Have you ever had a friend who has built a home and complained about not being informed about what was happening with the progress of their job?
Building a new home can be a daunting experience, especially if it’s the first time you have done it.
When you consider that it is possibly one of the biggest investments you will make in your entire life, you want to make sure you really trust your builder before you sign up with them.
Did you know that when you do sign a building contract, your builder takes on the responsibility and control of your block?
This makes it possible for the builder to prevent you from accessing your block and experiencing your new home being built.
It’s why it can be very unsettling if you don’t feel well informed about how your new home is progressing and what’s happening next.
It should never be to hard for your builder to make a time and meet with you on site to run through where your job is at, and what’s happening next. A professional builder will do this at regular intervals
One of the best ways to ensure that you are kept informed of the building process is to insist that you only work with a builder who uses a comprehensive online project management system. This system should send you weekly updates that fill you in on —-
- Any design changes you have made and where they are up to
- The status of the schedule and what stage different building tasks are up to
- Where you are in terms of progress claims and what is left to be paid
- And show photos from site and a comprehensive job log of what your builder has been doing and organising
On top of this you should be able to access the online system at anytime to check on details and ask questions of the builder.
Another thing to consider before you sign a contract with your builder is making sure you are clear on who you will be working with and talking to during your build. It’s important that you meet and feel comfortable with the key people involved in your build.
For most custom home builders this will be;
- The builder – this is the owner of the business and they are the person you will be working with from your initial consult right through to the end of the warranty period
- The Site Supervisor – this person will be an employee of the builder and is responsible for organising and coordinating trades and materials to make your build happen
You will work with both of these people as you build, and you want to feel comfortable that you are able to talk about any issue with them.
We have all heard the story of someone who didn’t feel quite right about their builder, but went ahead anyway because their price was good, or a friend told them to.
What they found was they couldn’t talk to the builder about issues they had, and ended up not only unhappy with the builder, but unhappy with the outcome of their new home.
Don’t let this happen to you.
To find out how to make sure your new home build is a dream run download our guide of 7 things to ask your builder before you committ.
