In this industry, "free quote" is everywhere. Every builder offers one. But I want to talk honestly about what a free quote is, and what it isn't — because understanding that distinction could save you tens of thousands of dollars.
A proper building quote is based on something called a bill of quantities — a detailed, line-by-line breakdown of every material and labour item that goes into your home. It takes time to prepare properly. Someone has to count doors, specify joinery, price electrical circuits, price plumbing runs, and so on. That work doesn't happen for free. It's either priced into the building cost, charged as a preliminary agreement fee, or — in the case of a genuinely "free" quote — it doesn't happen at all.
When a builder produces a free quote quickly, what they're usually doing is applying a rate per square metre and making a series of assumptions about what you want. It looks like a price. It has a number on it. But that number is essentially a rough estimate dressed up as a quote, and the gaps get filled in later — usually at your expense.
The alternative is a builder who invests time upfront in a preliminary agreement: a period where they develop the design properly, assess your site, identify any unusual costs, and produce a thorough inclusions schedule before presenting a price. This process often involves a modest fee. In my experience, it is almost always money well spent, because it produces a quote you can actually rely on.
The question to ask any builder is: what's your quoting process? How detailed is the inclusions schedule? What happens if something is more expensive than you expected? A builder who is confident in their quoting process will answer those questions directly. One who is vague about it may be hoping you don't ask.
A lifestyle focused custom new home deserves a thorough quoting process. At INH Canberra, we take that seriously.
To understand how we approach quoting for your Canberra build, visit inh.com.au/Canberra.
