Holt, G D and Edwards, D J (2005) Domestic builder selection in the uk housing repair and maintenance sector: a critique. Journal of Construction Research, 6(1), pp. 123-137. ISSN 1609-9451
Abstract
Domestic housing stock within the UK is increasingly owner-occupied and these owners are responsible for maintenance and upkeep of their property investments. However, this "domestic sector" of the construction industry is characterized by many problems including: a thriving illegal supply-market (the "black market"); numerous rogue firms ("cowboy builders"); problems in selecting a reputable builder; and resulting from these problems (et al.), an existing housing stock that falls short of optimal levels of maintenance standards. Some initiatives have been implemented to try and reverse these problems, such as the introduction of the "Quality Mark" scheme by the UK government in 2001/2002. Nonetheless, the rogue trader continues to thrive within the UK construction sector. To address the habitual problems caused by cowboy traders, the authors proffer a more holistic approach that will address the demand-side of the sector (e.g. client education), in addition to the supply-side (e.g. builder regulation). The paper provides qualitative analysis that identifies criteria to be considered when selecting a domestic builder. This information is then used to help design an holistic model for procurement and further research within the domestic sector.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | contractors; domestic builder; selection; cowboy builder; clients; small works; domestic sector; client satisfaction; quality mark |
| Index terms: | qualitative analysis, regulation, housing, construction sector, repair, property investment, builder, housing stock, client satisfaction, holistic approach, construction industry, falls, critique, owner |
| Subjects: | practitioner, client relations, construction type, evaluation and assessment methods, economic analysis, maintenance engineering, research design and methodology, business, health risk and incident analysis, political science, industry analysis, sociology |
| Topics: | Procurement, Health and Safety, Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Governance, Construction Technology, Business Strategy, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here