Advice for renovations, alterations
Invest the time to personally investigate the references of your prospective builder.
There is no doubt that the building industry suffers from a reputation for unreliability, shoddy workmanship and exploitation.
But there are a few simple steps and principles that will go a long way to ensuring that your building experience is as painless as possible.
In a nutshell it all comes down to one word – preparation.
The essence of a good building project is (a) a quality product (b) delivered at a reasonable price (c) in the timeframe agreed upon. Rigorous preparation on the part of the client will exponentially improve the chances of a successful project.
Quality
Any article on how to choose a builder recommends that the client seeks personal referrals from friends, family, colleagues and property professionals. It seems like a no-brainer. If one is planning to spend a considerable sum of money on alterations or renovations to your home it seem worthwhile investing the time to personally investigate the references of your prospective builder. This includes visiting past and current jobs, physically examining the quality of the builder’s work and then engaging with previous clients to get first-hand feedback.
The sad reality however, is that very few clients to do this. In our experience hardly any new or prospective clients ask to see the work that we’ve done. We quote testimonials on our website and in our promotional material, but no-one ever asks for contact numbers to check up the validity of these comments.
The obvious conclusion is that the market has a very singular focus on our next element – price.
Price
Inevitably, people are concerned that they are getting good value for money, particularly for building work which is often high value.
Everybody understands the principle of “you get what you pay for”, but for some reason, when it comes to building, many clients seem hell bent on choosing the lowest price regardless of the obvious dangers in that approach, dangers which are exacerbated by failing to check references.
It’s traditional for clients to call for three competitive quotes for their renovation or alteration project. What most don’t realise however, is that without careful preparation by the client, it is not possible compare these quotations on a rational basis. In most cases, the clients are unwittingly comparing the proverbial ‘apples and oranges’.
In smaller renovation projects it is quite common that clients do not need to have drawings produced. The project may consist of some painting works, changing carpets, some tiling and maybe some new cupboards. So typically, the owner makes individual appointments with three builders and then troops them around the house, pointing out the work that is required. No documentation is involved. This not only leads to three different interpretations of the scope of work, but three unrelateable prices. It is not uncommon for a client to choose the lowest quote and then find that half the work he expected to be done had not been included in the price.
Even when drawings have been produced, we find in many cases that the drawings are not fully detailed and finishes and fittings are not adequately specified. The builder is presented with a drawing to price on, but much of the information required is missing, and therefore subject to individual interpretation. The client has effectively given each builder carte blanche in terms of pricing.
The next potential pitfall is the inclusion of allowables for items the clients has not yet finalised. This commonly includes sanitaryware, cupboards, carpets and tiles. Unless the client budgets reasonable allowances for the finishes and fittings and communicates these to each builder, he runs the risk of the builder under-allowing for these items in order to be able to present a cheap price.
The bottom line is that if clients want to compare quotations, they have to be sure that they’re comparing apples with apples. The only way of doing this is to provide detailed and consistent information to each builder, and to request that each builder presents his quotations and terms of business in a consistent and comparable format.
If the client is making use of an architect, the client should ensure that the architect provides full specifications of all fittings and finishes, or if it’s too early to make final decisions, then at least provide realistic allowables for the builders to include in their quotations. First prize in this respect would be for the client to choose his finishes and fittings before going out for pricing.
Even if there are no drawings, and the client goes the route of walking the builder around the project, the client should produce a detailed list of work to be undertaken with quantities included where possible.. Make sure that the very same list is given to each builder and that this scope of work is confirmed in each submitted quotation. Any exclusions must be clearly indicated.
Finally, make sure that every quotation is absolutely clear in terms of the pricing methodology for provisional items as well as how any additional work will be priced.
Time
The third element of any successful project is the completion of the project within the given time.
It goes without saying that any building project must be governed by a fair and well-drafted contract. Standard documents are available from the various Master Building Associations around the country. The contract must specify whether or not time is of the essence. If this is indeed the case, then this places obligations on both the builder and the client.
Project overruns are very common and can cause huge disruption and additional cost to both client and builder. Clients can play their part by ensuring that all information is available when required. Inevitably, clients change their minds as they see the project evolving and will request changes which may cause delays. Late decisions with regard to the choice of finishes or fittings is the other most common cause of delays.
So before any project starts, sit with the builder and architect and go though every detail. Every moment spent planning is like putting money in the bank. Review your choices, try to anticipate any areas of design that you are not completely happy with in order to minimise later changes. Identify all information or specifications that are still to be completed. The builder will then need to produce a schedule in which he sets out the dates on which he needs that information in order to meet the completion date. Stick to the dates on that list and you can avoid many headaches along the way.
In conclusion, follow these suggestions, prepare thoroughly and you have every chance of having a successful and stress-free building experience.
*Mike Alman is from FixSmart Home Repairs and Improvements
Source: RealEstateWeb