It appears not.
Or perhaps more than one builder is out getting high and laughing at renovators.
We now have two more quotes in.
One of them is EVEN HIGHER. Way higher.
One of them is right.on.the.money.
The catch is that the one who is right.on.the.money can no longer do the job. He's too busy.
Of course he is, he's the only builder around charging reasonable rates.
Meanwhile, we here at Chez EasternMax are going back to the drawing board.
Next stop - a Quantity Surveyor. We wanted to get one involved earlier but were convinced not to by our architect because our job was so small it didn't warrant it. Ha. There are houses in Sydney cheaper than the quotes we've received. I can't imagine what she thinks a big job looks like.
6 comments:
My experience is that QS' are not much better than architect's at guessing costs but they are as likely to over-estimate as under-estimate. If you can find a builder who is reasonably honest it is possible to cut a lot of cost out without necessarily sacrificing much. Architects generally don't have a clue about how to cost the construction or what diferent building techniques can save money. Builders know all of these things. Architects usually add little florishes which add to the design but may not be worth the cost. The common one on apartments is hanging walls (the masonary structures hanging off the facade which give depth). Often these are an important design feature and architects love them but they cost a fortune because they are suppported by a small connection and the entire structure needs to be strengthened. Builders will know hundreds of areas that add costs (it can be a simple as the wrong shape cupboards so they can't fit through the available spaces and have to be constructed on-site which is much more expensive). Don't give up!
Oh bugger - I hadn't even thought about all the work they are getting from the schools projects (I went back and read comments from the first quotes post)
I wish I could add something knowledgeable but Simon is educating the pair of us -
i bet your architect underquoted, i bet you didnt ask him for a quote for his services!
Oh no. I hope you find someone. I thought renovating got stressful when the building started, not beforehand.
Alternatively, Firegazer will have to learn how to renovate!
I was thinking DYI soon if the quotes don't come down!! But who has the TIME for it and if I remember correctly, you have some things to do that require special knowledge.
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