October 2012 - Trademax Publications

industry insight
Choosing the right builder
Having made the decision to extend your existing home,
or build a new timber frame home, it is vital to choose
the appropriate builder for a particular project. Your and
the builder’s personalities are important factors in the
equation and contracting with a builder should never
simply be a matter of the lowest price.
There are various ways of ascertaining
the right builder for the job:
• Ensure that you have a valid, signed contract prior to
commencement of any work. Whatever you do, read
this contract carefully to familiarise yourself with all
its contents and clauses before you actually sign it.
• Get quotations from other contractors before making
a final decision.
• Where possible, get the contractor to commit to a
start-up and completion date, bearing in mind
extenuating circumstances such as inclement weather
conditions, staff stay-away, etc.
• Ensure that the builder is fully aware of your
requirements and has an idea of the budget to which
he should work.
• Visit him at his office/workplace, even if he initially
called on you at your own home or offices.
• Ascertain that he is registered and/or enrolled with
the relevant controlling bodies.
• Visit as many of his most recent contract sites as you
can and carefully scrutinise his finishes and the
orderliness of his site. If his building site is untidy this
generally means a lack of supervision on site and you
should avoid using his services.
Building your own home:
No doubt there have been instances, perhaps even many
instances, where people have successfully built their
own homes. However, such instances have seldom, if
ever, been reported. What was reported were the
numerous cases where owner-built homes were
seriously defective and required rectification by
reputable, registered builders, often necessitating the
involvement of a structural engineer, Bank Valuators and
various quality controlling organisations and bodies in
the industry.
Owner-building is not recommended
and here's why:
• Rarely, if ever, will lending institutions grant a bond to
an owner-builder.
• Reputable builders are eligible for excellent trade
discounts from suppliers – something for which an
owner-builder is hardly likely to qualify.
• As an owner-builder it is unlikely that you would be
able to register with the relevant controlling bodies.
• There are many government requirements pertaining
to SANS standards that would have to be met to ensure
the habitability, durability and longevity of the
structure.
• The ramifications are vast when one considers the
need to insulate for sound, as well as thermal
properties, the fire aspect, aesthetics and general
safety of the structure before proceeding with the
construction. It can be, and often is, a huge financial
trap for the unwary.
Be guided by the experts and you won’t regret any of it.
• Ensure that all agreements, changes and variations
involving the build work are reduced to writing, so as
to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding.
• As the owner, expect to pay for changes and variations
before they are actually commenced, provided you
have agreed in advance to such costs as may apply.
• Remember that it is the owner’s responsibility to
monitor the progress and quality of all work
performed at each stage of the project. If you are not
confident of your ability to assess this, perhaps you
should engage the services of a bona fide project
manager or other suitable qualified person. Keep in
mind that these people will, of course, have to be paid
for their services and this naturally will increase the
cost of your project.
// OCTOBER 2012 57