Glenn and Ceilidh (pronounced Kaylee) from Realtree Building & Design thanks again for taking the time out of your busy schedule to help out our readers with some insider information.
YBH: "Picking up from our last conversation. You’ve worked on everything from volume builders’ homes to niche multi million-dollar custom homes, so you’ve had a broad range of experience. Budgets often are the biggest constraint for a builder to work with in. What is some practical advice you’d give to clients to manage their expectations?"
Ceilidh: "I really believe if your building or renovating your home you need to think about where you want to spend money. You often can’t spend money on every feature of your home, so pick the features that mean the most to you and your family and make budget cuts on the others."
YBH: "So what your saying is that you need to prioritise aspects, or features of your home do you have an example or two of what you mean?"
Ceilidh: "Sure so for instance, you could be a family that spends time together cooking, so spend the money in the kitchen instead of a dedicated media room. Bigger isn’t always better. The way we use space is more important than how much space you have."
"Another really important thing to consider is what will have the most impact on you and your families life in the home. Do the kids suffer with asthma? Are you looking to expand your family or is it shrinking as the kids move out? How comfortable is the home going to be in the dead of winter and the heat of summer?"
"All of these aspects can help you decide what is most important, what will give you the most return for the money you budget for it. Having a stunning home that is terrible to live in is not a good outcome for anyone."
YBH: "Very interesting thanks for that insight. There were a few that asked YBH about how to make the whole build process easier. What would you say is the most helpful things a client can do to smooth the design process and make your and the clients life easier?"
Glenn: "Have fixed objectives in mind. Also engage professionals who are actually interested in your outcomes and are happy to work through the whole process with you from design through to construction. Building can be an exciting but scary journey, especially if you're doing it for the first time."
"For us, if clients can do their research to find and work with consultants and trades people who have passion for what they are doing, the process can become a enjoyable and less stressful journey for everyone involved."
"I’ve always said that building the tree house is more fun than playing in it."
"What I've really, enjoyed for many years, is to help clients through the process of building and show them it's not a daunting obstacle that you hope to have to never do again. We've had clients repeatedly use us over and over again because of the service and simplicity of the service that we provide."
"The house, or the destination, should be a bonus at the end. The journey or the build process should be one of fun and learning. Especially now that we are all trying to focus on more sustainable building practices and better outcomes for future generations."
YBH: "So how do you get those fixed objectives then? There seems to be so many options and so many people trying to get people to build with them?"
Ceilidh:" I'd say don't settle for second best. Sometimes we seen people being taken advantage of because they don't have the right people backing them up and we've had to stand up for the client."
"Like Glenn said get the right professionals to call on when you need. A quality ESD (Environmentally Sustainable Design) consultant can give you the knowledge you need to make and achieve fixed objectives like having a home that is comfortable and future proof. I know when we look at getting trades and professionals to help us out we only get those that support our clients vision."
"Get the right people and your project and journey are made a lot easier. And when there is the inevitable problem they get worked out a lot quicker and at less expense than would otherwise be the case."
YBH: "Thanks again for your time and insights. We enjoyed talking to you and thanks for introducing yourselves to us. We will be returning to talk with Realtree. Next time we are going to look at should you Renovate or Rebuild."
