Runaway Building… Reining in your project before you press go

Runaway Building… Reining in your project before you press go
  • Written by
  • Dee Ellwood

When the clock strikes midnight on January the 1st those home building New Year resolutions come out to party. Energetic plans and go get ’em attitudes have us scribbling plans on the backs of napkins and scrolling through Pinterest for renovation ideas.

Passion for any building project is paramount – owner, architect, builder and tradesmen – everyone needs to be onboard from beginning to end. Avoiding mid-year building blues and unexpected project painfuls is also high on the list, so it pays to front up to a few home truths before taking the plunge. Dee spoke to three local industry experts who echoed similar sentiments and provided some sage advice when project planning in 2019.

Determine your must-haves

Knowing exactly what you ‘have to have’ included in your build must be established right from the start, says Troy Davy of Davy Construction.

“Determine your must-haves – which are typically your high cost areas. For example, an ensuite with a bath, or a larger open-plan dining room, a high stud in the lounge, or cedar cladding,” he says. “Then you’re putting your money in the places you’ll be getting the most enjoyment.”

Trying to ‘do it all’ can result in a job that is less than impressive or you may over capitalise, says Dylan Batenburg of Coalesce Architecture.

“Sometimes doing a little less but doing it really well is the winning ticket,” he says. “For example, make a feature of more expensive cladding at the front of your house and entranceway and choose a less expensive cladding for the back wall, closest to the fence, which can’t be seen.”

Don’t forget to define what you don’t like either, says Martin Jackson of Martin Jackson Architecture. “Be very clear on whether you’re building or renovating your ‘forever’ home too. If it’s not, don’t over personalise it. Colours can be changed but if you’ve got eccentric kitchen tastes, it might not bode well from a selling perspective.”

Lose the square metre mentality

Know someone with a square metre rate obsession? You’re not alone. Too often clients are fixated on knowing what the square metre cost of their house or renovation will be before committing to a project, says Dylan. But there’s no one-size-fits-all figure.

“Square metre costs vary greatly from job to job, it depends on a myriad of factors. If you’re renovating high cost areas like your bathroom and kitchen and ensuite the square metre rate is going to be higher,” he explains. “If you’re adding on a garage or a bedroom it’s going to be lower because it’s mostly just space – there’s no plumbing. And, generally, it’s always cheaper to go out than up.”

Troy Davy agrees. “You’re looking at an absolute minimum of $2300sqm for a new build, and don’t forget square meterage fluctuates in accordance with what’s happening outside too. For example, you have to consider septic tanks, water tanks and a sewage system if you live rural – these all bring the costs up.”

Don’t forget the site map will influence your square meterage too, says Martin. “You could be building identical houses, side by side, except one is on a flat site and the other is on a sloping site. Ultimately you’ll pay more for the sloping.”

Small builds – i.e. tiny homes – aren’t necessarily exempt from rising square metre costs either, cautions Dylan. “You still need a bathroom and a kitchen even in a small space, so take square meterage with a pinch of salt!”

Don’t set yourself up for a fall

If you want your project to run smoothly from A to Z, be prepared to communicate across all avenues and preference architects and builders that have worked together before.

“Sometimes clients will want to project manage the job themselves or get a friend who’s an electrician to do the work,” says Dylan. “Sometimes it’s fine but other times you run the risk of the friend not having the same commitment to the job – so they might not turn up when needed or they don’t communicate with the builder – resulting in work halting, which pushes costs up.”

“It’s in the best interests of builders and architects to produce a good looking and well-crafted project. At the end of the day, we’re the ones that certify it and put our names to it,” says Troy. “So, don’t just choose someone because they’ve given you a cheaper price, choose someone you can strike up a rapport with.”

If you’ve got expectations to be in your home by a fixed date – Christmas – with guests coming to stay, and have family and a job to juggle throughout the build, enlisting full-contracting services and taking a step back, is probably the best way to go, advises Martin.

“Some clients can do projecting managing, are great communicators and are able to keep the ball rolling for all tradesmen involved – and remain relatively stress-free,” he says. “But not everyone can project manage their own build and inevitably you are going to get delays and changes crop up on all jobs – it’s just how it is. To make it easier on yourself, handing over the reins to the builder who’ll deliver on all areas, maybe the better option.”

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