Doncaster & South Yorkshire
Handover · Doncaster & South Yorkshire
The last step on every Surefoot project: the finished work inspected together, anything outstanding dealt with there and then, and the 2-year workmanship guarantee confirmed, so nothing is left hanging after the van has gone.
20 years' experience · fully insured · every project backed by a 2-year workmanship guarantee
20 years
Trading experience
Team of 11
Directly employed
£2m / £10m
Public & employers' liability
2-year guarantee
10-year warranty on request
CSCS · NVQ 6
SSSTS & NHBC Masterclass
Overview
Most disputes between homeowners and contractors happen after completion, when the work has been paid for and the crew has moved to the next job. A handover inspection removes that window entirely. On every Surefoot project in Doncaster and South Yorkshire, we walk the finished work with the client, agree it is right, and record the guarantee that sits behind it.
A structured walk-round of the completed work with you present, covering the visible finish, levels and falls, drainage, tidiness of the site and any items you want to raise. It is the point where the work is formally signed off between us rather than assumed to be finished.
Every Surefoot client: homeowners, builders and developers. It applies whether the project is a garden wall, an extension shell or a full garden transformation.
At the end of the project, before we leave site and before the work is considered complete. Where a project runs in phases, we can walk each phase as it finishes.
Snagging raised while the team, the tools and the materials are still on site is resolved in hours. The same item raised three weeks later becomes a return visit, a scheduling problem and, with many contractors, a conversation you have to chase.
What it costs to get wrong
The absence of a proper handover is the single most common reason building work ends badly, even when the work itself was competent.
Without a walk-round, the first proper inspection happens when the client cleans up after the contractor has left. By then getting anybody back is a favour rather than a process.
Where nobody signs the work off, 'finished' is a matter of opinion. That is where final payment disputes come from, and where guarantees get argued about later.
A verbal promise of 'any problems, give us a shout' is worth nothing in twelve months. A stated 2-year workmanship guarantee, confirmed at handover, is a different thing entirely.
Paying the final balance before inspecting the work; accepting a site that has not been cleared; and not asking what the guarantee actually covers until something goes wrong.
Our process
The project is finished, the site is cleared and the work is cleaned down ready to be looked at properly rather than around a pile of materials.
We go over the completed work together, finish, levels, falls, drainage and detailing, with time for you to raise anything you are unsure about.
Anything identified is dealt with while the team and materials are still there, rather than logged for a future visit.
The work is agreed as complete between us, so there is a clear, shared point of completion rather than an assumption.
The 2-year workmanship guarantee is confirmed, with a 10-year warranty available on request, and you know exactly what stands behind the finished work.
What you get
Outstanding items are dealt with before the team leaves, not added to a list for later.
Both sides agree the work is finished, which removes the most common source of end-of-project friction.
A snag fixed while the crew is on site takes an hour; the same snag two weeks later takes a scheduled return visit.
A 2-year workmanship guarantee on every project, with a 10-year warranty available on request.
The walk-round is also where the detailing gets explained: falls, drainage, movement provision and how to look after the finish.
Handover applies whether the project is a garden wall or a full extension shell, for homeowners and trade clients alike.
In detail
What we check at handover depends on what we built. These are the typical items by project type.
Line, level and plumb of the elevations, consistency of joint finish and mortar colour, correct formation of openings and reveals, cavity trays and weeps visible where they should be, and the junction with the existing building.
Levels against datum, falls on drainage runs, rodding access and chamber covers, backfill and compaction around the works, and finished substructure ready for the next stage.
Falls away from the building, finished level relative to the DPC, joint finish, edge restraint, cut quality, and the surface cleaned down so it can actually be inspected.
Plumb and line, pier and coping detail, pointing consistency, movement provision on long runs, and drainage behind retaining structures.
Overall levels and drainage across the garden, feature construction including outdoor kitchens, firepits and sunken trampolines, service routes, and reinstatement of surrounding surfaces.
Confirmation of the 2-year workmanship guarantee, the option of a 10-year warranty on request, and insurance details, £2,000,000 public liability and £10,000,000 employers' liability, available whenever you need them.
£2,000,000 public liability and £10,000,000 employers' liability cover, with a 2-year workmanship guarantee on every project and a 10-year warranty available on request.
Questions
Anything not covered here, call Michael on +44 7856 247499 and ask.
Related work
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View serviceWe cover Doncaster and the surrounding towns, see the full list of areas we work in, browse all Surefoot services, or send your project details for a tailored price.
Every Surefoot project ends with a handover inspection and a 2-year workmanship guarantee. Tell us about your project and we will price it properly.
Fully insured · CSCS, SSSTS, NVQ Level 6 & NHBC Masterclass · 2-year workmanship guarantee
