I love going to a local coffee shop or cafe for lunch and hearing some obnoxious fellow boast about how much so and so builder was going to charge him for construction works. Obnoxious fellow usually tells his mates that we went with ABC builder and obnoxious fellow will pay for most of the finishing works to save money.

Wind the clock forward six months. Obnoxious fellow is telling his mates how ABC builder ripped him off. But, the reality is:

a)  Obnoxious fellow has blown his budget by not considering how much fixtures and finishes would cost both to supply and install.

b)  Obnoxious fellow has DIYed the fixtures and finishes and the result is pitiful.

Avoid being my next blog by considering the following before you renovate:

1. Never be tempted to save costs by contracting your builder to lock-up. If the project is too expensive to complete fully, go back to the drawing board and re-work your design.
2. Don’t be naive and think you can purchase fixtures and fittings cheaper than your builder. Building companies have staff who spend copious hours sourcing the best deals.
3. Do you cut your own hair or service your own car to save money? So leave the plumbing, electrical, tiling etc to the experts.
4. Ask for contact details of past clients. Don’t be afraid to ask past clients if the builder charged them above the contract price and if so, what for and how much?
5. And finally, if so and so builder has glowing references, numerous awards and accolades, but their quotation is more expensive than others, I would suggest to you that they are the better option to provide you with value for money and save you money in the long run.