Comments0 by in The Building Industry
September 12, 2014
How to check the skills of your Home Builder

You have made the big decision of building your new home, adding on that extra room with an extension or freshening your place up with a renovation. But before you go full steam ahead with it, there are a few important aspects that you will have to look into; choosing a skilled builder is one of them.

What to look for in a builder

When we talk about skills, it includes their capacity to handle the job in an expert and professional manner. But keep in mind that skills come from experience, the ability to handle your requests and ensure that they have understood what your specific building requirements are etc. Take a look at just some of the aspects that we feel you will have to consider while choosing a skilled builder:

Defining Needs:

Some builders handle projects of different scales while others are more niche in their functioning and specialise in certain kinds of homes, styles and price ranges. Some builders will build starter homes while others might handle multi-million dollar home projects. Find out whether the builder you have zeroed-in is able to handle your specific construction needs.

A Matter of Experience:

Sure experience is importance, but that does not mean you have to discount a comparatively new firm. Check if the team has some veterans in it. If the professionals on board the team are seasoned, they may still be able to help you in an expert manner.

References and testimonials:

One way of checking whether the builder has the skills you are looking for, is to check if his previous clients are satisfied. Most reliable and established builders will offer referrals and client references. Check if the kind of homes he has built in the past matches up to the styling and standard you are looking for in your home. If possible ask for photographs of the work completed for a particular client to see the level of work and craftsmanship that you can then expect from them.

Building Licenses:

This is a very important aspect! Along with creativity and skills, it is important that the builder you choose is licensed & insured. The last thing that you need is to use someone that is simply posing as a builder and doesn’t have the correct certification. You also may want to check about the insurances of the contractors that they use and make sure that they are also covered.

Designing:

This skill is something that the builder should have in good measure and his designing style has to match the one you are looking for. After all, you cannot be at loggerheads with your builder once you have assigned the project to him. As we mentioned with references, have a look over a builders portfolio to see if they portray the vision of what you are looking for.

Quality:

When you are checking on other projects that your builder has handled, also check on whether they have paid attention to detail. What kind of products is the builder suggesting you should use. Is quality being stressed-upon and do the structures that the person has built, look solid and stable? If the answer to all these questions is a yes, then it means the builder will be particular about the quality of construction with your project as well.

Sync:

The sync factor is a very important one and to a certain degree, it is a notch above all the other aspects. You should check whether the builder has the ability to grasp your ideas and understand what your vision for your home is. Do not overlook this aspect. On an average, it can take you 6 months to build a house from scratch.

You do not want to be dealing with a builder who you cannot connect with. When you have the right builder working on your project, you can rest assured that the next few months will be less riddled with potholes and that you will face fewer obstacles while the construction is in progress.

Organisation:

One of the big factors to how quickly any home or extension can be completed is how organised the builder is and how well they can manage and run the construction of your home. This can be difficult to know from the first few meetings but look for signs of disorganisation and if found, you might want to look elsewhere…

When Skills are All-Important

At the outset, some of these factors might not seem overly relevant but the fact is, that all of them are all equally important. When you build a home, there will be times when schedules go awry and the budget goes out of hand and you cannot afford to lose your peace of mind. There are bound to be some hiccups and glitches but your builder should also have the skills, ability, resources and the presence to mind to deal with all of them in a skilful manner. After all you don’t build a home every day and you want the project to be a pleasurable one too.

Cheers,
Shane Caldwell
0414 446 572

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