Should a Builder be involved at the Design Stage of a Build?

Building a new home or renovation involves engaging so many different professionals, from designers, architects, building surveyors, engineers through to builders and a varying number of different tradesmen.
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When each of these professionals get involved changes from job to job.  But one questions that is commonly debated on home renovations and custom-built homes is…..
 
When should the builder get involved?
 
To answer this question, I think you need to consider what involvement the builder has in your new home or your homes renovation?

Unsure..... let me shed some light on how much involvement a builder will have on all new builds or renovations and home extensions.
 
In some cases the first point of contact with a home owner is when the builder is given a set of plans and asked to provide a full fixed price to build a home or renovations based on plans drawn up by their selected designer or draftsman.

If the homeowner is happy with that price and they are comfortable with the builder, they will engage that builder to  construct their home.

Therefore, the builder jobs are to:

1. Quote the build project
2. Build the project

So, the builder has two particularly important and crucial jobs, the first one is to advise you how much your build is going to cost.

Now, VERY often the worse can happen, the homeowner presents the plans to several builders all of which price the job too high, going above and beyond the homeowner’s initial budget which then results in a failed attempt to renovate their home or build a new custom home.

Now, without even delving into the builders most important role of building your home, ask yourself the question- When should a builder get involved?
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Should it be the initial design stage, or should it be at quoting stage once plans are finalised?

Evidence Does Not Lie
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The reason a builder should get involved at design stage is backed by enormous amounts of evidence from past clients who have had plans drafted and had to go back to the drawing board once speaking to the builder regarding price. 

Or even worse have not gone ahead at all with their home renovations or new build home!

We at Distinct Renovations would get at least 10 potential customers a year in this boat, they have an amazing design and not enough budget to build what has been drawn up.

Majority of home owners in this position start from scratch again or just leave it and don’t build for many years later as they are burnt out from the design process and give up on the idea after they have been deflated by the builders price blow out. 

So….. How is getting a builder involved initially going got help? 

Save Money!​

​A builder can help you save money on your build if they are involved earlier on in the design phase as they can suggest different ways of constructing certain aspects of the build.

After all a builder’s job is to build the home right, so they are also the person to know the different ways/methods aspects of your home can be constructed.
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Distinct Renovations are forever helping clients with alternative options for their design to help reduce the build time or create budget savings. 

Track Your Budget! 
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A builder ultimately sets the price for your new home or renovation so why not get them involved from the start. 
The key thing here is to be open and honest with your builder and design on your build budget. If everyone is on the same page from the get-go, then you will reduce budget blow outs.
 
You do not go to a car salesman and not disclose your budget, so why would you try to hide this from your builder…?

Designers, Architects and Draftsman can and will work to your budget to their best of abilities.

 However, a builder is more involved when discussing budget as they will set the price for your build and they are up to date with the going rates for trades and materials.

As the design unfolds the builder can be on hand to question the price differential between different materials and fixtures for example, stacker doors vs bifold doors or timber floorboards over polished concrete floors.

Whatever it is you question the builder will know the rates and price differences.
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​Starting to make sense now why you would get a builder involved initially… right?

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Conclusion

As we have already established the builder is the party who builds your house and makes the lines on paper become a reality.

Furthermore, builders have a great knowledge of construction methods and costs.  Throughout the design phase they can questions certain design features that could be done a different way for better impact, ease of work or lower cost.
As the builder is the one who sets the price for your build why would you not get them involved earlier on in the picture to ensure you get to build your dream home suited to your budget?
 
At Distinct Renovations we offer a streamlined process from initial site visit to full design phase and right the way through to practical completion of your new home or renovation.

Interested in knowing more and live in the Perth, Western Australia? Feel free to reach out to us.