Three builders quote on the same job. Two come in within a few thousand of each other. The third undercuts them by a hundred grand. Guess who tends to get the job? And guess what then tends to happen?
I've sat with too many couples who chose the cheapest quote and then watched it climb past the others within months. It isn't always cynicism on the builder's part — sometimes it's inexperience — but the result is the same. The bargain disappears, the trust is gone, and now you're in a long, awkward fight while your build sits half-finished.
A few reasons a cheap quote ends up expensive. First, low-balling: the builder knows the real number is far higher but quotes low to win the job, banking on you being too far in to walk by the time variations roll in. Second, cut-price materials and unlicensed subcontractors that look fine for six months and then start to fail. Third, sometimes the cheap quote is genuinely well-meaning but the builder hasn't priced a bill of quantities properly — they've used a rough square-metre rate and missed half the job.
The way to protect yourself is something I call "comparing apples with apples." Take every line item from each quote and line them up next to each other. If Builder A allows $3,000 for site cut and Builder B says nothing about it, that's not Builder B being more efficient — it's an item missing from the quote. Ask. Get the answer in writing. Make sure each builder has costed the same scope, the same finishes, the same inclusions and the same site conditions.
A best-practice builder will welcome that exercise, because their quote will hold up. A low-baller will get vague.
If you'd like a quote you can actually trust — line by line — come and find us at inh.com.au/Melbournewesternregion. As your Melbournewesternregion builder, I'd much rather give you an honest number on your custom new home or family homes project than the lowest one, because the honest number is the one you'll actually pay.
