28 Jul How to limit home building variations

The building of your dream home should be an exciting and enjoyable journey. After all, you have spent so much time thinking about what you want and how you want to live in your new home.

Believe it or not, all people involved want it to run as smoothly as possible with minimal surprises like extra costs or changes to the contract design. These changes or additions are called “variations” which in some cases have been known to cause real heartache.

So, what is the best possible way to limit variations? The simple answer is planning and preparation.

Some variations are impossible to foresee in advance e.g. hitting rock during excavation, sewer encasement. However, they can be kept to a minimum through a number of ways. At Grandeur By Design, we advise our clients to limit variations, PLAN and PREPARE before you begin construction.

PLANNING PHASE

Prior to signing your building contract it is very important to ensure all documentation and drawings are detailed so that both parties know what is included and expected. This will help to give you an accurate price and timeframe for construction.

The two key factors are;

1. A detailed scope of works is essential, outlining all finishes both internally and externally, ranging from the brick selection, balustrades, bench top etc.

2. Selecting all prime cost items (PC’s), ranging from kitchen appliances, vanities, tap wear etc.

PREPARATION

Once you have your selections this gives everyone involved the tools to allow and prepare. Many of what may seem simple choices may actually require alternative considerations prior to construction.

All these decisions may be overwhelming; however, in the long run it will actually save time, unnecessary pressures and most importantly heartache during construction.

We have prepared a checklist which you can use as a guide to help you plan and prepare for your luxury home build.