I totally agree with this. At the end of the day, it is the SS looking after the entire build. The big question is....How do we choose our SS? Do we even have a choice even going with smaller builders?
Browse Forums Building A New House Re: BIG Builders vs Small Builders? 21Jan 15, 2009 9:25 am dymonite69 Choose the person, not the company. I totally agree with this. At the end of the day, it is the SS looking after the entire build. The big question is....How do we choose our SS? Do we even have a choice even going with smaller builders? Building Clarendon Brighton - Done and moved in Sept 2009 Re: BIG Builders vs Small Builders? 22Jan 15, 2009 9:35 am Becster or we just got lucky with our supervisor. I think you have the rare privilege of dealing with an honourable builder who has kept you in the loop. As you have indicated there is more than just build quality that influences the customer experience. From our experience I would have liked to have seen: a) Greater proactivity at the design and selection stage. They should be able to offer suggestions, alterations and recommendations that the client may not have considered. b) Provide prompt and accurate cost estimation of fixtures, fittings, variations or additions both in the pre-contract and building phase c) Kept better records of our contract specifications and instructions when ordering and installing materials. d) Involve the client at important points of the building process to discuss finer details or verify the quality and accuracy of the work. Builders should focus not only on the product but also on the service. If I wanted to be project manager than I would have built the house myself. Re: BIG Builders vs Small Builders? 23Jan 15, 2009 9:54 am fringe dwellers felt more confident going with a builder that limits its site starts and retains the same tradies. As many have said, the build is influenced by how good your SS is and the trades they subcontract to. This is a good point, same tradies means same quality - less bad eggs in the form of tradies slipping through working on your house. Didn't really consider this before now but makes sense. Re: BIG Builders vs Small Builders? 24Jan 15, 2009 11:10 am My choice of builder wasn't really about the size of the builder but what styles each builder provided.
I am about to sign a contract with a small builder because the display house we went to see was what we wanted. They had a lot of inclusions - which the bigger builders had as promotions, and were very accommodating to the changes that we requested. As for price - we didn't find the prices differed too much from the builders. I guess you need to compare apples with apples. But the extras: * refidgerated cooling * cat 4 tiles * cat 4 bricks were much more expensive with the volume builders. Personally, I would have been happy with choosing a big or small builder. It came down to design. I have armed myself with the tips gained from reading these forums and will be watching the build very closely... All the best on your selection. Cheers, Rookie Re: BIG Builders vs Small Builders? 25Jan 15, 2009 11:29 am I've got a quotation from a smaller builder just then, but the difference in cost so far are quite big ~
With the volume builder, for $205K I could build a house as bg as 30sq + those luxury upgrade as in their promotional package such as stone benchtop, glass splash back; but with the smaller builder, I've got the quotation of 215K for a 26sq home still with laminated benchtop and polymarble base (instead of tiled shower base) ~ Is this reasonable? Re: BIG Builders vs Small Builders? 26Jan 16, 2009 9:09 am Like with everything else, there are benefits and disadvantages to both sides.
Take that 25 year structural guarantee. There's a pretty good chance M3tricon will still be around in 25 years to make good on any claims. Can the same be said for a smaller builder? On the other hand, a smaller builder may only work on a handful of projects at once, meaning you can get much faster responses to queries or problems. Having said that, a larger builder will probably supply the "basics" a lot cheaper than a small builder. But then, a smaller builder will be more likely to charge you reasonable prices for add-ons or changes to the plan. Of course, then there's the fact that a large builder probably has the resources to cope with sudden changes in the economy. Although a smaller builder will probably be more flexible. ### In the end, unfortunately nobody other than you can make the decision. Having said that, I have two pieces of advice for you. 1) Don't choose your builder based on what kind of relationship you strike up with the salesperson/customer service rep etc. Your relationship with that person will last the 12-18 months it takes to get your house built. Your relationship with the house will last a heck of a lot longer. Choose based on the house that's right for you, not the person selling it to you. 2) Perhaps a contradiction, but if you go with a volume builder, don't be afraid to tell them that you want someone different on your case. With so many employees, there's going to be the occasional dud--and trust me, working with a dud customer service rep is not a fun experience. If you aren't getting what you want, make some noise. --Mike Everything I know, I learned from SBS. LATEST: Frame Complete http://metricon-mercer.livejournal.com Re: BIG Builders vs Small Builders? 27Jan 18, 2009 3:11 pm We are building with a small custom builder (in Melbourne) and we paid for Kevin, the building inspector from New Home Inspections, to come and do a pre plaster inspection.
He commented that you can definitely tell the difference between the large volume builders and the smaller builders - the smaller builders use better quality parts and have a much better finish. I do think they are more expensive though. I have built with both types before and think you get what you pay for, but at the end of the day, when you come to sell that house - the buyer doesn't care who built it, or what materials are under the plaster - so you don't necessarily get your money back in that respect. Hi all, We are looking to build a new two storey house in western Sydney. Can anyone recommend a smallish builder to go with? We are trying to stay away from the big… 0 12140 consider putting in wall WC instead of robe in the same bedroom, then it might be doable to hook up to the existing piping. 4 6628 |