How can you be sure your new home will be completed on time?
If your builder doesn’t work to a job schedule, the handover date you’re originally promised could be pushed out for weeks or even months before you can finally move into your new home.
However, when your builder uses a job schedule throughout the entirety of the project, they can provide you with a guaranteed completion date, so there are no questions as to when your new home will be finished.
The Association of Professional Builders found that 83% of residential home builders don’t have any job schedules when they start construction of a new home. This is daunting for consumers, especially if you need to move into your new home before a certain time, like the holiday season.
No job schedules mean there is no clarity on how the project will progress. Without this clarity, it’s impossible to know exactly when your new home will be ready for you to move in.
Why Your Builder Must Have Job Schedules
When you work with an average builder that doesn’t work to job schedules, you’ll find yourself excited when the completion date is approaching only to be disappointed by the builder telling you time and time again that "it’ll just be a few more weeks". While a professional builder will have complete job schedules, so they can include a guaranteed completion date in the contract before you even sign the dotted line.
It’s a common misconception that the handover date in your contract can’t be taken seriously because it will never be the actual handover date. However, when you work with a professional builder, they put the hard work in before you sign the contract, so they can guarantee that the date on the contract will not change.
The only way the completion date will change is if the contract changes! Variations to the contract could result in delays, but a professional builder will present the changes to the cost and schedule to you in the form of a change order. And they won’t start construction of those changes until you're comfortable and have signed the updated contract!
How To Guarantee Your Move In Date
Here are some tips that will help you ensure that your new home will get built on time…
First, it’s important to make sure that your builder uses job schedules. Because without them, it will be impossible to know when your new home will be completed.
Professional builders use job schedules, so the entire process is laid out before construction begins. It’s this level of detail that allows them to guarantee that you’ll be able to move into your new home by a certain date. Job schedules not only help you understand when your home will be completed, but they also give you peace of mind that the construction process of your new home is going as expected.
Next, check that there is a completion date in your contract. A verbal confirmation of the date your home will be finished is not enough. It should be written in black and white on the contract you sign before building commences.
Hold Your Builder Accountable
Finally, ask your builder how you will be compensated should your new home take longer than expected. Professional builders will include this in the building contract. Having these penalties hold the builder accountable, so you can be sure that your new home will be completed as promised.
It doesn’t matter if you are building your first home or if you have built many times before… If ensuring your new home is completed by a particular date is important to you, or even if you just want to be sure there are no delays during construction, download our free guide, The 7 Things You Must Know Before Designing A New Home.
It’s completely free, and it will help you to avoid any nasty surprises that can sneak up on you when building a custom home.
Just click on the link below to download the guide now.
