Building or Renovating with a Builder

or

What you need to know,

when you need to know it,

and before it’s too late

A Builder by social definition is a person who, by his respective abilities, is able to co-ordinate the various trades required in the construction of a building.

The quality of the assemblage is predefined, to the builder by his client, either directly or via the architect, using documented specifications. In most cases these specifications will refer to Australian standards as being acceptable, unless otherwise stated.

Australian Standards are the minimum standards deemed acceptable in the building industry.

They do not represent the highest standards.

High standards will, more often than not, incur higher cost especially if the builder is inclined to limit himself to Australian standards.

A construction of a building is, in most cases is the end result of a contractual agreement having been entered into between two parties, the client and the builder.

Quite often you will realise that you will come to possess and or acquire greater knowledge and or information about specific products, than your builder.

A Builder does not and should never be regarded as an authority in respect to specific and or all building products.

Always include in any contract, an agreement made where if the builder departs from the contractual agreement and or specifications, that the advice of change be in writing, agreed to by you and defined by your signature on the advice of change.

The relationship between the builder and you is one of mutual but differing benefit.

Your relationship with your Builder should ideally be both respectful and formal.

Over familiarity should always be avoided as this often prevents you expressing any valid criticism regarding the work in progress. It also implies that any problems that arise are to be shared. They are not!

Any problems that arise in context to the building are the builders alone just as yours are in acquiring the money to pay the builder.

Clarification of respective areas of responsibility should be included in any contractual agreement so that there cannot be any misunderstanding, implied or otherwise.

Circumstances are usually as follows.

You have the money. Whether it's cash in hand, borrowed, or whether the builder has arranged the finance, is totally immaterial, you at all times represent the money. You are the one that is going to have to pay back to the lending authority.

The builder is offering to build you a house.
By mutual agreement, the builder builds you a house, or provides you with a house & land package and you give the builder the money.

The Builder is not doing you a favour.

The Builder is building you a house for money…. not the bank’s money, not the finance company’s money…..Your money

Ask the Builder to supply you with the names of his last 5 clients, and find out whether they have any misgivings about their experience.

Three out of the five will give you an idea of what you are about to experience.

If they are not happy, chances are you will not be either.

A good builder prides himself on his ability to satisfy his clients and will not hesitate to supply you with the names.

Remember, the last 5 names, what type of builder he used to be is not the question, what sort of builder he is now, is what needs to be determined.

As is always the case, during any boom period, good trades people are in short supply, so you may find your builder is limited to the current situation.

No-one works for less when they can get more, so remember, when you offer peanuts you get monkeys!

Those who work for less, are those who can’t get more.

The good tradesmen will always be enticed up market where their services and expertise is better rewarded.

Building materials are at a premium during these periods, because of demand.

Getting good value for money is always preferable to getting less for more no matter what the interest rates are.

Low Interest rates alone are never a good reason to build.

Paying low interest in the short term for something less than what it should have been is not going to feel any better when interest rates go up and you are having to contend with maintenance costs arising from less than ideal building standards.

From dream to nightmare in one easy move, and the nightmare is long term at least until you can afford to find someone to buy your nightmare without incurring too great a loss

The simpler the house, the better the value for money.

Every time a wall or roof changes direction there is an associated extra cost.

So if you choose to build a house that has little nooks and crannies to no real purpose other that to look more intricate and detailed then get ready to pay more for the illusion.

Never build a house that has ceilings lower than 2.7 metres. If the comment, ‘it’s cheaper to keep warm’ is made, you should take it as your cue to find another builder.

You should be talking to the builder about the house you want, not the house he has for you.

Remember you represent the money side of the transaction.

What to Build

A simple house is always better value for money, and more often than not, has less maintenance costs.
Elegant homes are generally so because of the garden surrounding the house.
Imitation Federation, Tudor or likewise have a high cost associated with the exterior to the detriment of the interior, so if building to a budget, stay away from the romantic external paraphernalia that is often present as enticement to buy and ulimately bear a high maintenance cost.
Nowadays even internal features such as fireplaces are relatively inexpensive to add at a later stage.

Remember it’s the packaging that is the short term enticement that has long term costs, and is the totally useless aspect of the product after the purchase.
The less you spend initially, the less interest you pay which means there is less chance incurring financial strain in paying off your home.
You are better off with bare concrete floors in the short term than with wall to wall carpet, which will need replacing within 5 years and you’re still paying for it fifteen years later.

Short term gratification is usually associated with long term grief.
It is not cheaper to do it all at once.
The floor, walls and roof are what you need in the immediate short term.
Finished Bathrooms and Kitchen are of immediate benefit. All else can wait.

If and when you acquire funds to surface the floor, do it with reasonable quality ceramic tiles. Easy to keep clean and can be enhanced with rugs & carpets during winter months.

Roof: Personally I believe a steel roof is by far the better roofing material as opposed to tile, both from the aspect of structural integrity and interior cleanliness.
Don’t let anyone tell you that the cost of a steel roof is the same as that of a tile, and this does not mean that steel is inferior to the tile. Just different, and with differing benefits. For instance, a steel roofed house cools off quicker in a summers evening than does one with a tiled roof, whereas a tile roof has minimal noise transmission when it rains.

There are advantages and corresponding disadvantages in all choices made.
The idea is to make choices based on as much information as you can get and where the disadvantages of a product can also be used to advantage.
All products have a plus and minus aspect to them and it’s up to you to discover them before they discover you.
Tile roofs are preferred by most because of a aesthetic perception, associated with European heritage..

Exterior Walls: Nowadays there’s so much advantage to be gained in the use of glass and curtains that the area of exterior walls present hardly warrants the use of brick and any of the costs associated with it’s use.
Straight simple clean lines, without intricate returns, whether in walls or roof will always be far more economical and practical.
The more intricate the building, the greater the costs with little practical benefit.