Don’t build to impress your neighbor

Construction Advice: Don’t build to impress your neighbor

We know that building home is one of the most exciting and important financial undertakings for you and everyone out there.

Here are some helpful advises;

1. Choose your contractor carefully.

Hire the best contractor you can afford, ask the contractor for references of past projects he or she has done. Any professional contractor will not object to you contacting past clients.

Do a due diligence on the contractor, mostly if he or she is registered by NCA, and if their certificates are up to date. Am not objecting anyone’s credentials, but we have had many cases of unqualified contractors.

A contractor will provide a quotation which when it gets to put the structure on the ground, your money gets finished just as soon as the house left the ground.

Wise precaution; cheap is expensive. Don’t simply go for the highest bidder or the lowest bidder.

A contractor may fulfill or destroy your dream!

2. Monitor the process.

Throughout the construction process, be sure to keep an eye on every detail because it is much easier to correct a mistake when identified early. You may overlook a mistake which might get time like weeks or months to be corrected hence cost you more.

As you monitor the progress, monitor the payments and progress. Both should be parallel. This will ensure transparency for the contractor.

3. Build according to your budget.

Don’t build to impress your neighbors. You may become famous for owning the most expensive house in the neighborhood later to be embarrassed when the bank/creditors come for their money. Simply I mean, before you start building have a plan. Have a guide and step by step plan. On the Bill of Quantity have another broken down plan, like foundation cost, super structure cost, plastering cost, plumbing cost, electrical works cost, paint works cost, etc. So that you will be in position to calculate how long you will take.

4. Always build for resale.

Build the house for resale not for you. This is because at some point you might need to sell of the house. Well a ten bedroom house with six bathrooms maybe excellent for your family but it will stress you out when looking for a buyer. Yes it might cost you a fortune to build it, but think of need be to resell it.

5. Expect delays.

You should definitely expect delays from subcontractors depending on others to complete. Don’t stick too much on the deadline given; automatically there may be delays due to subcontractors.

6. Beacons

Another stress people usually encounter is re-positioning of beacons. Before setting up your house, re-beacon your plot effectively.

Have a surveyor to re-beacon your land as it is on the deed plan if beacons are missing. We have seen bounder conflicts over beacons which resulted demolition of a fully built house.

By following the above relatively simple house construction tips you can be sure to build your home effectively with minimal risks of costs overrun.

HPD Consult  [email protected]