Building Costs

[ToxicBunny]

Just need to rant a little bit.

I'm in the process of starting a relatively large renovation at home. I'm going to be doing it in stages because I do not want to finance it if I can avoid it at all.

Currently I've been getting people in to quote to throw some foundations and a 77sqm slab. This is about 14 cubic meters of concrete. I've had a quote from Lafarge for them to deliver Readymix as R1250 per cubic meter, so thats R17500 in concrete. I'd need maybe R2k for the soil poisoning, and I'd reckon maybe another R3k in bricks to build up the walls off the foundation level to the level of the slab. Plus another R1500 for the mortar (i'm overexagerating this cost)... so all in for materials I'm looking at R24000 (and these are retail prices).

I've just had a builder come and deliver a quote to me of R60k to do just the above. I couldn't believe the number and I started telling him where my number was, and he instantly dropped his quote to my "maximum" number of R35k... so this little retard thought he could make a cool R25k profit out of me, over and above the R11k difference between retail material costs and my "maximum" number. Does this moron actually think I'm going to give him my business after he has so blatantly tried to rip me off?

 

[HavocXphere]

...

Yep. Lots of shysters in the construction business. Even worse the ones taking chances like that are generally also wildly incompetent. I know of one project where a builder caused 1.2 million *damage*...on a private home (pervasive structural damage - royal fckup).

Thats one of the reasons my dads company can't keep up with the work load. The stories he tells me - its insane. Customers are willing to pay huge premiums just to deal with someone that has a reputation for delivering flawless results.

 

[HavocXphere]

(fk this edit thing)

Try to get a referral from someone. Good companies don't really advertise...at all. Like serious zero. So you really need word-of-mouth info to get a phone number for them.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Yeah... I've got a few referrals that ill be contacting but I figured I'd get some random builders to quote as well Cos I know the building trade is generally a difficult industry to make a name in. I now know why... Cos the fsckers try rip everyone off