— SPACER —

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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How does this all work?

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[text_block style=”style_1.png” align=”left”]An objective analysis of the process required for a successful home building experience will reveal three vital touchpoints’:

  1. A home design you want.
  2. Affordable build costs
  3. A builder who can deliver.

While it is true that a competent home designer or architect should be able to produce a design you like, few can also accurately design to a budget. Hardly any could provide a reasonably accurate build-cost estimate. None would have managed a project from concept to completion.

At Building Buddy, we manage projects from start to finish all the time. We use a process we call cost planning as a design precursor to the project management process called cost-planning.[/text_block]

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What do you do, precisely?

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[text_block style=”style_1.png” align=”left”]We are home designers with extensive hands-on building experience.

We work in work in partnership with several reputable and competent trade-based builders.

Our role is to provide preliminary building services to customers, and admin support and project management services to the builder.

This means that we provide you with direct access to the heart of the builder’s operation and allows us to set up your project so you can sit down together and do a deal.

The builder knows that the scope of work and documentation are correct, and you can be confident that you will get what you pay for.[/text_block]

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Why is this important to me?

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[text_block style=”style_1.png” align=”left”]While the planning stage comprises a small percentage of the overall cost of the project, it still represents a significant cost.

It is estimated that in excess of 70% of custom designed homes never get built in their original form. They often need to be abandoned or significantly reworked because build-costs exceed the budget.

This is because the focus of the process is naturally on ensuring you love the design. But you also need to love the price. Getting build-cost estimates on the fly is often difficult and time-consuming. Home designs rarely get priced before they are well-developed, after a lot of expense.

For this reason, we have developed and quick, low-cost design feasibility process. We create the home and prepare a sketch plan. This allows us to quickly prepare a reasonably accurate build cost and scope of works.

This process can be repeated to refine the design before you need to spend the money to prepare constructions plans and engineering.[/text_block]

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What happens if the home costs more than we are willing to spend?

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[text_block style=”style_1.png” align=”left”]This is really the point of the exercise. If build costs exceed the budget, you have a number of options.

  1. Terminate the exercise.
  2. Modify your brief and plan to suit.
  3. Modify your expectations and adjust your budget.
  4. Any combination of the above.

The question should really be: “are you better off knowing the true costs or not?”[/text_block]

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How much will this cost?

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[text_block style=”style_1.png” align=”left”]The Design Feasibility comes with a small fee irrespective of whether we supply the design or not. The build-cost estimate is to give you the flexibility to make informed design choices for a favourable home design and build outcome. It allows you to move forward with confidence.

Ask us for a written Design Feasibility proposal by filling in the Enquiry Form[/text_block]

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Can I pay you for your design?

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[text_block style=”style_1.png” align=”left” bottom_padding=”0″ bottom_margin=”10″]When you pay for the design, you own the right to build it provided all charges, through each stage has been paid.

Because our design proposals are usually staged, it needs to be determined if you own the design copyright of the plan if you have paid to a particular stage. Normally you need to complete the proposal through each cycle to own the design. Unless agreed to in advance.

For example, the preliminary design stage is heavily subsidised by the charges in the following stages. You therefore should not assume you own the copyright because you have paid a particular stage. We retain copyright to the plans until all fees have been paid and the work done. Unless otherwise agreed to.[/text_block]

[text_block style=”style_1.png” align=”left” top_margin=”0″]* All drafting prices are subject to review prior to work commencing[/text_block]
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What is your relationship with the builder?

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[text_block style=”style_1.png” align=”left”]We get paid by our affiliated builders to provide preliminary building services to prospective customers. Our arrangements include admin work on their behalf using our project management platform. The resulting program constitutes a unique step-by-step approach to a building project under one roof.

We will also work with your preferred designer or architect to facilitate a favourable outcome for you.[/text_block]

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Refund Policy

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[text_block style=”style_1.png” align=”left”]The costs of the low-cost design feasibility are not refundable.[/text_block]