Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Nov 04, 2011 12:52 pm The design is the easy part of the process. Most builder are flexible in their designs and can modify to suit. Below is what I believe to be the most important and often overlooked aspects of selecting a builder: - Communication - they need to be able to return calls, emails, etc and answer your queries effectively in a timely manner. If they are too busy to return your calls, they are too busy to manage your job and you should look elsewhere. - Attention to Detail - if your builder misses something, YOU will be the one to pay for it. Select someone that is intelligent (sometimes difficult in the building industry) and is a good problem solver. - Price - Select a builder that offers transparency on their pricing process and especially footings allowances, this is often overlooked. - Selections - Ask for a selections booklet up front. Review what is standard (and often poor) and what the cost of each upgrade is. This will allow to to obtain an accurate final cost estimate. If you get the above right...the rest will be a breeze as these will facilitate an enjoyable building process. Hope this helps. Hi Mofflepop, I would recommend finding a building designer to prepare plans, they should design to your specified budget. The benefit is you can tender the project out… 9 20352 Been in a similar position and we decided to let the builder go. Some of the PSA money goes to engineering so we at least got those documents and they actually refunded us… 2 6082 |