Cost is one of the three corner stones of any renovation project and should be considered carefully from the outset. Your project will be priced by us three times before you get to sign a Construction Agreement. This is because planning stage is where you should be making your scope decisions, and to make the right decisions you need to be informed on cost.
In our first meeting with you, the free consultation, we’ll be talking about budget and can give you a ball park figure of what your project may cost based on other projects we’ve completed which have similar features. Of course, every renovation is unique, but by talking through your ideas you’ll at least get a feel for where the numbers could be sitting.
Once you have engaged with our designer in the design-build process, we will price your drawings at three pivotal points – concept drawings, completed working drawings, and when your drawings are in council. This will give you the opportunity to make changes while it is relatively cheap – the further you go into a project the higher the cost of change becomes.
Pricing on Concept Drawings
The figure we give you here is only an estimate on potential costs for the purpose of gauging how your ideas fit your budget constraints. Concept drawings do not provide enough detailed information for a quote. We’ve based the estimate on our previous experience in projects with similar features, our knowledge of the building code, material and contractor costs.
At concept design stage we’re working with the big picture for both layout and structure. A small change in layout can have a big impact on the structural design and therefore the cost of the project. The information we give you at this stage will equip you to make decisions around changes to your design, allowing you to make significant changes cheaply.
Pricing on Working Drawings
Before your completed plans are submitted to council for consent, we’ll put together a second estimate. We’ll still be making some assumptions around finishing products, but will have the construction detail we need to provide you with certainty of cost.
The purpose of this price is for you to confirm the project continues to fit your budget and give you a final opportunity to make changes to the layout, or structure or any other features that involve consent from council.
When you plans are finally in council, we will then engage our contractors and suppliers for quotes and present you with the final cost proposal, a recommended contingency which reflects the potential complexities of your project, and the construction agreement.