6 Essential Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Home Builder

Whether you’re considering building a new home or constructing an addition to an existing structure, the home builder you hire will either make or break the entire experience. For that reason, it is absolutely essential that you thoroughly vet and interview all potential home builders in Adelaide.

Let’s look at what you need to do before you begin your interviews, and then we’ll cover six absolutely vital questions to ask any home builders you consider hiring.

How to Find Home Builders

Before you get quotes from builders, you have to find them first. Start by keeping your eyes and ears open. Notice when neighbours or friends are building and ask about their experiences. Word of mouth and honest assessments from people you trust are your best line of defence against a bad builder.

Do research on the Internet as well. Check to make sure that any builder you consider has done a job like yours before. Read online reviews but also be aware that people are much more likely to leave reviews after a bad experience than a good one.

Once you’ve contacted some home builders in Adelaide, you’re ready to receive quotes for the job and ask the questions below.

With Whom Will You Communicate During Construction and Afterward?

Likely, the person with whom you’re working now won’t be the site manager at your home. That person may not even work directly for the company you’re contracting with, if they use subcontractors. Make sure you find out about who will be at your home and who hires and manages those people.

You have the right to meet project managers and subcontractors before signing a contract. After all, your home is your most important investment, and you want to know who will be working on it.

Can You Walk Me Through the Provisional Items and Sums?

Provisional sums are exactly what they sound like: they’re items on the quote that are conditional and not definite. This means that wherever there is a provisional item, there is the potential for higher costs. Make sure you understand where all of these are in your quote, and how high the costs could become.

You want as few provisional sums in your quote as possible. With several home builders in Adelaide to choose from, they should all be competing for your business. Use that to your advantage and ask them to finalise as many of these provisional items as they can. You can help with that process by picking out as many of the features of the home as you can ahead of time, and by being clear about expectations from the beginning.

What Isn’t in the Inclusions Schedule?

This is also partially your responsibility, since you need to be sure you very clearly communicate everything that you expect to see in the final construction.

You need to think about all of the details, everything from the paint on the walls to the towel bars in the bathrooms to the make and model of appliances in the kitchen. Consider that if they aren’t included on this schedule, they will be an additional cost. If they’re included as provisional items, make sure the provisional costs reflect your expectations. Specifically, be sure to ask about windows, as those often add a lot of money to the final budget.

What About Demolition Costs?

Ask the builder to walk you through how they have accounted for demolition costs. Specifically, make sure that they have done a thorough walk-through of your space and have gotten an idea of potential problems or delays they may encounter. It’s well within your right to ask them what they’re expecting to go wrong in the demolition process and how that has been factored into the schedules and quotes.

What Isn’t in the Quote?

By asking this question, you force the home builder to tell you exactly what they have had to leave out and why. In some ways, asking about what isn’t included is a way to expand on your previous questions about provisional sums and inclusions. It can also give you an idea of unexpected costs to come down the line and is another good way to compare quotes you receive from different builders.

In addition, sometimes builders leave off taxes and other fees. Make sure you understand what these are and how they might add up.

Visit Carlisle Homes if you’d like to know more about home builders.

What Discounts Are You Receiving on Materials? Have You Passed Them on to Us?

As members of the industry, home builders receive trade discounts on materials. At least in part, your home builder should be passing some of those savings on to you. Sometimes you can see whether they do this or not by comparing the retail price of certain items, such as flooring, to the price on the quote.

Especially on a new build, these items can add up to thousands of dollars in savings. Make sure your builder is working with you and not against you to get the best price on everything they can.

Interviewing potential builders and asking them these questions is important not only because you should have the answers before signing a contract, but also because it shows home builders that you are well-informed and want to be part of the process. By getting as much information up-front as possible, you can help guarantee that the building process will be smooth.