Key takeaways
- -Ask for current public liability insurance and, where the work requires it, registration and warranty cover. Ask who will actually be on site and whether the work is subcontracted.
- -Tell your carpenter what is not working: the back door nobody uses, the yard you cannot sit in, the bathroom that never dries. Good trades will often solve that more cheaply tha...
- -Photos of what you have, images of what you like, and a budget range you are comfortable with. The budget is not a bargaining position - it is the constraint that makes the desi...
01
Check the basics before anything else
Ask for current public liability insurance and, where the work requires it, registration and warranty cover. Ask who will actually be on site and whether the work is subcontracted.
Look for local work you can see. Hills blocks have their own problems - fall, access, damp, leaf drop, overlays - and experience with them shows in the detailing, not the photos.
02
Start with the problem, not the solution
Tell your carpenter what is not working: the back door nobody uses, the yard you cannot sit in, the bathroom that never dries. Good trades will often solve that more cheaply than the fix you had in mind.
Keep the solution open at the first conversation, then fix it in writing afterwards.
03
Bring three things to the site visit
Photos of what you have, images of what you like, and a budget range you are comfortable with. The budget is not a bargaining position - it is the constraint that makes the design decisions possible.
If you have drawings, plans or a survey, share them early.
04
Compare quotes properly
A scope should list inclusions, exclusions, allowances, program and how variations are handled. Without those, two quotes cannot be compared meaningfully.
Beware the quote that is cheapest because it quietly excludes the substructure, the waterproofing or the make-good. Then agree who makes decisions and how - most delays on small residential jobs are selections waiting on a reply.
Thinking about your own project?
We build across Belgrave and the Dandenong Ranges. Send through photos of what you have and we will tell you what the site allows.