How To Choose Your Builder

Are you trying to find a builder, but not sure how to choose the right one?

Well say no more!

Trying to find a builder is a daunting procedure for everyone. They can either make or break a project in regards to how it turns out as well as your experience during the project.

Today we are joined by Josh from Ferris Building as he shares four tips on how to choose the right builder for you.

Listen below on Reno Radio for the details of the four tips or keep reading for the recap!

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Tip #1: Don’t base your builder on price

The first tip is to pick a builder you’re comfortable with instead of basing your choice purely on price.

It’s so important to have a good look at what’s in the builders’ quotes and what’s missing.

Imagine one quote comes in at $400,000 and another comes in at $150,000. Wouldn’t you want to know what the $150,000 quote has left out? This is the sort of question you need to be asking.

Knowing what sort of things you’re looking for in the quote is key. You need to ask for a breakdown of the $150,000 quote and the products that will be used during this project.

Now imagine the $400,000 quote has a good relationship with a top line window company.

But the $150,000 quote imports cheap windows that look identical to Cotton’s Glass, but do not have the same wearing mechanism.

However, the quality of the window matters.

Which quote would you choose?

Price is by no means the be-all and end-all. Make sure you ask the builder for a breakdown of what’s included in the quote. Taking the time and effort to have a detailed look is crucial.

Tip #2: Communicate clear expectations to your builder

Tip two is all about communication.

You want to express as much information as possible to your builders, so they can better understand your expectations of the finishes. This will ensure that you have as much detail, communication and transparency from the beginning!

When you’re putting out your plans to the builder for a quote, make sure you show them pictures of what you like. To the layperson, the plan and the interpretation are sometimes two different things.

For example, if you choose bigger tiles, they will be harder to lay, which will affect the quote. We recommend engaging a designer to help the builder understand the look and feel of the tiles or the sort of doors you’re after.

Whether it is having a coffee with them, phoning them or coming over to have a look at the place, meeting your builder is so important. Why? Because you want to make sure they show interest in you and their care for the job.

Make sure you go with your gut feeling after the phone call. Do you feel comfortable with this builder?

When you’re comparing quotes and one quote is $100,000 more than another, ask the builder why that might be. How the builder responds to you is a tell-tale sign of how well they will help you with your project.

Tip #3: Have the hard conversations with your builder

Tip 4 is all about the big conversations. If you can’t have those hard conversations with your builder, we don’t recommend working with them!

After you choose the right builder, be open to sharing your overall budget with them. The builder and designer should be able to suggest ways of saving money using smart ideas, clever construction, or different materials.

We recommend that you ask your builder if you can speak to their past clients. You might ask them how was the builder’s communication? How did they present variations? How was their invoicing? Were they pressuring me to pay earlier than usual?

So, what are the types of questions you can ask your builder to kickstart those big conversations?

Questions to consider:

• Who is your best point of contact on site?
• When will the builder be giving you your invoices?
• What are your builder’s expectations regarding payment?

Tip #4: Look for these three qualities in a builder

1. They are approachable.
   
2. They are suggestive. During the project, you will inevitably run into a lot of problems. You want someone to help you through periods when you need to make a decision.
   
   No client wants to be pressured by their builder to quickly make a decision. If your builder can suggest effective solutions to help you, that will prevent you from feeling stressed!
   
3. They have good communication skills. Builders need to be able to communicate to all parties invested in the project, from the designer to their clients’ parents.
   
   At the end of the day, everyone plays a role, including all members of the team, the clients’ families, the architect or the building team.
   
   It’s so important that your builder maintains open communication with everyone because we’re all in it together!
   

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Your builder is your biggest asset, so make sure you choose wisely!

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