Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Mar 18, 2015 3:15 pm Hi Finally progress on our custom build and we have tenders coming in (3). Can any experts provide advice on what to look for and comparing them. Obviously you are not always comparing 'apples with apples' although we have given each of them the same information. I don't know exactly what specifics to look for or where the catches might be. Our house is a bearers and joists construction. I have looked at the general information on the NSW Fair Trading Website. Is it worth having someone in the industry help us compare or is this likely to confuse us further? Thanks all Re: Comparing tenders and builders 2Mar 19, 2015 5:42 am I believe it would pay to use the services of a building surveyor, quantity surveyor or architect to sit down with you and go through the tenders. They will probably come up with a list of things that you should seek clarification on from the tenderer/s. There are so many variables in a house, and unless you have very detailed plans and specifications the tenders could be wildly different. Are the windows quality GJames, or cheap imported Chinese ones? What brand of doors are they using? Are they using crappy MDF skirting or quality Australian timber skirting? Cheap import plasterboard or good local stuff? Quality Clipsal/Legrand electrical accessories or cheap no-name stuff? Good Caroma tapware or no-name builder's discount stuff? Plastic plumbing pipe or copper? The list goes on and on. The tender review is very important. It's basically your last opportunity to make sure things are going your way before you sign in the dotted line. Re: Comparing tenders and builders 3Mar 19, 2015 6:21 am Great advice from 1960 ModernistHome As builder and QS who has spent over 2 decades tendering and evaluating subcontractor quotes on public works projects I can tell you tender evaluation is skill and art in itself just as estimating is. You cannot hope to just pick up and do what other people are trained to do, so investment in professional advice is a good step. Building surveyors generally are not trained in building costs. Architects often commission QS to advise them on costs. Your best bet by far is QS because they are the building cost experts. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Comparing tenders and builders 4Mar 19, 2015 10:22 am Yes I thought the advice may be as such. What would you expect a QS to charge for this service. We will go with one of the firms we have tendered with but it is trying to work out which quote is best. Also we have an extremely short time frame as we need our loan before I go on leave to have a baby and do not want to make the wrong decision due to that. Re: Comparing tenders and builders 5Mar 19, 2015 4:47 pm You will need to ring around and shop around, no one will give you reliable guess without at least superficial project review. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Comparing tenders and builders 6Mar 19, 2015 7:00 pm You can probably assume $150-250 an hour and you might want to sit down with them for a few hours. Plus another few hours if you want a formal report. Building Services Engineer Renovating our 1960's modernist home in Brisbane https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=82091 Thanks again Simeon for being so elaborate. Appreciate it. Its gives us a very idea. Kind Regards 4 3655 Look at your bill from the electricity company. It should detail the charges. You will need to do some estimating and some calculations. Then charge the… 8 4194 Site works are just about to start on our build with Blueprint in Midvale. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=106894 2 3946 |