Getting a builder and their team into the mix early can make a big difference.
The deeper into this build project we have got, the more we are appreciating the value that top notch professionals that work well together bring to the project. Early on in the piece we would have probably thought that you just need your house plan and a builder and that was that. What we probably failed to recognise was just how many different professionals and contractors you need to even get your house to the point where your builder is swinging a hammer. Just off the top of my head, to date we've needed:
We've spoken and dealt with all of those people before a single piece of dirt has been dug up on our land. Obviously, not every home build will need all of those contact points, but when you add in electricians and plumbers, scaffolders and glazers - and the numerous other material providers, you start to get a feel for the number of cogs in motion in any single build. With that in mind, we're hugely happy with the decision we made early on in the piece to pick our builder early, and bring him into the process right from the moment we were even looking at the land. Once we'd purchased the section, we had Matt Symonds of Building Logic and Don Pitt of Don Pitt Design out on site within days to start talking about how we wanted to live, and what that might look like on our particular section. Matt's since told me that it's something he wishes more clients would do, as it let's the builder loop their practical feedback into the design process, and means you create a bit of 'team' around your build. From that moment we've heavily relied on Matt pointing us to his preferred tradesmen and suppliers, and it's made for a fairly seamless process along the way as each part of the puzzle knows how other parts of the puzzle work and fit together.
It's still early days for us as we wait to hear that the digger is on site, but we can certainly vouch for the value of bringing the builder into the process early on, and letting them have a guiding hand in the process. We're hoping that experience of trusting a team that's worked together in the past continues to pay dividends as we start to gear up towards real action on our site.
With the team coming together though, it was time to get a concept plan created.
Disclaimer: Building Logic is constructing the home of the author - Jamie Twigg. Jamie is friends with Matt Symonds (of Building Logic), and the founder of 543 Website Design - which created the Building Logic website. This is not a sponsored post - and is an honest reflection on how the build process goes for a keyboard jockey and newbie to construction. As such, nothing in this blog post should be considered expert advice.
- A geo-technical engineer to make sure the site was stable
- A surveyor to map the slope of the land and create a digital layout of the section
- An architectural designer to design and draught the house (we skipped the architect - but they may also add value for you)
- A structural engineer to make sure the plans get consent
- An arborist to clear the trees from the section
- A valuer to create a valuation for the bank/mortgage
- A financial advisor/mortgage broker/bank man to get the finance in place
- An excavator to dig up the land to get ready for foundations
- An appliance store to fit out the house
- A kitchen designer to create the cabinetry
- A bathroom/fittings specialist to get the tapware etc ordered
- A tile store/specialist to choose the bathroom tiling
- A flooring store to choose our carpet and wooden flooring
- A pool provider to order the swim spa
- And the builder to co-ordinate everything!
We've spoken and dealt with all of those people before a single piece of dirt has been dug up on our land. Obviously, not every home build will need all of those contact points, but when you add in electricians and plumbers, scaffolders and glazers - and the numerous other material providers, you start to get a feel for the number of cogs in motion in any single build. With that in mind, we're hugely happy with the decision we made early on in the piece to pick our builder early, and bring him into the process right from the moment we were even looking at the land. Once we'd purchased the section, we had Matt Symonds of Building Logic and Don Pitt of Don Pitt Design out on site within days to start talking about how we wanted to live, and what that might look like on our particular section. Matt's since told me that it's something he wishes more clients would do, as it let's the builder loop their practical feedback into the design process, and means you create a bit of 'team' around your build. From that moment we've heavily relied on Matt pointing us to his preferred tradesmen and suppliers, and it's made for a fairly seamless process along the way as each part of the puzzle knows how other parts of the puzzle work and fit together.
It's still early days for us as we wait to hear that the digger is on site, but we can certainly vouch for the value of bringing the builder into the process early on, and letting them have a guiding hand in the process. We're hoping that experience of trusting a team that's worked together in the past continues to pay dividends as we start to gear up towards real action on our site.
With the team coming together though, it was time to get a concept plan created.
Disclaimer: Building Logic is constructing the home of the author - Jamie Twigg. Jamie is friends with Matt Symonds (of Building Logic), and the founder of 543 Website Design - which created the Building Logic website. This is not a sponsored post - and is an honest reflection on how the build process goes for a keyboard jockey and newbie to construction. As such, nothing in this blog post should be considered expert advice.
