On budget, on time, or not at all?

Dean McGuigan from Golden Homes discusses the importance of doing your research when planning to build a home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Yippee, you’ve done that all-important “research” I keep mentioning and have found a design for your section, or a house and land package you like. Now you’re about to hit the go button with the builder. But have you done your research on the builder or building company?

Is your builder going to be able to deliver? This is a big question to ask!

In today’s market and Covid-19 environment, this is another area of research that needs to be done, as this is more important than you might realise. You may find out it’s easier for some smaller companies to sell their services than it will be for them to be able to deliver them.

One of our sales team members came to me on a Monday morning to let me know that some customers had been doing their research (great news, I thought!) and contacted several builders and smaller building companies as a comparison before proceeding. They were surprised to be informed that these companies weren’t taking on any new builds until 2023 or later as they can’t meet product supply demands and product availability, due to the lack of materials. The good news is that these smaller companies had, rather than overpromise and under-deliver, advised upfront it was not possible for them to commit to more work.

While larger building companies are not immune to delays, scale-orientated builders receive priority on goods and trades such as building supplies. It is sensible business from suppliers to keep their key customers or larger building companies accounts top of the list. Therefore, they are more likely to deliver a build with fewer delays than a smaller company.

Some suppliers are limiting numbers to provide only the same amount as was ordered last year and not taking on any new accounts, so if you’re choosing a small building company, you could find they are limited to a small supply of products.

Delays in 2022 are inevitable. No one likes them.

What needs to be top of mind is clear communication from all parties to ensure you are working with a company that can navigate and make any delays as short as possible if they come up during your build.

0800 22 22 36 | goldenhomes.co.nz