Building Contractors--Alterations, Extensions & Renovations

When you’re doing an extension, alteration or renovation, you start with an idea, then an approved plan – and then you start looking for a building contractor to carry out the job.

Building contractors are hired to carry out and oversee the manual labour aspect of a construction job. Whilst some may specialise in a certain trade or industry, typically building contractors have general construction skills that enable them to tackle a job from start to finish. If an element of the job requires the services of a specialist tradesman (like plumbing for example), the building contractor may manage any sub-contracting as part of the total cost of the project. Building contractors often have a wide network of tradesmen that they can call in to assist with completing the project.

Building contractors can be approached to provide a quote on a job before you decide to engage their services. When you get the quotes, don’t just go for the lowest price: examine the quotes in detail to make sure you’re comparing like with like. Are they all quoting the same materials, the same timeframe? Which items in a quote are lump sum costs (fixed) and which are provisional costs (variable)? Provisional costs are the builder’s best estimate – be aware you could end up paying more or less depending on circumstances.

For additional peace of mind, organisations like Master Builders have members in all states that have reached a defined level of competency in their profession – it’s a way of checking that you are in safe hands.