The building process can be long and complicated, so it’s crucial that you engage the right people from day one. In this article we’ll step you through our 10-part building process that supports our clients in having a stress-free building experience.
1. The first meeting
The first meeting is about understanding your needs and wants. This meeting is very important, so be sure to be open and honest as it’s going to determine the direction you will be headed. Your builder should be asking you these kinds of questions in this meeting:
- Scope of the build, what you’re looking to get done?
- The reasons behind doing this your ‘Why’?
- Time frames of when you’re looking to achieve this.
- Where you’re at in terms of design (that if you have anything done up at this stage)?
- If you have any selections, any ideas photos or a scrapbooks you may have on your project
Another question that will come up is budget. We find some people can be a bit apprehensive with this question which is understandable, but transparency is key from the beginning. Your budget is going to determine the final scope, and a good builder will work within your budget and inform you on what you can and cannot build.
2. Design your home
Here you’ll provide the plans for your home build or renovation to turn your ideas into working plans. If you don’t have any plans, we work with well-respected architects to help you. A good idea is to create a scrapbook with your ideas with photo of the type of styles you’re after, with the individual products and finishes you want.
Pinterest is your best friend!
The design stage is broken down into two stages, concept stage and final working drawings where a first draft is drawn up with your ideas. This stage is important because it’s a good opportunity to explore options and most importantly being able to do a preliminary budget based on the concept drawings which takes us to the next step.
3. Design review and concept budgets.
We emphasise the importance of this step to save our clients time and money, ensuring a more enjoyable and less stressful building experience.
We work with our clients to understand their drawings, we complete a full quantity take-off. The advantage of an accurate estimate early-on in the process using preliminary drawings means that you can make changes before you invest further in structural drawings.
4. Create detailed specifications and documentation
It’s all in the name! A good builder will supply you with information relating to your project to ensure there are clear guidelines of the project delivery.
At Frampton Builders, we provide our clients with an online project-management portal that they can access from anywhere at any time, which will contain information on your plans, selections and specifications.
Recently, we’ve partnered with Design 360 in Brisbane. This is a design studio that allows your plans to be projected onto a life-sized space, so you can physically walk through your drawings and make changes before physical work starts.
5. Providing a quote
As you can see, there is alot of work that goes into providing an accurate quote. Your builder will utilise the information to get accurate costings, such as structural drawings, final specifications and selections, and sub-trades and suppliers that have been consulted in the process.
The pre-construction stage is the most important stage, so you can see why an accurate quote will only come at Step 5!
6. Quote Acceptance
Hopefully you have trust in your builder and they’ve instilled confidence in you that they can deliver. If you’re receiving a quote for us, our happy clients will tell you that you’re likely to accept.
7. Enter into an agreement
After accepting our quote, we will enter into an agreement. A good builder should provide you with a timeline outlining the necessary individual componenets of your build. We provide information on progress payment, so you can identify at what point certain trades/materials need to be paid. We also provide information for any items that you might be in charge of supplying – as some people enjoy being more involved – so that you have time to plan for their arrival onsite.
8. Commence Construction
All the preparation work in the last seven steps should form the foundation of the entire build. That’s why we can’t stress enough that the previous steps are crucial before you start construction.
During construction we work to strict building timelines and provide regular updates and consistent communication through the construction process. We ensure all quality standards are met and that the workmanship complies with your requirements.
Your builder should be communicating with you throughout this entire process!
9. Handover
When all works are completed, we do a final walk-through inspection to ensure you are happy with all aspects of your home. We also arrange for any third party inspections to be undertaken, if required.
10. Our Ongoing Commitment
This is where Frampton Builders is your point of difference. Our clients will tell you that our post-construction service builds solid relationships.
We are approachable and easily contactable. Life happens! We stand by the quality of our homes and our high standard of our workmanship, so much so that we cover your home by a six-year structural warranty and a twelve-month maintenance period.
Before you engage your builder – do yourself a favour and choose carefully. Building and renovating is an exciting time – it should be a stress-free experience, and usually is, with us at Frampton Builders!
