Whether it is constructing a new house, or getting it renovated, it always comes as a new process for many people. It takes a lot of preparations to construct a building. Choosing a builder is one thing, getting the perfect one for your construction is another. It is essential that you understand the knowledge of the process involved in construction. Otherwise, some builders can take advantage of your inadequate understanding of the industry, to exploit you. One great way to improve your knowledge is by navigating through the quoting process.
Some costs may have slipped out-out of your quotes net, have a look:
- Site Preparation Costs
When you talk of preparing the site for construction, you probably should start thinking of demolition and clearing, and excavation. If you do not quote for all this, you might be blown out by crazy budgets. The costs of site preparation vary with the slope, location and the soil type of the site.
Therefore, it is unacceptable for builders to use a general allowance. It is good that builders include the quotes of site costs are also included. The amount to be charged could be calculated based on the amount of soil that should be excavated and transported off the site, plus the time and labor included.
This is why the builder should visit the site even before the project begins. You should at least have a hint on this so that you do not be overcharged.
- Approval and certification fees
It is very common that, depending on where you stay, there will be a different approval fee charged for your project. You may choose to pay the approval fees to either a private building certifier or the council. You will have to pay in the form of a Construction Certificate, Building Approval fees, or Development Approval fees. In either way, it is okay.
This fee is to be paid before being given the construction approval and it is essential that it is included in the quote, to avoid overspending.
- Fencing (security)
For people building new homes, especially on new land where you do not know anyone in the neighborhood, and therefore do not trust them either, fencing should be highly considered. You do not want your construction products stolen even before the mid of your project.
To add on that, you can choose to hire some security personnel to ensure the security of the site is excellent. For that reason, you should make sure that the cost of fencing and security personnel is included in the quote.
It is imperative to know that, in some cases, you might be sharing the fence with your neighbors. In that case, the cost should be split, and you should pay fifty percent of the total costs. Be careful because some builders might include the full amount into the quote, and you will end up paying for the entire amount if you are not keen.
See Also: Questions to Ask Real Estate Developers
- Structural Costs
You can always guess the structural costs, depending on the scrupulousness during quoting. Many builders will do a quotation based on the architectural plans, which should not be a problem.
Nevertheless, when the designs are so complicated, they can influence the quotation. Most likely the floor slabs, the footings, the structural steel, and the timber. While the structural timber may be easy to quote, the steel is more of guesswork.
So may resolve in asking a team of experienced builders, and be able to judge the approximate costs.
- Temporary Site Requirements
There is always this temporary requirement on the site. For instance, toilets are one of them. In other cases, you might need a temporary fence, before building the permanent one. Ensure that all these things are included in the quotes, and they won’t appear in the drawings. If they do not appear in the drawings, yet your builder is dishonest, they may be temp5ed to claim them as cost variations, since they do not appear in the drawings.
- Hidden Electricity Costs
In some cases, you may have bought an old home, and you only need to renovate it. It is good to note that, the home’s electrical wiring may not be up to date, as in; it may be having past standards, and therefore needs to be updated.
Mark you; this is never included in many builders’ quotes. Upgrading electricity standards is an increased cost. If your builder did not visit the site prior, they might not have known if that exists at the time of quoting.
- Water
It does not come as a shock to buy land in a particular region, and then come to realize later, that the water in the area is seasonal, and at that time of construction. Water is very significant at every step of constructing. And it is for that reason that you will have to spend more to buy water, for construction, which may not be very cheap, based on the quantity you need.
Cement concrete is the backbone of construction, and it requires lots of water to be produced. Where water quality is enough, the building will be quality and solid. Remember that the water needed for construction purposes should be salt-free.
The durability and hydration process of concrete wholly relies on the water. Durable concrete will also mean sustainable concrete. I am sure you also need a strong and durable building. You can achieve that at a lower price when you make sure that the water costs are included in the quotation, to avoid spending more money on it.
In summation, you may ask your builder to let you know whatever is missing from the quotation. Start from the end and walk your way backward, and then get to know everything. Highlight the excluded items and compare 3 them with the quotes of other builders. This will help you identify the things that are needed to be included. Anyway, experience builders should be familiar with the requirements of a specific area and be able to take accounts of what they think might be required, and fix them in the quotation.