House Designs Brisbane, Home Designs Brisbane

House Designs Brisbane – Avoiding Budget Blowouts

Building or renovating your home is an exciting prospect, but that thrill can quickly be dampened by unforeseen costs. We hear stories about it all the time, a homeowner has finalised a design, found an excellent builder and organised a timeline for the build. But then either the project can’t proceed as it exceeds the client’s budget or as construction begins, costs begin to climb.

The good news is that you can avoid this unnecessary stress easily. Through careful organisation and making key decisions early, a beautiful new home or renovation project can be built completely within budget. Today on the blog we’re breaking down exactly what you need to know to avoid a budget blowout. 

Work with a local builder from the start 

The best way to keep your build within budget is to work with a local Brisbane builder that has experience in the type and style of project you are proposing, from the earliest stages of the design process. You might be wondering, “what do builders have to offer during this stage?” A lot actually. 

The reason this is so important to the overall success of your project is that whilst Architects and Engineers might be specialists in their fields of design. It is the builder who specialises in the costings of projects. With the engagement of the right builder from concept, a client should take confidence that the design and planning process proceeds in sync with their budget.

A builder can draw upon their expertise and experience to provide advice on cost-effective materials, value engineering options and provide feedback of required labour costs of various trades in real-time. They can also connect you with the perfect Brisbane architect or Home building designer for your project. 

Working with a builder early on leads to a more collaborative and seamless building process. With everyone working together and on the same page, you can proceed with confidence that your home design will be built specifically to suit your needs and budget.

What you are trying to avoid, is to complete all the design development and  approvals process. Where after not only investing a great amount of money but also time and energy only to find the cost to build your dream home is nowhere near your budget.

Oversight by the appropriate builder during the design process in an invaluable measure you can take to ensure the successful design.

Look carefully at your building quote

One question we are asked a lot at Linear Design + Construct, is why we charge for quotes, especially as other builders offer them for free. This answer is simple – a quality and accurate quote which is hugely detailed takes time, expertise and resources to get right. 

It involves a full measure take off and market testing with quality tried suppliers and subcontractors, The quotes typically are 15-30+ pages and are highly detailed. It’s imperative to have this level of detail as it will form the specification and the scope of works to any possible contract. You want the peace of mind that you know exactly what is covered with the builder’s contract and you can’t get that from quotes that are up to 5 pages or less or missing significant detail.

Most Brisbane builders offering no-obligation, free quotes are often simply going off square metre averages, which are rarely accurate and seriously lacking detail. In fact, some estimates suggest that free quotes only have 20% chance of being accurate…

Hence you want the builder to put the necessary resources toward compiling an accurate, highly detailed and comprehensive quote.

A quote from a quality builder will include a detailed desription of the scope of works and finishes. As well as budget allocation for materials or works that cannot be determined at the time of quoting. These costs should be inspected carefully. Some builders will put in small allowances to make a quote look cheaper, however this estimate will likely blow out once construction commences. Worse still are builders that exclude significant scope of works in order to win the project A client should be left with no doubt about what is covered and what has been allowed for in a quality quote.

Don’t change your plans 

Once you’ve signed off on your new house design and construction has begun, you shouldn’t change your plans unless completely necessary. This will cause additional costs in the form of variations that will not have been allocated for in your budget. 

Variations can be avoided by carefully scrutinising your design with your builder and architect or building designer before construction, so you have an accurate sense of what your home will look and feel like once it’s complete. Various practices will offer innovative technologies such as 3D renders or virtual reality walkthroughs so you can see exactly how your home will look when built.

Specialists are essential

If your home project involves a certain service – such as the renovation or extension of a Queenslander home for instance – you should choose a builder who specialises in this niche. They will have the necessary experience in this type of project and consequently will have a more thorough understanding of the costs involved than a builder who doesn’t work in this area.

If you’re looking for a quality builder who can help you avoid budget blowout on your next Brisbane custom home build, renovation or extension project, get in touch with the team at Linear Design + Construct today.