This is the end of the fun stuff for this web page. The rest is reading about the client's role in the building process and some advice about how to get your project done well. Its about 4 pages long so I understand if you don't read it - but you cant say I didn't try.
I’ve had a fair bit of experience with people looking for a builder, so I may be able to give you some general strategies about how to go about managing building work on your home.
I hope you find the information useful. Even if I don't work for you - I hope this helps you avoid one of those building nightmare stories.
In terms of this being a sales document for my services - I’d rather just be straight forward about how the industry works.
Informed, interested people make better clients.
This is the sequence of activities you need to go through to responsibly manage a medium to large building project on your home. This web page will briefly run through these activities.
- How to get a quote – “The Request for Tender” document
- “Fixed Price” versus “Do & Charge” styles of contracting
- Checking a builder's history
- Checking your builder's insurance
- Building contracts
- From getting a quote to signing a contract
- The client's role during the actual building process
But before we get into the details - here's something to consider
a few hard facts
All these Builder's Licenses and Contracts and Department of Fair Trading what do they really do? They all get back to “Australian Standards.” Australian Standards are legally binding standards that all work has to meet; clients have a right to expect to receive this, and businesses have an obligation to deliver it. The problem is that Australian Standards define the minimum quality of work a business can get away with - whereas clients are usually hoping for something above the minimum. These standards are the same for a shack out the back of Bourke or in Sydney’s most affluent residential projects. So in many cases builders are not getting away with shonky work – they are just delivering Australian Standards (minimum standards).
Not a great business plan. Could you imagine a cafe that strove to deliver the minimum standard cup of coffee? It's legal - just not what you were hoping for.
Let's compare your building project to purchasing a new car. Everyone knows the difference between a Hyundai and a Honda. Big difference in price – but everyone gets why. Now with your building project, you have gone through much hassle and expense to come up with your architectural plans, DA and all the associated paperwork. What that paper work does is describe a shape, some materials and demands that it be done to Australian Standards (minimal acceptable performance). Back to the car analogy – its like drawing a hatchback and then asking how much it costs – then complaining about the range of prices you receive.
It’s a complex problem and I’m not saying I have all the answers. Before Australian Standards there used to be Best Trade Practice – recommendations for a decent way to build things. That was what you learned as an apprentice – old school. Nowadays there’s a greater need for firmer rules that resolve disputes - rather than generate quality.
I consider a contract to be the definition of the minimum behaviour the parties (builder and client) can get away with. I work hard to win good, informed customers. I fill out the contract to ensure everyone understands what’s going on, then close it and proceed to exceed the standard defined in the contract. I take pride in my work and don’t believe in treating anyone to the minimum expectable standard, and I don’t wish to be treated to that minimum standard either. I basically have one standard of work - I have figured out my style. I’m not saying I build Rolls-Royce, but I have completed every job I have started, enjoy good relationships with my clients, and my buildings are straight and solid.
The point of all of this is for the clients not to fool themselves during the tender and contracting phases, then have a bad building experience. Pay attention, make an effort, handle it skillfully. When it's all done, you want to be able to return to a happy home, not a home that is infected with memories of disputes with your builder.