1. A Square Metre Rate Mistake
There are several problems with free building quotes when you’re looking to build your new Architectural home.
To begin with, many free building quotes are based on square metre rates. However, building is a much more complex and varied service than other services that use square metre rates, such as painting, concreting, or plastering.
Square metre rates for many other services make sense, because one square metre tends to be nearly identical to another. A painter, concreter, or plasterer can measure the area they’re working on, then multiply it by their square metre rate. A free quote will take them fifteen minutes.
When it comes to building a home, however, not all square metres for your build are created equal. For example, think of a square metre in the middle of your kitchen floor. Then think of a square metre that encompasses your oven and all the cabinetry above and below it. There’s no way these two parts of your build cost the same, right?
A builder who prepares a free quote using a square metre rate risks seriously undercharging you in their quote. And if you’re being undercharged, you can expect to face one of two problems:
a) either the builder will take shortcuts to stick to budget, resulting in poor quality construction or
b) they’ll end up charging you significantly more than they quoted, leading to unexpected cost blowouts.
Either way, it’s a bad outcome for you.
Even if your builder doesn’t quote using square metre rates, they probably are preparing your quote themselves. And if that’s the case, you can still expect to run into problems.
2. A Distracted Disaster
First, most builders who prepare free quotes do it after hours, when they’re tired after an 8-12 hour work day, distracted by what’s going on at home, and almost certainly ready to knock off for the day. This tends to lead to a cheap-looking quote that’s riddled with omissions, leading to expensive variations during your build. For example, you want a marble benchtop rather than the laminate one they included in your quote? Then you’ll need to sign a variation for several hundred dollars. You actually want a separate toilet and bathroom? Here’s another variation… You get the idea.
3. An Untrained Eye For Detail
The other problem with a DIY free quote prepared by your builder is that estimating isn’t part of most builders’ training. Instead, estimating is actually a specialised skill that takes time and attention to detail.
Think of it as the difference between fixing your car yourself, or getting a mechanic to do it. No matter how close you come, the mechanic will always do a better job. And the bigger the problem, the bigger the discrepancy between the quality of your repairs.
The same goes for estimating and quoting new home projects. A free quote prepared by a builder is never as accurate as a quote prepared by an estimator or qualified Quantity Surveyor. And inaccuracies in a building quote mean you miss out on the things you want, or you’re hit with more unexpected costs. Either way, it’s not a great outcome for you.
The Smart Thing To Do
There are several benefits to paying for a building quote for your new home. To begin with, most builders who offer paid building quotes treat quoting as a serious part of their business. This means they’re more committed to accuracy and investing the necessary time to gather the right information to give you a comprehensive Detailed Costing. Often, they’ll take the time to meet with you to discuss what you’re looking for and make sure they have a thorough idea of your needs, preferences, and budget.
From the builder’s perspective, preparing paid building quotes is a good way to ensure that you, as the client, are committed to a building project, and that you’re not simply using them to “price check” another builder you’ve already hired. Because this process eliminates such “tyre kicking”, it also means your builder can give your quote the attention it deserves, because they’re not stretched too thinly preparing too many quotes at once.
Most importantly, paying for a building quote means that you can get a building quote prepared by a professional estimator and/or qualified Quantity Surveyor whose primary job is to prepare these quotes, rather than the builder. This means you should get a quote based on a comprehensive Detailed Costing, with accurate and fair figures, prices, and costs.
Of course, before you agree to pay for a building quote, you should make sure you’ll be getting a comprehensive quote prepared by a professional estimator, rather than just the builder himself. You should also make sure that the quote will be prepared in consultation with you. These are the two main benefits you should get when paying for a building quote, so make sure you are getting them.
What We Do At HARPER
At HARPER, we charge a nominal fee for our building quotes because we use professional Quantity Surveyors to complete the Detailed Costing for your project. This provides us with the accurate figures and numbers we need to give you an accurate and fair building quote.
Furthermore, we take the time to conduct preliminary site surveys to better understand your needs and any challenges we may face during your build. We can also guide you through choosing your selections, all of which takes place before we provide you with a quote.
One thing that sets our quoting process apart from many other builders is that we take the time to help you make your building quote match your budget. So, if the original quote is more than what you can afford, we help you consider how we can vary your project to meet your needs. For example, you may choose to stage the build or substitute one material for another.
By taking this thorough approach to the building quote you pay for, you can be confident you have the information you need to make an informed decision about building your home with us.
And because your building quote forms the basis for a fixed-price contract, you can proceed with the peace of mind that comes from knowing you won’t be hit by any unexpected costs down the road.
Do you want an accurate and thorough building quote?
If you want to make sure the price you’re quoted is the price you’ll pay for your home, then you need to get a paid building quote from HARPER.
We’d love to discuss your plans for your new home with you in greater detail.
