Volume Builders Quotes (Part 1) - Comparing Things That Matter

Reading through a sales quotation presented by a Volume Builder can be very confusing.  If you are trying to compare quotes from two or more builders, you will have the devil's job coming up with meaningful comparisons.  We have just finished comparing quotes from 3 three different builders and it took hours and a huge spread-sheet to distil everything.  In the end, it was impossible to come out with an 'apples' to 'apples' comparison, but the attempt to compare the details on a line-by-line level across different builders and houses yielded some really interesting points of comparison.

So I thought I would start a list of details that are important to look for in the quotes presented by volume builders.  I'll add to this list as I think of more things.

Site Costs

Make sure your site costs are realistic, particularly when considering the cost of the slab and site access.  Our house is a knock-down/rebuild project and while two of the builders quotes we have reviewed based the cost of the slab on a P-Class slab, the third was based on an M-Class slab, which made their quote cheaper by about $25,000, but almost certainly unrealistic.

Cement Sheet In-Fills

Cement Sheet in-fills above windows and doors - This is more about the appearance of the house than its structure.  Cement sheet is used by builders as a quick and easy way to fill the gaps above windows and doorways.  If you like it, fine.  However, brick in-fills generally look better.  Be especially careful where there are cement sheet in-fills on the front façade of the house, as this will affect the overall appearance of the house from the street.  In particular, it is worthwhile working out if there is a cement-sheet or brick in-fill above your garage door.

A Cement Sheet In-Fill above a Bi-Fold Door.
Would bricks look better?  I think so.

Eaves

Some builders include eaves as standard, but many do not.  Eaves give the roofline of the house its character and give the house its overall house 'shape'.  Eaves require extra materials (timber, tiles etc.) and extra labour, all of which means extra costs for builders. While some builders include eaves as standard, some also only include the eaves as part of the façade.  This can be a cost-saving compromise, which gives the house an attractive outline from the street, but is not suitable for corner-blocks.

Skirts and Architraves

Many builders use 45mm skirts architraves as 'standard', which is probably ok for tiled floors or timber floors.  However, in carpeted areas of the house, the height of the underlay plus the thickness of the carpet can easily be 25mm or more.  This creates a visual effect (and you won't see this in display homes, which use higher skirts) of skirts that appear to barely poke above the carpet.  It is probably a good idea to check that you have at least 70mm a skirts in carpeted areas of the house (if not all the way through) so that they look right.  Also, make sure your architraves are the same width as the height of your skirts, otherwise your door-frames will look out of proportion.

Flyscreens - Flyscreens are a necessary item in Australia.  Make sure they are included.