Here at Primebuilt Constructions, we like to do things a little differently.
Asking for a financial commitment before you sign on with a builder may not be something you’d traditionally expect, but when you think about it and understand the benefits of preparing a highly detailed document – as opposed to just a single page quote, it makes complete sense.
Here are four reasons why you should consider engaging your builder to provide a comprehensive, detailed project proposal when building a new home or planning a major renovation, and why we think it’s vital for a successful build.
1. Expert Knowledge
To deliver your dream home or renovation to our high standards (as well as yours), on time and on budget, you need us to be experts in our field. This requires education, training, knowledge and years of hard yards putting it all into practice, all of which costs thousands of dollars.
Preparing a comprehensive, well thought out and, most importantly, accurate building proposal, requires a huge amount of detailed preparation. In fact, it can take us anywhere between 60 and 80 hours to prepare you an accurate project proposal. That’s more than a week’s work for each proposal! In this period we consider:
- Your needs and wants
- Your site conditions
- A bill of quantities
- The cost of all subcontractors, trades and suppliers
If a builder is offering free quotes, delivered in record time and with only a few pages of detail, the alarm bells should start ringing. Quick turnaround quotes can indicate a builder is not in high demand, and a two page ‘quote’ is not the same as a detailed project proposal. And think about it, what sort of service and attention to detail would you expect from someone offering a lifetime of knowledge and experience – for free?
2. Cost Accuracy
This is the number one outcome that you, as the client, need from your builder’s proposal. Paying a small sum up front for a detailed, comprehensive proposal will more than pay for itself during the construction process, when you can rest assured in the knowledge that the proposal you sign off on, will be delivered as expected – no surprises.
In fact, when you decide to sign on with Primebuilt Constructions following the delivery of your detailed proposal, we will take the upfront consultation fee of preparing your custom project proposal off your final contract price.
A quote is simply an indication of how much your project should cost. It’s usually based on a builder’s similar or recently completed projects, often using a broad-brush square metre rate with neglect to any specific needs or unique features and finishes that you may require.
There is definitely a tendency to under quote in these circumstances (to get you in the door), which is another reason you save time and money by paying for a detailed proposal early in the piece – you get it right the first time! No surprises and no going back to a lender to ask for more money to cover the left out or overlooked details down the track!
In contrast, a detailed proposal will be based on a bill of quantities which we will develop after our extensive initial consultation with you and your design team.
We’ll do a site visit and assessment to ensure there aren’t any hidden surprises lurking in your site. We will nut out every little detail, from wall and floor finishings to door handles, and then we’ll calculate the price of all of those materials, fixtures and fittings required in the build, getting quotes from all our subcontractors and suppliers so that we can be sure we’re providing you with accurate pricing.
This personalised work culminates in a comprehensive 35 – 70 page proposal (project size dependant) which details all costs and timeframes for each stage of construction, and on which your contract will be based. It will form part of the project documentation to be referred to throughout the construction stage – and is often more important than your plans.
3. Time Accuracy
We take time to talk to you, your design team (where applicable) and our subcontractors in order to prepare your proposal so we can not only include accurate costs but also accurate timeframes. As we all know, time is money, especially when it comes to construction variations.
As a client, you don’t want to be hit with any nasty surprises or disappointments when it comes to your building time frames. With Primebuilt Constructions, we make you know exactly what to expect at each stage of construction, so no-one is left in the dark.
4. Relationships
Your commitment to engage us upfront for a detailed proposal proves you are serious about potentially building with us. Yes, builders qualify their prospective clients too! We don’t want to spend a week of our time preparing a detailed proposal for a potential client who is just price checking someone else’s work, with little chance of us actually winning a tender.
We want our partnership with our clients to start well before the contract signing and start of construction, which is why we take so long to understand your needs and wants before we even start designing.
Once we have prepared your project proposal, we will then explain every little detail, answering all your queries and discussing any changes before finalising a contract which holds both parties accountable – then you know we are serious about the relationship too!
As with any relationship, communication is key, and we pride ourselves on ensuring you are kept informed from the moment you first sit down with us to the day you get the keys to your dream home.
If you’re ready to engage a Melbourne builder who values their client relationships and provides highly detailed project proposals, get in touch with Chris and the team at Primebuilt Constructions today!