When considering home repairs when you don't plan on doing the work yourself, don't sign any contract that requires full payment before a satisfactory job is finished. Or it'll end up costing you more later, as you'll have to find a new person to do the work, when the previous person ran off with your money without completing the job.
I agree - a reputable builder will have accounts at builders merchants and shouldn't need the money for at least 30 days. For a very large job staggered interim payments may be acceptable but always arrange to save at least 10% until the job is finished to specifications - this is a good incentive to ensure the job is completed as arranged.
Another good tip is to have a date of completion written into the contract - with a financial penalty for the builder if he overruns the time limit. He should pay for the added inconvenience if he has stipulated how long the job will take and you are happy that you can live with the disruption for that time. We could probably all live with no functional kitchen for a week and plan to eat out, whetever. But if the job unexpectedly stretches out to 3 months then you should be compensated.
On the other hand don't expect there to be no extra charges if you change your mind half way through and want to change the specifications. Builders find this is very common - ensure that any changes you make will be included in the price or a new price is agreed upon before the new work is commenced.
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