Murphy’s law states that what can go wrong, will go wrong, so unless you are in the construction industry like ourselves, here are our top tips of mistakes which are most commonly made when either first commissioning a building contractor, or taking on the building project yourself with limited experience.
1) Budget, Budget, Budget
One of the most common things we hear about when customers come to us after either starting a project themselves or using another contractor, is the project running over budget. A lot of the time this is due to important elements being missed from the initial budget altogether, but quite often it’s also down to underestimating how much certain parts of the build will cost. Also, there is a common school of thought from people who aren’t in the construction industry that by commissioning separate tradespeople individually, they will get a better price. This just simply isn’t true. In fact, it’s much more cost effective to use one construction company to plan and oversee the entire build program. Here at Cobbydale Construction, that’s exactly what we do, and we have a selection of highly skilling, trusted team of tradespeople who will deliver what they say they will, on time, on standard and within budget.
2) Not having a clear picture of what you want at the end of the project
Those words “we’ve been thinking” are enough to strike fear into the hearts of experienced and professional builders, such as ourselves. Thankfully we make comprehensive architectural plans to ensure that the new build is to your exact specifications, but changing your mind about the design mid build can not only lead to extra costs for you, but delay the time taken to construct your new build, or even in having to go back to scratch depending on how far along the project is. A lack of planning can be very costly indeed. But don’t worry, we go through all the options at the consultation stage, to make sure we agree the plans that are signed off, are the plans we deliver on.
3) Not considering liveable layout
Ideally by the stage you have approached a construction company, you have a bit of an idea of what style of house you want for your requirements. However, we can help in a whole manner of ways when it comes to your new build. We can work from a blank canvas, i.e. you have a plot of land and want to build your dream home on it, and also if you are already working with an architect who has the drawings ready to go. In terms of layout, it is vitally important to consider all scenarios when it comes to liveability, usage, and logistics. For example, if one side of the house is going to be exposed to large amounts of natural light throughout the day, this may not be the best area to situate your bedroom if you prefer a bit less light in the morning. Similarly, you will need to consider the proximity of your bathroom to your bedrooms, kitchen to your utility area, as well as TV and electrical points to connect to existing infrastructure. You cannot also assume that services will be available, so as part of your assessment you would need to ensure that local services are available to be connected to.
4) Not planning what you will need to be energy efficient
Constructing a new build can be very expensive. So you want to be in the position that the materials used to construct your home will serve you financially well into the future. You can do this by looking at triple glazing for your windows, well insulated wall materials to retain the warmth, without the need to keep switching on your thermostat. Also, elements such as solar panels and/or wind energy might be considerations.
5) Not doing your research
There are several considerations you need to take into your new build. The first, should always be calling in a property or soil surveyor. They will be able to advise you of how suitable the ground is to lay foundations on, so that you do not come across any structural issues in the future or worse, build on unstable foundations. If you are lucky enough to live in our catchment area of West and North Yorkshire, we can help connect you with the best surveyors, but if not you can contact your local council or building control officer who should be familiar with ground conditions in your local area. They will also be able to advise on ecological issues, such as if the area is known to contain a large amount of natural gases, which could lead to government policies such as fracking in your area.
6) Ignoring potential legal issues
In a similar vein to researching where to situate your new build, you definitely also need to take into account any possible legal ramifications. This can include being crystal clear on your property boundaries as to avoid disputes with your new neighbours, or the council if your property borders public land. There may also be constrictions as to what height your property can be, whether it needs to be kept in line with the aesthetic of the local area for historical reasons, or in respect to preservation reasons if you are building something a bit more unique in an area of outstanding natural beauty or in close proximity to the green belt.
7) Not ordering your materials with enough lead time
Similarly to the research stage, once you have an architect’s plan in place you need to ensure that the materials for the build are present, ready for your tradespeople to begin their work. If the materials are not ready, you may be charged for standing time, as this is time your trades people could have otherwise made other bookings. This would mean you are then charged twice, for wasting their time, and yours. Here at Cobbydale Construction, we take those headaches away from you as we can fully project manage the build program from start to finish, so you don’t need to worry about organising separate tradespeople.
8) Hiring an overstretched builder, or one with a dubious reputation
This is an absolutely crucial aspect of your new build. If you are currently living in another home, that is set to sell, or you are renting – then you do not want to incur any further costs beyond that which has been identified in your architect’s plan. Hiring a builder who is overstretched will lead to delays to your construction project, or in the worst case scenario of cowboy builders may mean it is not delivered at all. This at best can spell more costs if they are not able to keep up to schedule, if you have booked other tradespeople in based on their time projections.
We hope you’ve enjoyed all of our tips of what not to ignore when constructing your new build, and we always recommend leaving this type of major project to the professionals. Commissioning your new build project with us will probably not be as costly as you think, and it might even save you thousands of pounds in the long term. Reach out to us today by filling in our online contact form for a free consultation.