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This is a work related question but i wanted some open opinions.
I am trying to finalise the advertising for my work before i finish tomorrow....
What do you look for in a builder? As in what makes you pick one builder over another? What are the important things for them to offer?
Any feedback would be great...:)
great plans
fixed price
high quality finish
finished on time
Being kept updated on where things were up to
FYI we built 12 months ago through AV Jernnings which is now Sekisui House
good luck
Depends on the type of builder you are. Do you provide the plans or are you more one off designs? That will influence how you advertise the business.
We are looking to build, but are not after the a stock standard builder or one who comes with plans. We want someone who is flexible, innovative and willing to work with environmental ideas, basically think outside of the normal building square ;)
For us, the final say came down to the display home presentation. We walked through a stack of houses that we loved, but many of them had bad finishes - one had a hole in the ceiling, others had paint cans in the bathroom. There were a few with render peeling from the front. They were all houses that had been up and open for months. We picked the builder we did because in every house we went into, they were to a display standard which suggested to us they took pride in their work and final product.
Pretty much what Sararose said plus being honest. If something isn't ready (ie: amendment to plans) let us know prior to going to the office to sign the variations then get there and nothing be done, not give us some half a**ed excuse. Our builder was horrible in the end to deal with and it turned me off building again.
Plus if you have a display home, walking through with the client and explaining what is included and if it isn't what the alternative is. It is hard to imagine what something will look like on a larger scale without actually properly seeing it ITMS?
^ yep, pretty much what Astrid said.:
If you're after the display home market then I guess your display home is your best advertisement and you want to make it as nice as possible and get as many people in as possible.
Thanks for the responses! We are a custom builder who can design for you or use your own plans.
Having done a big reno quite a while back now and a few bits and bobs since, a really big factor for me is finding someone I actually like and get on with. If you get on with someone and feel comfortable with them, it's much easier to head off potential problems at the pass.
I've dealt with a few architects lately and it's the same deal. They could be the best architect in the world but if they don't laugh at my jokes, they ain't getting the gig. OK, I'm not quite as superficial as that but we had two around who were stony-faced and treated us like idiots.