Excellent article that parallels many of the same issues faced by professionals in other trades and related or aligned industries. 1. On the subject of Budget. There seems to be an almost universal reticence on the part of potential clients to withhold information on their budgetary constraints. In my many years of experience in business within my own industry, I have yet to find, or even hear of a story, of a reputable provider who has intentionally 'padded-out' a quotation to meet the limits of a budget disclosed by the client. Obviously, trust is the issue here, and I suppose understandable. However, you can build confidence in your selection of providers by checking carefully their credentials and, preferably customer testimonials/recommendations if they are available to you. With a 'known' budget limit a provider can design a solution that provides the best value for money. The correct trade-offs can be made over elements that make up your eventual quotation in a way that does not compromise the overall quality of the solution you are presented. You may not be able to incorporate all elements of your 'wish list' but you give the provider/supplier the opportunity to work with you in arriving at a quality solution that doesn't skimp on the important, and often required, elements of your solution design. From the supplier/providers point of view the amount of time and effort providing you with a solution quotation that provides optimal value can be vastly minimised. - I don't know how many times I have provided quotations to potential clients who are unable or reticent in disclosing their budget, only for them to fall over, when the quoted price is way beyond the amount they are willing or able to spend. When this happens, it leaves a rather bad taste in the mouths of all parties; with the provider/supplier now perceived as 'over the top' with their pricing, and the provider having to 'rework,' (if lucky enough to be given the opportunity to do so), the quotation in light of the 'now disclosed' budgetary constraints. Of course, often as not the potential client moves on to another provider/supplier, educated and informed by the first provider and is able to direct the second provider with a revised specification (and associated design decisions) courtesy of their interactions with the first provider who will ever be thought off as 'over the top.' I can only emphasise the point, that providing an indication of your budgetary range or limits, is so very important and may well save you from missing out on the benefit of working with a reputable supplier/provider.- Instead, you may be left with a provider that has made an easy sale having being given a shopping list or manifest of the required solution components, with the hard work and expertise required to define the solution, already completed and provided by the client. 2. On the subject of quotation detail, I have always provided a complete quotation breakdown so that the customer can clearly see what is included and what is not. In my business branding is as important as feature lists and component specifications, as the information detailed in the quotation should speak of the calibre, quality and functionality of the solution you have been quoted on. For a supplier/provider. this can sometimes be a two-edged sword, as it provides an easy pick-list for the next supplier/provider, who once again may simply counter-quote the solution and undercut pricing on the same components that make up the first provider's quotation. Alternatively, cheaper, often inferior elements of the solution may be substituted, in order to provide a clear price advantage, which 'sad to say' at least 50% of the population will opt for (imho); with claims of superior quality, reputation and after sales, warranty and service benefits, sacrificed by clients who value price over just about anything else. Of course, in many cases these are not the clients we are targeting with our own business, but that does not prevent a lot of time, effort and expertise being wasted; and in a lot of cases, as already described, expertise that is simply given away to a usually, lower-tier player in our market. 3 On the subject of Project vs Custom. I will not repeat the excellent points made in both the article and some of the comments above. In my own business we only manufacture custom product (Drapery). One point I will make is that reputable suppliers/providers in any market have usually been in business for a considerable time (30+ years in my case). If you produce crap, you do don't tend to survive in business over the long haul. Reputable providers/suppliers have built quality long-term relationships with the providers in their supply-chain, and often as not it is word-of-mouth recommendation that provides much of your custom. Word-of-mouth recommendations are typically the product of an 'impressed' and 'happy' customer. You will pay more, but with the reputation of the provider/supplier on the line each an every day, there is little scope for 'finger pointing' when we the supplier gets it wrong, or if a problems or issues are experienced post sale. - We have far more on the line, and as a result, do very much 'give a damn' as do our delivery partners with whom we work, to ensure that no chinks develop in our collective 'reputational armour' and that you receive the premium value you paid for.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating volume build in ANY way....there's actually little positive I can say about it except they are a more affordable option, and for some people that's the priority.....,whether or not it's in fact good value for money is a whole other discussion ;).......people have to work out where they sit within the quality to quantity spectrum for a particular project..................It's certainly a challenge here for you in that how can you accurately assess and distill/filter the "advice" offered by various parties?.......Seriously, unless a builder actually absorbs your design brief and comes back with a considered solution, any suggestion/comment such as " you could raise the ceiling" or "put in a window" or "use trusses" of whatever is neither here nor there, and are just floating ideas to consider in the mix...........but isolated "suggestions", whilst may be ideas to consider, don't effectively dealing with the overall solution/big picture to your challenge..................there are different areas of expertise in this game.....builders are builders, (and they seem to have a knack of getting called in and influencing too early in the process) they build stuff and certainly they have an idea about this and that from experience, and they can provide sound quotation/opinion on how much it will cost to do something... BUT really only properly/accurately once there is hard documentation in place (read: documented&specified, not basic concept/design sketches/verbal ideas) .......I have great respect for builders (it's a seriously hard rugged gig) and I know some fantastic ones, but builders are (in general) not "designers" unless they have come form a design background......and the conversations if held too early can be (unintentionally blurred, confusing and actually detrimental to the client and what they really need to be focusing on...........design advice from a builder can be offered with good intentions, however I have found it generally comes from more a singular benefit angle (usually motivated by business/profit) whereas (good/seasoned design) advice from a design professional comes from more complex, balanced and creative position and process in which various aspects are simultaneously managed/considered to achieve results for a client on multiple levels, ie, cost, function, aesthetic, experience etc.............the different and various professional skills all have their place, but need to be utilised in the right order relevant to the process......................yep I wish you all the luck.....these are always big investments, and big decisions, both emotionally and financially :)

Hi Pat, Engaging a builder to undertake a renovation often holds people up for months (even years!!). With this in mind, there are a number articles and tools to help you along the learning curve. (See below). The single most important thing for you to do is to pay a registered building designer (or architect) to generate your plans & specifications. Without this, you have nothing for builders to quote against and asking for trouble (expensive trouble). If you have a rough conceptual idea of what you want to achieve, you can estimate costs using this online renovation calculator. A couple of other articles that may you help are: 10 Questions to Ask Your Renovation Designer/Builder 7 Must-Ask' Questions for Your Renovation Project Manager Hope this helps. Good Luck. Richard@themakeovergroup (Melbourne)

The kitchen of the managers house attached to the 1885 Bank building was in urgent need of renovation. Amoungst other things, the psychedelic wallpaper on the ceiling (from an update in the 1970's - I assume) had to go, along with the green cupboard doors, etc. It needed to be a high-end renovation, but without the high-end price tag, so the purchase of 28 sq.m. of "Ambrosia" marble tiles from Greece on eBay for $800 was a good start. The pattern for the Ambassador Stone benchtop was matched to the tiles, along with the colour of the cupboard doors and walls, and the order was placed with Valley Kitchens in Shepparton. Interestingly, the original butlers servery was still in the kitchen, and to keep it in the existing location meant that it dictated the height of all the overhead cupboards. All of the demolition and preparation work was carried out by me (to save some dollars), and apart from some minor cuts and bruises, it all went to plan. The cracks in the walls and ceiling were repaired, and the walls and ceiling painted in preparation for the installation of the cupboards and benchtops. The old lino floor tiles and masonite underlay was then lifted, revealing that all of the staples had solidly bound themselves to the floorboards, and had to be individually removed. Plumbing and electrical preparations were next, with the location of the sink being moved from the middle of a wall, to in front of a window (which appears to be where it was originally.) The 1970's backsplash above the sink and in the fireplace consisting of white ceramic wall tiles were removed, and an adventuresome plan for acrylic backsplashes was conceived. Six weeks from the quotation date the cupboards were being installed, and the following day laying of the marble tiles was commenced by local expert Richard Watkins. In the meantime, the concept designs for the backsplash were sent to Akril for their feedback, and after some toing and froing, a final design was agreed. The day the floortiles were finished, the backsplashes arrived, and were also installed by Richard. They looked amazing!! The pattern on them was an old map of the Euroa township from the 1800's, overlayed with photos of the Bank building from the late 1800's and early 1900's, and there was 8 separate pieces in total, all cut exactly to size. They completely complemented the cupboards and benchtops, as well as the butlers sink, antique taps, original butlers box and bells, and servery. To add some modern touches a Bosch dishwasher, a 900mm Westinghouse induction cooktop, a 900mm Delongi oven, and new pendent light from Schots were installed. The overall completed look is absolutely unique, and has totally exceeded the original concept. I hope you agree from the photos on my member name under Likatibro.