Role of the Homeowner in the Construction Process

This is quite an interesting topic. When it comes to building and/or renovating the level of involvement varies from homeowner to homeowner. But this involvement level can have some severe impact on the build and the builder.

A builder’s dream is for a client to come to them with a clear plan and have little to no changes to this plan throughout the build process. There is nothing more frustrating for a builder than a client who is constantly making changes to their plans and is wandering the site every other day. This slows the build process down and often ends up costing the client more.

This is why it is crucial to find a builder you trust and know is capable of doing a great job. You want peace of mind when it comes to building or renovating your home. Have a look at our BUILDER SEARCH product where we detail the best builders in your area.

So what role should the homeowner play in the build process?

Make changes but only when needed

Obviously when it comes to building you know what you want, however things can come up where changes need to be made. It is important to take the builder into consideration though, they have agreed to a specific scope and varying too far from that can cause further issues.

Be available for communication

You need to be available for regular communication with the builder as they may have questions for you. This is the best approach - to let them come to you with any issues.

Site visits as scheduled

In your contract you should have scheduled site visits, it is important to stick to these. The builder will walk you through where they are and you can raise any concerns. Regular communication from both client and builder is important for the build process. It is alright to check in every now and again but don’t constantly bother your builder as you would rather they focus on completing your project.

It is not easy to leave such a valuable asset in the hands of someone else. We can all appreciate this and I’m sure you will want to check in at site and see how they are doing but the reality is this will only slow down the process. This is a hard pill to swallow but it is true. The relationship between the client and the builder is a long tedious one and there will be times when one isn’t happy with the other and vice-versa so it is important to mitigate any issues early on, not get in the way of one another and aim to make the process as easy as can be.