Construction Estimation – Save Time, Money & Stress

Have you ever dreamed of having a little place in the middle of nowhere, away from the hustle and bustle of the big city? Somewhere with idyllic views over the mountains, or are you more of a river or lake person? Or do you want rolling green countryside? I always dreamed of having a place near the Yarra Ranges National Park like my uncle Greggo; to tell the truth, I always dreamed of having my uncle’s place. It always seemed like the perfect place for a second home; a stone’s throw away from the Yarra Ranges National Park, a little over two hours drive my where I live in Melbourne. On one side, all you can see are trees and rolling hills, but far enough away from the trees that you don’t have to worry about losing your property to the bushfires. But I always thought that it would be a dream, that is, until last year.

Sadly, my uncle died of a heart attack in his sleep. He was a good guy, but he had a few quirks; he preferred his own company most of the time; I suppose that’s why he never married or had children. But he was always there to help a friend when needed.

A few weeks after the funeral, I got a call from my uncle’s lawyer. He told me that Greggo had left me his house up in the mountains. Of course, I was sad to have lost my uncle, but I was tickled pink to inherit the old place. So, once all the paperwork was done and I had the keys, I drove up to see it and spent the weekend. I hadn’t been there in years, and it was great to be back, but the old place needed some TLC.

I spent the week enjoying the peace and thinking about what I should do. I can’t say I’m poor, but I’m not rich. The way I see it, I had two options, I get a loan and spend a lot of money getting the place done up by professionals, or spend the next few years slowly doing it up.

I thought that I should first see how much it would cost me to have the big jobs I wanted to be done by professionals. I started getting quotes from builders, but from one builder to another, there was a massive price difference. If I took the expensive quote, would I be ripped off or if I took the cheaper quote would it be a bodge job that I would regret? I decided to talk to my father, he had reformed his house a few years ago, and it still looked great.

Ask for advice

Firstly, he told me a wise man would calculate the cost before starting to build. Then he told me to talk to a construction estimator, so I would know how much everything should cost. According to my father, they would estimate everything; building permissions, materials, labour and right from site preparation to finishing the project. So, I started Googling the typical ‘construction estimator near me’, ‘construction estimator Victoria

• and ‘construction estimator reviews’, and after a few hours of reading reviews and articles on the pros and cons of construction estimators, I found one I liked and reached out to them.

I explained what needed doing, my big ideas and my budget, and after a few emails, we met up. They had some great questions, which got me thinking about what I really wanted to do to the old place. They also explained the process and how they would provide me with a full estimate, a bill of quantities and a timeline schedule.

After talking to them, I felt much more confident, so I decided to do what I do best, project management; instead of getting one company to do everything for me, I got people to do each job that needed to be done, tradies like roofers, electricians and plumbers. And the smaller jobs like painting and demolition I decided to do myself, with a little help from my friends, to save money.

Some may think that using the services of a construction estimator is a waste of money that they can do without. Yes, you probably could do it yourself, especially if it’s not your first rodeo, but it’s easy to miss things out, like not getting the right building. Plus, an idea of what a tradie should cost helps you know if someone is trying to rip you off.

I’ve started reforming my dream house. If all goes to the construction estimators’ plan, I should be finished by the summer! So, I should be able to enjoy my summer holidays up in the new place.

I’m glad I chose a construction estimator service, it took out a lot of the stress, plus they gave some great ideas.

What I learned

So, that’s my story and my experience with construction estimators. While reading many forums and after asking many questions, here are a few more points I picked up along the way:

Research: There’s much information out there and a lot of communities and forums where you can ask for help. Even sites like Pinterest can spark an idea.

Shop around: Don’t just go with the first quote. The information you get from the construction estimators gives you a good idea of how much it should cost, but there are still some margins, so finding the right tradies can save you money.

This also goes for materials. Construction estimators don’t calculate the cheapest price for materials but use national suppliers, so savings might be made, especially if you love a bargain.

Haggle, and don’t be ashamed to do so. You can’t always negotiate a price if you buy from multinationals. But you can almost always negotiate with contractors, especially if you work directly with tradies.

Sometimes you can get some great deals if you can find good condition second-hand materials.

Smile! This goes for all things in life. Being respectful and friendly takes you a long way.

Do it yourself. There are lots of things you can do yourself. Almost everyone can use a paintbrush or a broom, and a dustpan. You might want to leave it to the pros for bigger jobs, especially structural ones, but doing smaller DIY projects can save you a lot of money.

Friends and family are often glad to help, especially if you feed them something special before, during and after the job. It’s free labour, plus you get to spend time with them; it’s a win-win situation.

If you’re in my situation, I wish you the best of luck! Your end goal is reforming your property, but try to enjoy the journey of getting there!

A jack of all trades, but master of none, but often better than a master of one. I enjoy writing articles, Diy projects, and cooking. So come take a look at one of my articles and leave a comment.