Why we ask about your builder

There is one question on our form that occasionally raises an eyebrow: who is doing your building work, and can we speak to them?

It is not a credit check and it is not a hurdle. Your accommodation dates and your construction programme are the same set of dates viewed from two directions, and the person who knows them best is rarely the homeowner.

Where it is useful, and only with your agreement, we may have a short conversation with your builder, architect or project manager about the likely programme. That conversation tends to produce a more realistic set of dates than any of us would arrive at alone — which is largely how families avoid booking four months when they need seven.

This is also our own family home, handed to one household at a time. Trust matters in that arrangement, and we try to make our side of it legible too: the calendar shows every month and the rate against it, and nothing is charged when you enquire.

If your builder has not been appointed yet, say so. An architect or project manager works just as well. What matters is that someone other than you can describe the programme.