Tips for Choosing and Working with a Builder

Choosing the right builder is half the work done while constructing or buying a home. You might have heard from your family/friends, about the problems with builders.

But most of the builders are professional and capable. You can have a better experience with a builder by managing and communicating with them in the right way.

1. Don’t be hurried to choose a builder

Get off and visit some of the recently completed and on-going projects of the builder. Interact with the owners and know what they think about the builder and the process. You can compare the testimonials given by the builders to the feedback given by the owners.

Don’t be hasty in the process. You may end up with a wrong builder. There are best builders in the Sunshine coast. Get the competitive prices by embracing the process of bidding. So, you can get the clear, specific and alternative prices from different builders for the same work.

Take time to do a bit of homework. Check the builder’s portfolio and visit their office or construction site. You’ll get a fair idea of the construction quality if you check on your own.

2. Scope of the project

As an owner, you need to clearly outline the work required by the builder. You can do this task by yourself or hire a third-party tradesman. Most times, you’d be looking for a perfect balance of low price, high quality and good builder. The reality you need to understand is that you never get the best of all three.

Find the best builder that matches your preference. The categories of specialised builders are – builders of luxury retail projects and builders of affordable homes.

The builders who specialise in luxury retail projects must maintain lot of infrastructure. Also, they maintain teams to ensure the delivery of exceptional quality. So, these builders are expensive.

On the other hand, there are builders who concentrate on constructing affordable homes. These are small owner-manager builders who directly get into the field and involve in the works. So, their services are cheaper and so their level of service.

Workout and be clear about the facilities and amenities you need in your dream home. Create a budget based on these needs and choose the right builder accordingly.

3. Preference: specialist vs. general builder

Choose the best builder in Sunshine coast aligning with your preferences. There are specific categories like a general builder, a loft or basement company, a staircase company, a door company and so on.

Always select the builders who have experience in the property type you are looking for. A builder with the right experience will be able to coordinate the right way, with right set of people. This would result in creating a budget based, exact style of building that you want.

Check your builders experience, background and reputation!

Check the completed projects by the builder, images and designs of their past work from their portfolio website. You can also look for builders’ reviews and ratings on popular forums.

Additionally, you can check builders background and reputation. It is recommended to check their association with the registered bodies like the Master Builders of Australia (MBA) or the Housing Industry of Australia (HIA).

Check out builders’ portfolio of past projects

Narrow down your list of builders as per your priorities. Be clear about the styles you want and choose a builder accordingly. It is vital that the chosen builder aligns with your style. Only then, the home that you’ve dreamt about, is achievable.

4. Point of contact and responsibility

Lots of people try to employ separate tradesmen for different tasks. These include cabinetmakers, electricians, plasterers, carpenters, and others. It’d probably reduce little costs but involves great effort and experience.

Contrarily, having a single general contractor who manages everything would be a best choice. It costs bit more but the stress on you will be reduced. You can sit back, relax and see the construction process and suggest the contractor as per your needs.

Choose a builder who makes your life easier!

It’s easy to get services beyond the project completion if you employ one single general contractor. The extra amount that you spend in this case will be well paid off. This relieves your stress and results in better project management.

5. Project management

Get a quote from your preferred builders asking them to mention the start date and complete date of the work. Before finalising, make sure that the on-going jobs of the contractor doesn’t interfere with your deadline. If your deadline extends then your costs may go up.

It is recommended that you visit the construction site occasionally. The time you invest for this would result in seeing the exact home you dreamt of.

Relying on an independent project manager or architect would be helpful if you can afford. These people can keep an eye to look after the progress and quality of the work.

The best choice is to have a right builder who uses the time, human resources, and material in a balanced way. This ensures the delivery of the best project within the deadline.

6. Be specific

Be specific about what you want, how you want and when do you want it! Communicate your preferences to the builder. Asking for structural details and drawings is a good start.

Be clear about what the price includes. Make it clear about who is supplying and fitting the hardware. For example, with a kitchen or bathroom, check the following –

• Who’s supplying the tiles and taps.
• Who’s doing the rough-in and finish work
• Fixing of pipes and plumbing
• About electrical services and cables
• Where the cabinets, appliances, light fixtures and so on are done?

7. Contracts and agreements

A building contract is a contract between an owner or occupier of land and a builder. In this, both parties agree to the set forth terms under which construction is to be carried out. This includes basis of remuneration, time scale, and penalties, if any, for failure to comply with terms of the contract.

Considering a fixed price contract is a good idea. This will protect you from incurring the additional costs. But still, there may be some unknown costs that may result because of engineering modifications during excavation. There is always a percentage put aside for unknown costs in all fixed-price contracts.

It’s important to see that your contract addresses the details for the questions like –

• What about the work that is not delivered/omitted?
• what if the work is changed along the way?
• What if more work is done?
• What if it takes longer than agreed?

8. Comprehensive inspection list

It is a good idea to have a comprehensive inspection list, this will keep you ready for the common pitfalls that commonly arise at the completion stage of the project.

If more work is done, then more costs will need to be made to the builder. If items to be completed as per the contract aren’t delivered, then a reduction on the overall cost can be obtained.

At the final stage of the project, there’s numerous small issues to be addressed. And this requires an array of tradespeople. This situation would be difficult and expensive to organise. To avoid such mess, it’s best to stay really organised right from the beginning of the project.

If you are looking for builders in Sunshine Coast. consult Green Earth Home for a custom home builder.