Choosing a Builder- 8 Common Mistakes to Avoid
Designing your home for the first time or renovating it for improvement is challenging. You need to make prudent decisions to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Adequate construction not only improves the quality of life but also increases the value of your house. Choosing a builder is the most important part of making your dream project a success.
Otherwise, your hard-earned money and precious time will go in vain if you fall into the wrong hands. If you don't devise an adequate plan, you might create more space for common home-building issues.
You might wonder why choosing a builder is crucial and how to avoid common mistakes to have a seamless experience. Let's delve into it.
WHY CHOOSING A BUILDER IS IMPORTANT
Suppose you want to build a home that showcases your lifestyle needs and preferences. Choosing a builder makes your dream home a desirable reality. A professional builder understands your requirements and helps you to achieve your vision. The builder oversees, coordinates, and performs tasks on construction sites.
To build a quality product, a builder works with you directly to manage the entire project. So, to make your investment more secure and profitable, choosing a builder is a must for you.
“Choosing a builder is the most important part of making your dream project a success.”
COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID
Here are the common mistakes people make while choosing a builder for their home.
NOT SETTING PRIORITIES:
To choose the right builder, you first need to understand your needs.
Do you want an extension to your current home? What is the magnitude of the extension?
Are you planning to build a brand-new home?
Different builders specialize in different building processes. A builder specializing in home renovations might not be ideal for building new home.
LOOKING FOR A BUILDER THAT QUOTES A LOWER PRICE
Choosing a builder based on the price offer is not always a good idea. It is one of the common mistakes people often make. The builders offer low initial prices to entice the clients. They may use poor-quality supplies and unskilled labour to speed up delivery.
It also alleviates the construction quality. Additionally, the cheaper offers also integrate hidden fees. It may create costly issues in the future and an overall unpleasant experience.
NOT PAYING FOR QUOTES
Most builders provide free quotes. It's a well-known fact that a precise and more accurate quote demands a significant amount of budget and time. So, if some builders offer free quotes, they will definitely make rough estimates by applying square meterage.
After starting the work, such builders usually face budget irregularities. Now, to secure their profits, they will either lower the quality of work or add a budget to you. In both cases, you'll be at a loss. That's why it's always recommended to pay for a quote initially and receive quality work within an adequately defined budget. Freedom offers a Full Bill of Quantities (BOQ) with each proposal that goes out. This ensures nothing will be missed and we can deliver exactly what we have set out to.
NOT CONSIDERING RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
A builder's experience tells a lot of information about his success rate. Make sure the builder you are hiring is experienced enough to acknowledge your ideas. Likewise, he would have a comprehensive knowledge of the evolving design and construct space. The builder must have prior experience in handling such projects. So, you need to look for testimonials to choose someone with the required experience.
FAILING TO DO COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH
Another common mistake while choosing a builder is overlooking the research part. Before choosing builders, you must research their names, reputation, and reviews. It provides you with an idea about their work experience and quality.
Moreover, ask for referrals before selecting the builder. Therefore, never rush and make adequate considerations to opt for a quality builder that fulfils your needs. You also need to judge the builder on his overall first approach and communication, it’s important to feel comfortable with the person you are about to embark on this journey with.
SKIPPING THE WRITTEN PAPERWORK
Construction procedures require a proper written agreement. Everything from budget to supplies should be documented. Skipping this significant paperwork may reflect issues later on.
IGNORING CONSUMER GUARANTEES AND WARRANTIES
Australian Consumer Law offers and protects your basic rights as a consumer. You must consider consumer guarantees and collaborate with the builder to define the warranties. These protect you against sub-standard execution of services. It is also required for each builder to be covered with Builder’s Warranty Insurance, and Public Liability Insurance.
Freedom offers an extended Defect Liability period of 120 days and a Structural guarantee of 10 years.
NOT ENSURING THE BUILDER IS USING REPUTABLE CERTIFIERS FOR BUILDING INSPECTION
In general, hiring a private certifier is the builder's responsibility— but it can vary depending on the contract you initially signed. Certifiers regularly inspect the construction process to ensure compliance with building plans and industry standards, including the Building Code of Australia (BCA).
So, always make sure that your builder is engaging a reputable certifier to keep a check and balance the ongoing processes as per standards.
NOT ASKING QUESTIONS
Effective communication is one of the best ways to choose the right builder. Ask as many questions as you can. It gives you an idea of whether the builder is a reliable resource during the whole process. Questions for a builder or renovator in Australia can include but aren't limited to the following:
Personalisation options
Standard plans
License
Indemnity insurance
Construction cost & time, etc.
“Effective communication is one of the best ways to choose the right builder. Ask as many questions as you can.”
CONCLUSION
In short, building a new house isn't easy. You need to make bold and effective decisions to get the most out of this financial investment. Choosing a builder is one of the most important among them.
If you want reliable custom building services in Canberra, Freedom can partner with you. We have more than 20+ of experience working in the building industry.
On top of that, we provide a 10 year structural guarantee along with an unparalleled 16-week maintenance period.
Every house passes through our state-of-the-art 725 Points Quality Assurance Checklist to ensure every minor detail is incorporated optimally. Throughout the project, our experts provide detailed reports about the project's progress to keep you informed.
Don't hesitate, just contact us for a free consultation and decide accordingly.