Why You Should Not Rely On Free Quotes
Embarking on a home renovation or new home build project is an exciting venture that requires careful planning and consideration. If you’re after a Fixed Price building contract, it’s crucial to obtain accurate building quotes to assess costs and select the right contractor.
While free building quotes appear enticing, investing in a comprehensive, paid-for quote offers numerous benefits that can save you time, money, and potential headaches. Like most things in life, you get what you pay for!
We chatted to Principal Architect, James Pilcher and the team at MILEHAM, an Architect and custom home builder based in Freshwater, for his insight into the advantages of paying for a comprehensive building quote compared to relying on free quotes.
1. Accuracy and Detailed Scope of Work
Comprehensive building quotes provide a detailed scope of work, outlining specific tasks, materials, fixtures and fittings, and services included in the project. This level of detail helps you understand what you are paying for and avoids confusion or misunderstandings down the line. In contrast, free building quotes often lack the depth required to adequately evaluate the scope of the project, leaving room for ambiguity and potential additional costs (which could end up costing you more than the price of a building quote alone!).
By investing in a paid building quote, you ensure a thorough assessment of your project, resulting in a more accurate outline of material and trade availabilities, costs, and timelines. This accuracy helps prevent unexpected expenses, and timeline delays and ensures a smoother construction process.
2. Customisation and Personalisation
Custom home build projects are unique, each with its own set of complexities and requirements. Free building quotes typically offer generic estimates based on limited information calculated on a rate per square meter, whereas a paid comprehensive building quote allows for customisation and personalisation. Contractors who provide paid building quotes take the time to understand your needs, preferences, and project intricacies. This personalised approach ensures that the proposal aligns precisely with your vision, leading to a better outcome and overall satisfaction.
3. Transparent Cost Breakdown
Paid building quotes offer transparency through a comprehensive cost breakdown. Each aspect of the project, including labour, materials, permits, and any additional fees, is clearly specified. This transparency allows you to assess the merit of each cost item and make informed decisions based on a complete understanding of the financial implications. With a free building quote, the lack of transparency can lead to hidden costs or unexpected charges, derailing your budget, and timeline, and causing unnecessary stress.
4. Reliable Timeframe Estimations
Custom home build projects rely on accurate time estimations to ensure smooth coordination and completion within the desired timeframe. Paid building quotes provide detailed timelines, considering potential challenges and allowing for realistic scheduling. This level of reliability helps you plan other aspects of your life around the construction process and minimises the risk of unnecessary delays. Free building quotes often lack the necessary time limit commitments, leaving you uncertain about the project’s duration.
5. Greater Professionalism and Commitment
Paying for a comprehensive building quote demonstrates to the builder, your commitment to the project. Given the number of suppliers involved, it takes 3-4 weeks for a builder to pull together a detailed, accurate, and professional building quote, ensuring all elements have been included and itemised. This includes reviewing your DA or CDC approved Construction Plans and Documentation, requesting subsequent prices and availability from subcontractors (and waiting for their responses), pulling together the combination of these responses which best aligns with your timeline and budget expectations, and then doing a proper review and check of all the detail to ensure everything lines up. It makes sense then, that paying for a builder’s quoting services will be reflected in their detailed proposal. This commitment extends to their work ethic and quality of service, giving you confidence that your project will be handled with care and professionalism.
While free building quotes appear attractive, the advantages of investing in a comprehensive, paid for building quote are undeniable. Accuracy, customisation, personalisation, detailed scope of work, transparent cost breakdowns, reliable timeframes, and greater professionalism are the hallmarks of a comprehensive building quote. By choosing to pay upfront for a detailed building quote, you set the stage for a successful construction project, mitigating risks, avoiding surprises, and ensuring your vision is brought to life with precision and satisfaction.
MILEHAM’s goal is to provide their clients with an exceptional and stress-free, custom home building experience. They are meticulous in ensuring our building quotes are comprehensive, accurate and transparent. Their reputation as an award-winning custom home builder relies on quality craftsmanship delivered on time and on budget, rather than competing for projects by offering the lowest price possible (an approach which opens the customer up to a greater degree of risk and disappointment).
Get in contact with James and the team today on 0410 723 203 or check out their listing here.
For more goodness and advice on project management check out our articles here
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