Browse Forums Renovation + Home Improvement 1 Jan 24, 2022 11:43 am G'day We live in a semi house in Sydney eastern suburb and need more living space as the family grows. I am just curious to know where do people find their builders? I did a bit of search on the DA applications on our council website and it seems that there is no "big shop" in this segment of the market. Please enlighten me on this... Also for the process of the extension, do most people go to a "one-stop shop" that do everything from drafting to building, or they would get the design done and then find their own builder? Thank you. Re: extension of a semi house in Sydney eastern suburb 2Jan 24, 2022 1:11 pm G'day larry_z There are many ways to find custom home builders online;
If you can get a reliable referral from a friend, that’s a good start. But even then, you need to do proper due diligence. Remember, You should take the information online with a pinch of salt. Builders are paying these websites to look good. The information will always show their best side. It’s really easy to get fake reviews. I’m not saying all reviews are fake. But some are, and it’s hard to tell the difference. Look past all this. Having a big marketing budget does not translate into quality homebuilding. The process for custom home building is the same as renovation by the way - builders usually advertise themselves as custom home builders but do renovation too. Have you engaged a designer to draw up the plans yet? Regards, Colin Operations Director Homebuildguide.com.au Click Here For A Free eBook About Custom Home Building Re: extension of a semi house in Sydney eastern suburb 3Jan 24, 2022 6:59 pm Thank you Colin. We haven’t talk to a designer yet. We have a pretty good idea of what we want, and we don’t need anything fancy. Do people just work with the designer and let designer pick the builder or they will source the builder independently with a complete plan? Homebuildguide-Colin G'day larry_z There are many ways to find custom home builders online;
If you can get a reliable referral from a friend, that’s a good start. But even then, you need to do proper due diligence. Remember, You should take the information online with a pinch of salt. Builders are paying these websites to look good. The information will always show their best side. It’s really easy to get fake reviews. I’m not saying all reviews are fake. But some are, and it’s hard to tell the difference. Look past all this. Having a big marketing budget does not translate into quality homebuilding. The process for custom home building is the same as renovation by the way - builders usually advertise themselves as custom home builders but do renovation too. Have you engaged a designer to draw up the plans yet? Re: extension of a semi house in Sydney eastern suburb 4Jan 24, 2022 7:13 pm I’d do the plan independently, then get your builder. Word of mouth is best, look for conflict resolution skills, smaller builders are better for renovations, they are intrinsically complicated and issues arise. You want the builder on your job 100%, not managing 5-6 builds with subbies only. Look around the area at current builds , look for a neat site and speak to neighbours Re: extension of a semi house in Sydney eastern suburb 5Jan 24, 2022 8:08 pm Thank you Pulse. To what extent the builders usually commit to the budget? I know there must be some surprise here and there, but in general is there a ballpark figure say 20% over budget? Re: extension of a semi house in Sydney eastern suburb 6Jan 25, 2022 8:14 am LARRY_Z Thank you Pulse. To what extent the builders usually commit to the budget? I know there must be some surprise here and there, but in general is there a ballpark figure say 20% over budget? Hi Larry Builders in the renovation game such as ourselves have to look at plans, engineering and all other documentation to determine which sort of margin % we work with. Usually with medium to big renovations that tend to happen have a cost plus module that allows the builder and client track costs involved meaning if the cost of a concrete slab was $30k then a margin of 20-30% added on top depending on what’s agreed. With the ever growing market for for supply costs etc, it’s hard to give a indicative price now if your going to build in 6months. Good that helps and good luck. If you need any help don’t hesitate to contact me. Ta Building trust through excellent work. Re: extension of a semi house in Sydney eastern suburb 7Feb 28, 2022 12:04 pm LARRY_Z G'day We live in a semi house in Sydney eastern suburb and need more living space as the family grows. I am just curious to know where do people find their builders? I did a bit of search on the DA applications on our council website and it seems that there is no "big shop" in this segment of the market. Please enlighten me on this... Also for the process of the extension, do most people go to a "one-stop shop" that do everything from drafting to building, or they would get the design done and then find their own builder? Thank you. Hi larry_z There are plenty of forums that might recommend reputable builders. Cheers John Get sound legal advice. We manage Building Disputes, Construction Contracts, Security of Payment. PM for queries. https://www.contractsspecialist.com.au/articles/ Hi, Seeking volume or semi-custom builder in victoria(east), which have existing double story wide floor plans. Seeking 18-20m wide homes with depth of 12-15m long. Or… 0 26276 Hi, We have a single story MacDonald Jones house, on a waffle pod slab with steel frame. Are we able to build a second story extension? Other info is we are 900mm from… 0 9247 0 5248 |