We’ve all heard unfortunate stories recently about builders going under and jobs remaining incomplete. Tales of customers even struggling to contact their construction team during a project are not uncommon.

It’s hardly surprising then that many of us may get the jitters when searching for a custom home builder in Brisbane.

So how do you go about choosing a reputable custom builder? What should you be looking for in a custom Brisbane builder when doing your research? We’ve compiled a guide to help you navigate the process. Read on for the lowdown.

Why Some Builders Have Been Going Bust

There’s been a perfect storm of factors over the past year or so that have left many builders struggling. The cost of materials has shot up partly due to global supply issues and high fuel costs. The pandemic greatly exacerbated the difficulties of finding skilled workers.

Nonetheless, construction is a growing industry and coincidentally that’s part of the problem. Here are a few facts that help get a clearer picture of what’s going on in construction:

• The industry generates $367.2 billion each year
• Construction makes up around 9 per cent of Australia’s Gross Domestic Product
• We expect the industry to grow at an annual rate of 2.4 per cent until 2024
• Most businesses in the industry are sole traders or employ less than 20 people (mostly contractors)

Perhaps the most striking facts relate to the numbers of those the industry employs. The number of workers in the construction industry has increased to almost 1,185,100 in 2022.

However, program enrolments in construction-related qualifications have fluctuated wildly. That has meant we may still face a shortfall of newly qualified new recruits in some areas. In fact, the National Skills Commission has identified skill shortages for these roles:

• Construction Project Manager, Bricklayers and Stonemasons
• Carpenters, Joiners, Plasterers, Plumbers, and Tilers

A shortage in the availability of tradespeople has left some builders reeling and their customers frustrated.

Setting Realistic Targets

“Cut your coat to suit your cloth” is an age-old expression. Essentially it means knowing your worth and not biting off more than you can chew.

Because there’s such a demand for their services, many builders have chosen to take on more than they can actually manage. This could be down to bad planning or a fear that the work might dry up.

The consequence can be that customers face poor service, exasperating lead times and a feeling that they’re simply not a priority. It’s not unheard of for builders to turn off their phones. It happens when they have no answers to inevitable questions from clients like, “When are you coming back to finish the job?”

Making Promises We Can Keep

At Oceanview Constructions, we are fiercely proud of our reputation as a multi-award-winning building team. We would never jeopardize it by taking on more work than we can cope with.

Reliability, trust and customer expectations are key. You should therefore always ensure that a potential Brisbane builder is going to stick to their word in terms of timeframe, and quality of workmanship.

Our approach is always to only take on a certain number of projects per year. That allows us to build on our reputation and give our customers one on one service and reassurance that we’ll do a high-quality job every time.

Questions To Ask A Builder

You don’t need to have a thorough understanding of everything related to the construction industry, but here are some questions to help:

• Does your builder have a license for the work you want?
• Has the builder carried out similar style work before?
• How many jobs does the builder have going on at any one time?
• Is the builder local and how do you contact them?
• What is their typical response time if you have a query?
• Can the builder put you in touch with any of their previous customers?
• Does your builder have a near-complete project you could take a look at?

As with most good decisions you’ll make in life, doing the prep is going to help as is going with your gut. Ultimately, you’re going to be working closely with your builder, so it has to be someone you know you’re going to get along with.

Sleep Easier Tonight!

Choosing a reputable custom builder like Oceanview Constructions offers the promise of an amazing job. It’s also going to help you sleep better at night.

You’ll be able to rest easy knowing that the job is going to get done to the highest standards and with smooth delivery assured. Get in touch today with Oceanview Constructions, the Brisbane custom builder you can trust.