Five questions to ask before a building site visit

Why ask before you drive out

Site visits are where builders earn trust, but they take time: travel, a walk-around, and often a follow-up conversation. When a visit turns out to be for a job you do not do, in an area you do not cover, or for a project that is still a rough idea, that time is gone.

A few good questions before the visit, asked on the phone, by email or through your website, help you decide whether to visit now, send some information first, or point the person somewhere better suited. None of this replaces your judgement on site. It just makes sure the visit is the right next step.

1. What kind of project is it?

Start broad: renovation, extension, new build, repair, deck or outdoor structure, or something else. Then ask for a sentence or two in the customer’s own words.

This is the quickest way to spot work outside your specialty. A builder who mainly does residential renovations may not want small maintenance jobs, and a small team may not be set up for a full new build. Saying so early, politely, is better for everyone.

2. Are there plans or drawings yet?

Ask whether the customer has concept sketches, architect or designer drawings, or nothing yet. This tells you a lot about what kind of conversation you are walking into.

• No plans: the customer may need help working out what is possible, or a referral to a designer, before a meaningful price is possible.
• Concept drawings: you may be able to give general feedback and talk through next steps.
• Detailed plans: the job may be ready for pricing, and you can ask for the documents ahead of the visit.

Be careful about consent questions. Whether building consent is needed depends on the specific work, and the answer should come from a qualified person or the local council, not a quick website reply. MBIE’s building.govt.nz is the official starting point for homeowners. On your form, you can simply record what the customer reports, for example “consent: not sure / applied for / granted”.

3. Where is the property, and what is access like?

Suburb or town first; a full address only once you have agreed to visit. Then ask about access in plain terms: is there driveway or street parking, is the site on a slope, is the work area reachable by vehicle, or only by steps?

Location questions matter whether you work around Christchurch and wider Canterbury, across Wellington’s hills, or between Hamilton and rural Waikato. You know where your crew will and will not travel, so make that boundary clear rather than accepting every enquiry and sorting it out later.

4. Who is making the decision?

Ask whether the person enquiring is the owner, and whether anyone else (a partner, family members, a body corporate or a landlord) needs to be part of the decision. Where possible, arrange the visit when the key decision-makers can attend.

This is not about screening people out. It simply avoids repeating the same walk-through twice, and helps you explain options to everyone at once. For units and townhouses, a body corporate may also have its own rules about building work.

5. What timing and budget are they working with?

Ask about timing in ranges: “within three months”, “in the next six to twelve months”, or “just exploring”. A rough timeframe helps you plan your pipeline and be honest about your availability.

Budget is more sensitive. Many builders find an optional range question useful because it shows whether expectations and scope are in the same ballpark. Keep it optional, explain why you are asking, and never treat it as a quote or a commitment. If a figure seems out of step with the scope, say so gently at the visit, not in a rushed reply.

How to ask without sounding like a gatekeeper

The tone matters as much as the questions. A few tips:

• Explain why you are asking: “so we can bring the right information to the visit”.
• Keep most questions optional on a website form, with only contact details, location, project type and a short description required.
• Offer a “not sure” option so people do not guess.
• Reply through the contact method the customer chose, and do not add them to marketing emails or texts without their separate permission. Unsolicited commercial electronic messages are restricted under the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007.

If a job is not a fit, say so quickly and courteously. A short “this one is outside what we do, but you might try a specialist in X” is remembered well.

A quick example

Say an enquiry comes in for “a new deck and maybe a sunroom” in a suburb you cover. The answers show there are no plans yet, the owner and their partner both want a say, and the timing is “sometime next year”. Rather than booking a full site visit straight away, you might reply with a short explanation of how you work, suggest they gather a few ideas or talk to a designer about the sunroom, and offer a visit once both decision-makers are available.

Compare that with someone who has consented plans for a single-storey extension, wants to start in the next few months and has already chosen a designer. That enquiry is ready for a proper visit and pricing conversation, and you can ask for the drawings beforehand so you arrive prepared.

Keep a simple record

Note the answers in one place, whether that is a spreadsheet, a job-management tool or your inbox with a consistent subject line. Only keep what you need, store it securely and delete it when it is no longer needed; the Office of the Privacy Commissioner has guidance for small businesses.

Over time, your records will show which questions actually help and which ones nobody answers. Adjust the list based on what you see, not on what a template says.

Where a website assistant fits

Tradie Future is piloting a website enquiry assistant that asks questions like these in a conversational way and passes a summary to your team. It records what the customer says; it does not decide whether consent is needed, give structural advice, price work or book visits. A clear form or a quick phone call can do the same job, so pick whatever suits how you work.

To see the builder flow, visit website enquiries for builders, read how the setup works, or get in touch to talk through your own process.

Frequently asked questions