5 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Builder

You are going to need a builder for when you decide to construct a new house or renovate an existing one. However, if you want to avoid the risks and mistakes other home owners make by simply selecting the first builder they come across from a local directory service, you will need to consider a number of other factors to ensure your project ends up exactly the way you envisioned it. To help you navigate the process, here are five tips offered by our team at Tradebusters to take into consideration when choosing a builder.

1. The price tag

Obviously, this is one of the biggest factors you should consider when choosing a builder. However, we have to make it clear that it should not be about going for the highest or the lowest price. When considering the price tag given by a prospective builder for your project, it has to have a detailed explanation—in the form of a quote—for every piece of materials to the cost of labour. When comparing quotes, it is important to make sure that you are comparing the exact scope of works using the same quality of materials. Otherwise you could be left disappointed by making a decision based on bottom line price alone, only to realise after your project has started that there were certain exclusions or that certain items “will cost extra”.

2. The builder’s qualifications

Builders are required by law to have the proper licenses, certifications and insurances before they can accept clients, so make sure the builders you are considering show you their credentials.You should verify the builder’s qualifications with such organisations as the HIA or Home Industry Association, the MBA or Master Builders Association as well as your state licensing authorities like Fair Trading or Consumer Affairs.

You should also find out about the work they have done in the past year and suggest to review their portfolios. Even better is if the builder can give you the names and addresses of past clients, whom you can expect to speak candidly about the builder they have hired before.

3. The builder’s experience in a similar project

The experience of a builder in general construction work is always important, but even more important is his/her experience in doing projects that are similar to yours in style and scope. After all, there are builders that specialise in, say, constructing huge malls, but aren’t really all that great in creating a three-bedroom house. So hire good builders in Australia who have done work on the kind of project that you need done so you can get exactly the results you want.

4. The builder’s familiarity with local building codes

There are good builders in Australia, and there are also great builders in Australia who are always well updated with the latest local council & building code requirements. Any violations with local Building Codes and Standards could end up costly for you especially if the work needs to be pulled down and redone.

5. The contract

When choosing a builder for construction work, always make sure that everything about it is written down in the form of a contract. Both you and the builder should fully understand it inside and out and follow its stipulations to the letter to lessen the likelihood of something wrong popping up during the construction. Communication is vital in faithfully carrying out the contract, so it’s always best that you, the builder and everyone else involved in the project discuss project details on a regular basis.

If finding good builders in Australia becomes really hard for you, we at Tradebusters can make things a lot easier. If you give us a call, we can help you with options with experienced and recommended builders who have been long members of our trade network.