Find professionals
Once you’ve devised your own brief and have a good idea of your investment it’s time to find a design professional to put that wish list into a design and a builder, to keep that design on budget.
So where do you start?
- Check local directories and socials with projects in your area.
- Ask around. One of the best ways to suss out a decent professional 0r designer or builder, to is hear the experience of others. Some builders may have great looking websites and have highly visibly advertising but in reality… their building quality and service may not be ideal
Once you have a short list look a little deeper
Can you see examples of their work? Either on their website or directory pages. Is it recent or is it old? An old example may indicate they haven’t been in work.
Do they have any 3rd party customer reviews such as Google, Facebook, Houzz, etc.
Ensure they have the right credentials. Firstly, that they have a QBCC building license. It was formerly called a BSA licence. Check the QBCC website to ensure the license is still current. You can check a builder’s record on the QBCC website. Any disputes are publicly available.
Are they aligned with a building association such as the Housing Industry Association (HIA) or Master Builders?
Once you’ve started talking to a professional, i.e the builder delve further…
- Is the entire team fully qualified carpenters or builders? How many junior builders will be working on your project? And how much experience does each team member have?
- Do they do the building work themselves – or do will they subcontract your building work out?
- What subcontractors do they use for electrical, plumbing etc?
- Do they have former customers who you can talk to you for a reference?
- Do they have relevant insurances?
Cheap is not always best.
We all know this when it comes to almost every other product or service. The same applies to building. Once you get your quote be cautious not to jump to the cheapest quote. Some builders may leave large components out out which is later be charged as a variation.
If you already have a design professional, they can advise the specifications you need to be quoted (i.e extra costs due to poor site access, excavation costs, piers if required, technicalities merging an old home with an extension) so that you know what to look for when the quote comes through.
What you want is a comprehensive Proposal that factors in the entire build. Variations are not completely avoidable because unforeseen issues such as termite damage can be hidden behind walls. A good builder should be able to identify most things up front.
Building is never cheap and you want it to last with no problems. Teaming up with the right professionals from the get go will ultimately same time and money in the long run.
Good luck!
