We are here to answer all of your questions.

This is often the first question clients want to know, but it is impossible to know exactly what a project is going to cost without first knowing a full scope of works. This includes full construction plans, structural design (engineering), material specifications and a list of fixtures, fittings and finishes.

Some builders will speak about a square meterage rate, but in the renovation and extension space this is not accurate. Every project is unique and so are the costs associated.

We always recommend starting your planning with a Professional Builder who specialises in this space, before any design work starts. Sadly many people come to us with architectural designs to quote and find that it is not affordable. It may surprise you that over 80% of designs never get built. The reason for this is simple. Architects design to meet a consumer’s brief rather than their budget.

Before you embark on any project, it’s a good idea to know your budget. You should know what you can afford and what you’d like to spend. Keep in mind these two figures are never the same, so decide on your limit for the design and build of your building project.

Once you have decided on a budget it’s important that you disclose this amount in the design stage of the process, so you can avoid creating a design that you can’t afford to build.

A professional will make sure they design a home that suits your lifestyle and fits your budget. Despite what many people believe, you will not pay more for a renovation or extension just because you disclose a larger amount.

By disclosing your budget openly with the builder at the beginning of the project you’ll be able to find out if what you are after is achievable and if it’s not, where you can cut back to make it fit.

Estimates are ballpark figures using our knowledge and experience from completing similar jobs in the past and based on your required scope of works. They don’t require the builder to go away and calculate every material and fitting. Estimates don’t usually cost you anything and are generally discussed only to see if your project can be built roughly within your budget.

A detailed Quote should be between 25-40 pages and specify every inclusion, and can reference working drawings of your project. A quote details for you and the builder, the amount of materials and labour for the duration of your project. Creating a detailed and correct quote is a time consuming process for a builder, often taking more than 50 hours to put together.

For this reason a full quote from a professional builder should never be free, a nominal fee is normally charged for their time to provide you with a detailed quote.

A Provisional Sum more commonly known as a PS, is an allowance that the builder has made to complete a task. It covers labour only or labour and materials. They are useful when the final selections have not been completed or it is simply not possible to include a quote due to factors that are unknown at the time of the contract signing.

Much like a PS, a Prime Cost item or PC is a dollar figure allowance used in building quotes and contracts. It’s an allowance for materials such as appliances, sinks, taps etc. Essentially a dollar budget where the final selection of those items is still to be confirmed.

Allowances for a Prime Cost item only covers the supply of that item. Any labour associated with the installation of that item should be either included in the contract or listed separately as a provisional sum.

Both Provisional Sums and Prime Cost items do change depending on your final selection and can therefore incur additional costs, so in order to minimise your exposure to budget overruns, make your selection choices prior to signing a contract where possible.

For the most part yes, many clients choose to continue living in their home during their renovation or extension project, although this is dependent on the extent of the works involved.

It is advised that for major renovation work that involves the removal of roof to construct an upper level or when all functional bathrooms are removed, that owners vacate the property during construction for their own comfort and safety.

We are based in Robina on the Gold Coast, Queensland. We renovate and extend properties from Pimpama in the North to Currumbin in the South.

This will depend on what work is being undertaken. All structural works for example changing load bearing walls, extensions, decks, retaining walls, etc. do require a building permit. This will be something we can discuss with you at our initial site visit, once we know what scope of works is required.

Tribuild Constructions Pty Ltd is a registered Building Company in Queensland, Australia and are licenced through the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC). Consumers are encouraged to check on building company licences by doing a licence search on the QBCC website.

In Queensland the QBCC require builders to sign a contract with a client for any job over $3,300-. This is to provide a clear scope of works and cost for both parties to help reduce disputes.

The QBCC will only allow building companies to take a 5% deposit for building projects over $20,000.00.

QBCC explains home warranty insurance as the following.

It is different to regular insurance, such as home and contents insurance, because it:

• covers the building process so you can claim if the project is not finished or has defects
  
  
• is compulsory for residential building projects valued at more than $3,300 (including material, labour and GST)
  
  
• is paid as part of your building or renovation contract
  
  
• is administered by the Queensland government through the QBCC
  
  
• lasts for 6 years and 6 months
  
  
• covers the property, so the insurance remains if the home is sold
  
  
• cannot be transferred between contractors
  
  
• has to be claimed within certain timeframes, which depend on the type of claim
  
  
• has limits on the maximum amount that can be paid
  
  
• is affected if you pay your contractor more than is allowed by law or under your contract
  
  
• can't be renewed once the cover expires
  
  
• does not cover commercial building projects
  
  
• is not home and contents insurance.

It’s difficult to give an exact timeline until we know exactly what the scope of works for the project is, but to give you a bit of a guide we’ve found the average project times from start of building are as follows -

Bathroom Renovation

Typically a full bathroom renovation including demolition and removal of existing fixtures, fittings and tiles, minor plumbing position changes, waterproofing, retiling, new fixtures and fittings will take approximately 3-4 weeks.

Kitchen Renovation

A full kitchen renovation, including removing existing cabinetry, new electrical and plumbing rough-in’s, plastering and joinery can normally be completed within 5-6 weeks. This timeframe can change depending on the type of benchtops and/or splashbacks being used. For example stone benchtops can only be measured once new cabinetry has been installed, so this can sometimes delay a kitchen completion depending on the type of bench top being used. Once bench tops are installed, the splashbacks are then able to be measured and this again may delay the process depending on the type of splashback being installed.

Extension

If you are looking to turn a double garage into a master bedroom, ensuite and walk-in robe and adding a carport to the front boundary, this normally takes approximately 3-4 months.

This timeframe would be similar for a two bedroom living area extension but this varies depending on size.

Second-Level Addition

This will depend greatly on the size of the additions to be made. We have found that on average these larger projects will take between 5-7months.

Full House Renovation

- A full house renovation where the house is vacant, including a bathroom and ensuite, laundry, kitchen, 4 bedrooms, two living areas and balcony will normally take between 3-5 months.

When you have your construction drawings and engineering ready, we would be happy to prepare a comprehensive quote that could form the basis of a fixed price contract.

Our quotes are generally 15+ pages long and include a detailed breakdown of the project costs and confirmation of what is/is not included. It takes us around 4 weeks to prepare a comprehensive quote as we need to allow time for our subcontractors to quote their aspects of the work (this enables us to agree a fixed price for all aspects of the works that have been specified/are known).

We also provide a project schedule with our quotes so that you can see the total estimated construction period and the time schedules for all tasks/trades involved throughout the project.

If your construction drawings and engineering have not been completed, we can still provide a ballpark cost indication. Although this would not be sufficient to form the basis of a fixed price contract, it can provide you with an early indication of likely build costs and an opportunity to re-visit your design if it’s looking like the build cost will be over budget.

With the smaller block sizes these days, Town Planners are starting to become more and more relevant. They are able to provide advice on what can or more importantly what can’t be built. They are particularly important when complex design and additions are required.

We work with you and our Building Designer to come up with initial concept drawings of your design ideas using our expert building knowledge.

This drawing shows a site plan, floor plan and elevations of your existing property and the proposed additions. Two 3D images will also be provided to give you a better idea of what the end product will look like.

Once we have this concept design, we are able to give an estimate of the likely costs involved, to help determine if this will be within your budget or if changes will need to be made to the design.

We work with our professional architects, designers and engineers to produce construction ready plans. This process can include – full construction plans, engineering, wastewater management reports, surveys, soil testing, bush fire attack reports, energy efficiency reports, town planning specialists; depending on scope of works and/or site location.

Once all this information is gathered the project is then ready for submission to our certifier for council approvals. A comprehensive fixed price quotation is also prepared for presentation to the clients.