How to Set a Realistic Budget?

The Old Way:

When embarking on a home extension or renovation project, you’ve likely come across stories of people who’ve gone through the entire design process only to realize they can’t afford the build. This classic scenario has left many homeowners frustrated and disheartened.

Frustration:

People can spend months agonizing over design ideas, envisioning their dream home with all the desired features. They put their heart and soul into the process. But when things seem to be shaping up, the builders arrive and become the bearers of bad news. They dash your dreams because they can’t bring your meticulously crafted drawings to life within your budget constraints.

The New Way: A Shift in How We Plan a Renovation

Fortunately, there’s a new way to approach home renovations and ensure you get what you want without financial surprises.

Engage Your Builder Early On

The key to a successful home renovation or extension project is to engage your builder during the design process. Builders are not just there to execute your plans; they can offer valuable advice and insights to prevent budgetary blowouts from creeping up while positively impacting the project’s outcome. If that makes sense to you, then read on!

How Should We Do It?

At Expanse Builders, we have a proven approach to making your dream home a reality without blowing the budget.

1. Setting a Realistic Project Budget

We start by helping you form a realistic project budget. Having a budget from the beginning is the number one way to ensure you don’t overspend on unnecessary design drawings, engineering, and time. This proactive step keeps your project on track, saving you time and money. We can discuss your requirements before you engage in a design and offer insights into a reasonable overall budget to complete your scope of work.

2. Collaborative Consultation

We call this the PAC process. When you’re prepared to transition into the design and planning stage, you can engage us as your ally. We will work on your behalf with your design team to ensure they are considering your budget whilst creating your dream home. We encourage you to bounce ideas off us, ensuring that your vision aligns with practicality and budgetary considerations. By involving us early on, we can positively impact the design process, making your dream home achievable without any budgetary surprises.

3. Thorough Site Evaluation

During the PAC process, we aim to eliminate one of the aspects commonly overlooked in the design stage: the site evaluation. We often see drawings with notes such as ‘all measurements to be confirmed on-site’ or the dreaded ‘a foundation probe will be required before engineering can be finalised.’ We also delve into the seemingly superficial but always expensive questions: has the home been rewired? Is the plumbing sufficient for the new work? We conduct a comprehensive site evaluation to outline all the critical elements often missed in the initial design. This meticulous evaluation ensures that your project accounts for all site-specific factors, minimizing costly modifications later in the process. The last thing anyone wants to find after they start the project is there are 50k in variations to get the project completed.

Conclusion: A Smoother Renovation Journey

By embracing the new way of home renovation, you can bid farewell to design frustrations and unexpected budgetary surprises. Engaging your builder early and working with experts like Expanse Builders can make your Bayside home extension or renovation project a seamless, transparent, and cost-effective experience. Contact us today to ensure your dream home becomes a reality, hassle-free.