Top 3 Concerns When Hiring A Builder - What To Look For

Thinking about a knockdown rebuild or a significant renovation? While the outcome is truly exciting, naturally you'll have your fair share of concerns. We are here to put your mind at ease. Read on for some of your top concerns when hiring a builder and how to handle them.

1. Cost Concerns

"The cost is too high."

"What if we've forgotten something?"

Naturally you are going to worry about keeping a handle on costs from the start. But, if you've started to gather tenders from builders, you will probably already have noticed that there's no standardisation of what's included. They may look similar on the surface, but you are rarely comparing like with like, so be careful making big decisions on price alone when the information you actually have is limited.

Cost management along the way is also critical. A good builder will work with you consistently to understand your budget, offer cost-saving solutions where relevant, and keep you up to date and informed at all times on how your investment is progressing and where things are at.

At Harmony Build we believe in transparency. We prefer to give you as much detail as possible at all times. Sometimes it means we lose tenders because we appear on the surface to be more expensive, only later to hear the client tell us the builder they went with hadn't included many line items and their budget is now blowing out.

We include a contingency plan in every contract and communicate openly about any unexpected costs to ensure no surprises at any time.

2. Timeline Worries

"The project will take too long."

Before a project starts, your builder should outline a clear timeline with milestones and regular progress updates. If you make changes along the way, which is very common as you see your dream home unfolding and want to make adjustments to plans, your timeline will of course need extending accordingly. In essence, you are largely in control of the timeline. If you have a deadline, communicate it with your builder early, and consider the implications of variations before you make them.

At Harmony Build, we pride ourselves on our track record of consistently keeping our clients updated at all times and delivering within the agreed timeline.

3. Quality and Reliability Concerns When Hiring A Builder

"How do I know if I can trust my builder to do a good job?"

Sadly for the good guys among us, we don't hear 'trust' and 'builder' in the same sentence nearly often enough. But if you take a look around at the many, many amazing buildings in every town across Australia, there's clearly some diligent craftsman out there! But how do you know if you've found one for your project?

Like everything, do your research. Ask for testimonials, references, a portfolio of past projects. Even better, see if you can arrange a site visit of a current project.

But remember also to talk to your builder and get a feel for how they work. You will be consulting with them for months, potentially more than a year. Are they asking good questions? Are they listening? Do you feel heard? Do they communicate well? What are your Spidey senses telling you?

Harmony Build has had the privilege to work on some exceptional homes, receive an abundance of testimonials, and can offer you a number of prior clients to chat with for anyone looking for some extra reassurance.

Taking The Next Step

No doubt you've still got questions and worries percolating in your mind. That's totally normal. Most people only undertake a knock down rebuild or significant renovation once in their life. Keep a notebook to hand; capture all those questions and thoughts and share them with your builder up front. Better to get everything in the open before you start so they can reassure you.

At Harmony Build, we welcome the opportunity to get to know our clients deeply. We're more than just builders. We are your partners in creating your perfect home. We are here to understand your concerns and dedicated to addressing them with empathy, transparency and practicality to deliver exceptional results.

So if you are ready to get started, contact us today and let's build something amazing together!