Expert in Construction,
Extensions and Renovations
For example, whilst a quote from one designer might be slightly higher than other quotes received, that Designer’s design might be the least expensive to build, hence the key is picking a good designer rather than a cheap one. The same applies to say Engineering; an Engineer with a low price may overdesign the structure for the project, say with excessive piling, steelwork, etc. which can add thousands of dollars to the cost of the project.
Why Us
Similarly, choosing a Building Surveyor purely on quoted price could result in additional design for changes they require that other Building Surveyors may not see the need for; additional construction costs resulting from the design changes they require; and additional Building Surveying Fees resulting from the increase to the cost of the job.
Worst of all is choosing a Builder purely on quoted price; it’s not the price that’s important but what they have left out of it (that they can and most likely will, add in later by way of Variations) and what Contractual Terms & Conditions they are proposing. To make matters worse, because they don’t have to be competitive after the contract is signed (that is, it is rarely practical to ask another builder to quote for the variations) many builders will inflate the value of variations. Many Owners are oblivious to this or don’t know how to handle it; RenoHelp can assist with this,
As RenoHelp is totally independent, we do not have predetermined Service Providers that we deal with exclusively; RenoHelp is more than happy dealing with providers identified by owners, say through ‘word of mouth’, but equally happy suggesting good quality providers if and when owners are looking for this. Having said this, if the owner is considering a Service Provider that RenoHelp is familiar with but would not recommend, RenoHelp will advise the owner accordingly with context.
As the Building industry is ‘close knit’, the independence of RenoHelp ensures Owners are fully informed and in full control of whom they engage and that what they’re paying is competitive and importantly transparent.
Not only is choosing the right Designer important but so too is reviewing their outputs. It is not uncommon to have discrepancies between drawings, omissions and other errors. These are not necessarily obvious to the untrained eye and often don’t get picked up until it’s too late and the mistakes have actually been constructed on site (long after the Designer has received their final payment). Correcting these mistakes (after they have been built) costs money and it is reasonable for Builders to request a Variation to the Contract for such rework. Sometimes rework costs can be significant. Even if the design discrepancies haven’t been built, Builder’s sometimes claim Variations on the basis their price was based on one drawing when in fact another drawing contained the correct information.
What We Do
Owners typically focus on aesthetic and layout aspects of designs; they don’t necessarily appreciate or understand the technical aspects. This is where RenoHelp can assist.
It is of utmost importance to resolve as many errors as possible in the design to minimise cost increases during construction.
As alluded to above with respect to Designers and their Design, it is not only important to choose the right Builder but also to monitor their work also. A common mistake made by many owners is releasing payments to builders for work that has not been completed. Sometimes this is because Owners have agreed to Payment Terms in the contract that facilitate this and other times this is because owners don’t understand the contract, their rights and/or what has physically been constructed and what has not. Again, these mistakes are made because Owners do not have the same level of experience that Builders have with Building Contracts, Construction, etc. That is, the parties are not a level playing field. RenoHelp can assist owners by reviewing Construction Contracts before they are entered into and reviewing physical progress on site before payments are made. The reason this is important is because the Building industry is rife with Builders who:
- Give priority to other projects once they have received payment in advance
- Go bankrupt, in which case the Owner will never see that money again (for work that has not been completed). This is a significant risk that many owners don’t appreciate until they are in this situation. RenoHelp ensures Owners don’t find themselves in situations such as this by ensuring the Builder is never paid for more than the work they have completed.
The key to the Building process is knowing what to ask for, knowing what to look for and knowing how to process what you find. This is easier said than done for someone who has never done it before nor been shown how to do it. This is where RenoHelp comes in.
To this end, the Owner Advocacy Services that RenoHelp can provide to add significant value to owners, include the following:
For clarity, RenoHelp can do all or any combination of the above for any given client.
Services
Newsletter
Keep up to date with the latest advisory in your home improvement project.
Melbourne Australia
03 9885 0885
© 2022 RenoHelp. All Rights Reserved.