Hi All, we have asked a small local builder to quote on our custom plan, we have had a meeting, given him a sketch plan and advised our minimum requirements. He was really enthusiastic and professional at the meeting (we went to his house which he has recently built - very nice)!!
Now, how long is a reasonable time frame to hear back about an estimate - we are not after a detailed quotation/tender/ contract document just after an estimate to see if they are within our budget range....its been almost two weeks with no word, hubby sent him a txt to ask if he had any questions/ if he is still interested in quoting...and nothing!
What do you think, should we call and chase him, which I don't really want to do...or wait it out? I would also be interested to see if TheStig was around to answer this one as he may have some sound advice re how small builders operate when quoting...???
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Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Small local builder - how long should we wait? 2Nov 11, 2007 10:00 pm My suggestion would be to ring him.
Because he is a small builder he is doing a lot of other things…..you wont be forgotten, just merely put on the TO DO list, more than likely he has started, just taking a while to get it completed! Ring him, if you like his work, stick it out with him. But make it know from the start, you are in control.  Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: Small local builder - how long should we wait? 3Nov 11, 2007 10:08 pm Hi Ruth, in my experience with small builders, they like to cross their t's and dot their i's with their pricing - they don't like giving rough estimates. They will look at all the options and because they don't have the manpower, like the big guys, it takes a while....
Call him and ask for a timeframe of when he will be able to sit with you and go through the pricing. I'm sure he'll want to present his proposal to you personally too. Also a benefit of the small builder. For them it is personal... Dont feel bad to call, as Michelle said, you will be on a To Do list...
Let us know how you go? Re: Small local builder - how long should we wait? 4Nov 11, 2007 10:18 pm Thanks, I guess I was just wanting to hear other people's advice on this because I am not sure about how smaller builders operate - with the other builders we have looked at, they call us and check if we have any questions and always communicate...good point about having a "staff" that will do this for them and this guy who has a business card that just says "Matt" on it with number details is not quite the glossy brochure kinda operation!
We watched the progress of his house as it was being built only 2 streets away from us! I really like the internal quality and he said he could build something with similar finishes for a reasonable price....OK, I will give him a call next week. one thing though- his english is not great, fluent enough to understand but we had to go over some things a few times - so do you think communication may be an issue? Ruth -Bought house in Melbourne inner burbs, knocked it down & now...we are owner builders! Completed OB project and moved in to our new home with our new baby in May 2009! Re: Small local builder - how long should we wait? 5Nov 11, 2007 10:20 pm He might also be using an external estimator.
A mate of mine who is a small builder (reno's extensions etc) and he gets most of his big jobs done by a cost estimator as it is more efficient for him to do it that way. But then he is reliant on someone elses timeframe. Personally I think 2 weeks is a very reasonable timeframe to be waiting. But don't text him. Business is done people to people - ring him up and listen to the tone in his voice and then you'll know what is really happening. Steve Re: Small local builder - how long should we wait? 6Nov 11, 2007 10:35 pm Ruth, sorry to put a total spin on this but i need to ask if you have checked his references and qualifications. eg, member of the Master Builders Assoc. etc.?
Have you checked other houses he has built and speak with the owners and see what they thought of him? Have you check to see that there have been no official complaints about him? Business card with just Matt a mobile? 
He might be starting out and all, but please make sure that you do your homework with your builder of choice...... Re: Small local builder - how long should we wait? 7Nov 11, 2007 10:51 pm Phoenix, yes, at our meeting we asked a heap of questions - and he is a member of both hia and masterbuilders....I may have misrepresented him here - his business card also has his trading name on it which I have looked up and it is registered...as for more detailed research (licences, references etc) well I will do this when his estimate comes back and is within our budget!!
Believe me, I am not going to just let anyone build our home - thats why we have been to 9 builders for a quote and still havent decided!! Of those 8 we have ruled out 5 completely ( and 4 are still in the running...including Matt whose quote we haven't received yet so we cant rule him out at this stage!) We are also contemplating going owner builder as time is running out and our landlord just increased our rent by $40per week !! aarrghhh!! We want to be in a house by next Xmas!! Ruth -Bought house in Melbourne inner burbs, knocked it down & now...we are owner builders! Completed OB project and moved in to our new home with our new baby in May 2009!  01 May 2007 52 Canberra Loyal Member Re: Small local builder - how long should we wait? 8Nov 12, 2007 6:06 am Ruth,
We are in a similar situation. Although we have only got one quote back, requested four (from both small and large volume builders). We waited 2 weeks for the quote and expect to wait 2-3 weeks for the other quotes. Owner building is looking attractive to us, except that we are worried about cost blow outs, time (as we also have a small toddler and both work f/t) and the unreliable nature of tradies in the ACT (no offence - just our experience). Have you looked at the potential cost savings of owner building? Is it worth it? Re: Small local builder - how long should we wait? 9Nov 12, 2007 11:58 pm Hi James, I had a whole long winded response written out then the server crashed or something and I couldn't get back on -  Devastated!!
Anyway, the jist of it was that we havent looked into OB seriously yet, are thinking about it, but not sure if its really worth it as the savings may not be enough to compensate for the time/effort/stress spent!! I am doing some PM consulting work from home and it is already suffering just cause of this site  (I keep telling hubby its research) so its actually costing me $$ already!! And ofcourse my full time job is looking after my 9mth old boy!
We are keen to get moving though, settled in June and all we have done is come up with a basic design, narrowed the field from 8 builders to 4 (1 hi-volume builder, 2 small/medium builders and waiting for a quote from 1 small local builder! ) So much to do so little time!! Good info from Shane re OB in another post - "Blue Rain House" I will find it and paste the link here... Ruth -Bought house in Melbourne inner burbs, knocked it down & now...we are owner builders! Completed OB project and moved in to our new home with our new baby in May 2009! Re: Small local builder - how long should we wait? 10Nov 13, 2007 12:01 am Thats the link, I think that going with a smaller builder may be as close to OB as you can get as you have a lot more control over the building process and fixtures/fittings....then again with the bigger builders you can have the benefit of economies of scale......arghhh what to do???!!!
http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=3792 Ruth -Bought house in Melbourne inner burbs, knocked it down & now...we are owner builders! Completed OB project and moved in to our new home with our new baby in May 2009! 01 May 2007 52 Canberra Loyal Member Re: Small local builder - how long should we wait? 11Nov 13, 2007 6:50 am I think we may be in the same situation.
We will probably go with the small/medium private builder on a cost plus contract with us able to arrange some things separately. I called our local authority and being an owner builder seems like a lot of work with a 1 year old in tow. The blue rain house is fantastic, we are using brick with stained ecoply highlights, although we haven't decided on colours yet. 1 2106 this is unfortunately the standard position most people end up in. Its a lesson learned. Future wise, even if you think everything is smooth and you have trust yadda… 10 4100 Are you saying that these consultants are involved at key-points of the building, and perform site inspects at the stages, or only after building is completed to point… 4 3512 |
