Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 Sep 24, 2011 1:21 am I may be a first time Owner Builder - still contemplating the idea - The more I get into it the more it seems complex and costly. (Double garage, games room, outside toilet, bedroom with walk in robe and remodel existing bedroom with an ensuite/wir) I had been given a quote by a carpenter associated with my workplace to do my owner builder extension, he told me he would organise all the trades (except the concretor, which is a friend of mine) as he has worked with them for 25 odd years and can recommend their work. The quote came back reasonable(which included elect, plumber, gyprock, brickie, carpentry,windows, doors & roof tiler) and within my budget, he told me if he got the job he would organise all of his tradies to be onsite when needed, I just had to go and pay for everything, which was fine. The quote was to lock up stage all internal finishes (excluding gyprocking) I would do myself. I was just about to accept this quote, when a spanner got thrown in the works, when I asked him to quote on looking after the job whilst he was onsite. He came back with a figure of around $5000 whilst he was onsite (while he was doing the carpentry work) then if called in for anything it would be $80.00 an hr. Although this is probably quite reasonable for a supervision of job I must admit I was not expecting another $5000 odd onto the budget. I rang him to ask what was included in this amount quoted and he said well my experience as a builder and I will organise all the tradies, well I thought then, that his original quote already including him getting prices from his tradies and him organising them when needed, so when I queried this with him, he then said, well I probably didn't really include that pricing in my original quote and basically said if I didn't accept the $5000 + for looking after it, then he then wouldn't organise the tradies and I probably should get my own quotes for tradies and organise them myself. Which I probably can do, I have numerous contacts within my workplace, I originally was just acccepting his quote as it sounded easier for both him and I as he knew all of these guys and sounded like he preferrred to work with them. I am also a little worried that if I choose my own tradies and look after the job but keep him as the carpenter, whether he's work will be at the same level as if I had paid him the extra amount and went his way. Maybe just call it female skepticism I just didn't like how the situation has turned all around after offering him more $$ to look after things. Firstly things were in the quote and now they are not - but unfortunately for me the quote didn't have that much information, mainly prices from all the tradies, the goods needed, insulation, termite etc, it seemed to cover everything needed but it didn't actually specify he would look after the tradies (the actual wording wasn't there, he said that verbally to me) only all the tradies prices. I am a single mother and I am truly worried that sometimes tradies and others try to make the most out of that situation. I was trying to do the owner builder job as it was in my budget, most builders quotes were about $40,000 dearer, this carpenters original quote was in my budget and I was so near to accepting it, but it looks like costing at least another $5000 + now, and maybe more as I read most OB jobs blow out. I hope I have explained this well enough. I'm just very confused now and not sure what to do. Thanks Re: To Use a Site Supervisor or Not!! 2Sep 24, 2011 5:25 am IMO, if you are unable to be the senior site supervisor, you are unabke to be an iwner builder. There is a whole lot of work that needs done and for the experiance needed to oversee it all $80 an hour is quite cheap. If you can't deal with this yourself, I dont see how you willll manage the rest if the buikd yiursekf cheaoer than the usual buuilders Re: To Use a Site Supervisor or Not!! 3Sep 24, 2011 1:37 pm I do understand, what you are saying, and I'm sure $80.00 an hr is probably cheap, I do admit that, the main problem of my worries is how the situation has changed since offering him more $$ or offering him the chance to quote, and now it looks like everything he originally offered is more or less null and void now. I may have even thought about taking him up on his offer if he hadn't said that most of the work for the extra $$ he had already promised to do and now probably should not. I guess it's the trust value and the honesty value I question and whether other things along the way may get changed if he tends to feel he can gain even more $$ and be greedy. I just didn't know whether or not anyone else may have come across a similar problem, i am thinking of either getting a few more builders quotes or even just selling and rebuying, if this is only the start of how tradies and the like treat OB in particular females, I think I'm really pretty terrified about the whole OB situation now. Re: To Use a Site Supervisor or Not!! 4Sep 24, 2011 2:40 pm Jods I can truly sympathise with you and my main advise is...if in doubt - don't!! Either look further for other tradies or go to Plan B. Getting tradies to turn up for quotes is tearing-your-hair-out-stuff because they say they will be there at x time on x day and that's the last you hear of them. Unfortunately, tradies can, and do, take advantage of a single female (not all of them) and regardless of what people say unless they are in your shoes they can't comment. I've had huge problems for this very reason but the smile will be bigger on my face than someone else's in the not too distant future. Just today I got a quote from an electrician and he has to be (so far) the nicest bloke I've come across and was astounded at the level of poor workmanship done by other so-called professionals. While he didn't run them down the look on his face was absolutely priceless, even to the extent that there is some unsafe electrical work as well as non-working smoke detectors...not very comforting? You can check their licences etc but none of it helps. Good luck with finding some honest tradies who aren't on a mission to rip you off at every turn, there are some out there, they are just few and far between. Sorry to the genuine tradies who might be reading this but I don't tar all of you with the same brush, but it's getting harder and harder to find genuine, honest people. Re: To Use a Site Supervisor or Not!! 5Sep 24, 2011 4:18 pm this just sounds like miscommunication, because he quoted you on arranging the tradies and materials initially, he only added on the extra when you also asked him to also be site supervisor as you said here: "I was just about to accept this quote, when a spanner got thrown in the works, when I asked him to quote on looking after the job whilst he was onsite." you have to look at it from his perspective - it will create extra work for him, even if he is there to do the carpentry already, he's going to get pulled away by tradies whenever something comes up and decisions need to be made, and if he's not on site, he has to take time out from other jobs and go to your house to deal with problems and sort out issues, that's time and petrol to him. You can do this yourself, but it will take time out from your schedule every time there is some issue, or tradies will just do what they want as workarounds, whereas what he is saying is he will be able to come up with solutions to issues because of his experience, but supervising the build is a whole other job you are adding on for him. That may involve discussions with tradies, phone calls, contacting suppliers at times etc. so it's not just about being there. The way I'm interpreting what he is saying, is he's charging you $5000 to be the site supervisor, but if he has to make any special trips to the site where he is burning up petrol and travelling time, he is charging the hourly rate to cover his extra costs (and it sounds like a very reasonable rate) That sucks! Hope it all works out. Good to move away from steel anyway for all your reasons, but it's also thermally poor. 16 17731 If what you describe is correct then the brick wall has been dry lined with villa board. 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