tie in. The older stone properties in the villages towards Montcombe, Tintinhull and Martock bring different issues again, mainly hamstone that needs a lime mortar rather than cement, because cement traps moisture and blows the face off the stone within a few winters.
Ground conditions vary sharply over short distances here. Parts of the area sit on Yeovil Sands, others on clay that shrinks and swells, and a builder who has dug footings a few streets away will have a much better idea of whether you are looking at a standard 1m trench or a deeper dig near mature trees. That knowledge is the difference between a firm quote and a nasty variation halfway through.
Most disputes we hear about could have been avoided in the first fifteen minutes. Ask for the following, and be wary of anyone who treats it as an insult rather than a fair question.
A quote should be a document, not a text message with one figure. It should list the work in stages, name the specification for anything you would notice, and be explicit about what is excluded. Common exclusions that catch people out are drainage diversions, structural steel design fees, asbestos in old garage roofs, and making good decoration.
As a rough guide, a straightforward single storey extension in this part of Somerset tends to land somewhere between £2,000 and £2,800 per square metre in 2026, depending on ground conditions, roof type and how much glazing you want. Bifolds, steels and anything below existing ground level push you towards the top. Treat anything dramatically under that with suspicion rather than delight, because the gap usually reappears later as extras.
Compare quotes on the same specification. If one includes a full rewire and another assumes you are keeping the existing consumer unit, you are not comparing anything at all. It is fair to send everyone the same written list of what you want.
Pay in stages tied to completed work, never a large sum up front. A deposit of around 10 percent, or a materials payment against an invoice you can see, is reasonable on a domestic job. Monthly or stage payments after that, with a small retention of roughly 2.5 to 5 percent held for a few weeks after completion, protects both sides and keeps snagging from being ignored.
On permissions, a good builder will tell you honestly whether you need planning permission or whether the work falls under permitted development, but the application is yours. Building regulations approval is separate and goes through Somerset Council or a private approved inspector, with fees for a typical extension often in the £500 to £1,000 range. If you are attached to a neighbour, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 will probably apply, and serving notice two months before you dig is far cheaper than sorting it out afterwards.
Finally, agree how you will communicate. A weekly ten minute conversation on site, and a rule that any change to cost goes in writing before the work happens, prevents almost every argument we have ever seen on a domestic build.
FAQ
Free quotes, stage payments available. Call the office or ring the mobile.
Get in touch
Drop a few details below and we will come back within the working day.