NEW BUILD INFORMATION GUIDE
Our Guide to New Builds
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If there is one thing we all love, it’s a new build. The very fact that every single thing is going to be done correctly right from the start fills my heart with joy.
The reason I say that is because If there is one thing we hate, it trying to sorting out other problems arising from poor workmanship by others. The other great thing about new build is actually bringing to conclusion somebodies dreams and aspirations that may have taken them years to achieve. From an importance point of view, any new build design needs proper scrutiny from an experienced pair of eyes if it is truly going to work when completed and in full use. I mention this because the clients who have lived and breathed the project for months, can sometimes not see the wood for the trees, I don’t say that in a detrimental way. An example of this is simple things like internal door positions that don’t allow enough room for any architrave down one side because nobody allowed for any plaster board, or room for skirting in utility rooms as the gap between the units left for machines is only big enough for the machines if the skirting is left off! |
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Other considerations are the remaining space in bedrooms for furniture, the workable area within bathrooms, general storage and above all costs. So what is it all going to cost, well at the start of any new build this is a hard question to answer because until you are out of the ground building costs are not an exact science.
Without digging out the whole foundation footprint, you can never be sure you will not encounter problems which could be any number of things that will require extra work and materials, poor soil, unmapped drainage and mains services, even underground water sources which a couple in Australia found to their cost, and spent $100,000 dollars trying to solve it, the couple didn’t actually have an underground water problem to solve! Their hillside plot was subject to an underground burst main 20 meters uphill which found its way into the sites excavations so they spent all that money for nothing.
Without digging out the whole foundation footprint, you can never be sure you will not encounter problems which could be any number of things that will require extra work and materials, poor soil, unmapped drainage and mains services, even underground water sources which a couple in Australia found to their cost, and spent $100,000 dollars trying to solve it, the couple didn’t actually have an underground water problem to solve! Their hillside plot was subject to an underground burst main 20 meters uphill which found its way into the sites excavations so they spent all that money for nothing.
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That is an extreme case, but getting out of the ground is the awkward part to cost, but it is so vital that no corners are cut and it is done correctly right from the start.
The other main things that will affect cost is overspending your designated budget on fixtures & fittings in the kitchen, bath and bedrooms, making alterations to the layout when it has already been built and underestimating labour costs, which is a contentious subject when you have already received a price for say the electrics. My point is that generally most clients will have some form of electrical layout for the sparky to follow when submitting his price, however there is a big difference between a standard bayonet ceiling rose and a chandler that might take 3 hours to build before its installed, so don’t be surprised if the bill is larger than you think at the end of the job. The New Build subject is vast and would be hard to cover in just one article, so If you want more specific information look around my other features and blogs that cover these in more detail. I hope you find all this information interesting and will help you in some way. if you have any questions or quires that we have not covered, email us and let us know, as we would love to hear from you. |