IMPROVING
12
Best
Practices
to use when building or renovating
Alleviate the risk
BY LEIGH NEWLANDS
F
ounded by construction consultant Marco
Kriek in 2015, Ground Up was born to ensure
home quality. Marco felt a responsibility
towards his clients and ensuring that the quality of
work done at their homes was up to standard.
“I found that almost every person I knew that
built a house had serious construction problems. As
a result of this they all had only negative feedback
about their building experience. When hearing
their stories, I would volunteer to help out with
advice on how to fix the issues they were facing. This
encouraged me to create the Quality Plus system
with the main goal being to try and help people
stop these problems by preventing them while at the
same time improving the industry I grew up in,” adds
Kriek.
By building right the first time, using a solid
building strategy, and being transparent, we seek to
improve the quality of work done in the residential
construction industry within South Africa.
Best practices when renovating or building
Ask for professional help
It is essential to ask for help with the process
right from the start. It becomes more expensive and
invasive when there are mistakes after completion to
be fixed.
Understand the Plans and Specifications
These documents are the basis for all work that
will be done and having an in-depth knowledge
of what they include will help prevent many
disappointments.
Prepare for all the costs
There are a lot of costs involved with the process
of building a new house that are not covered with a
bond. Make sure you know and prepare for all costs
to avoid financial stress.
Take matters into your own hands.
Don’t think because a builder has a good
reputation or built a nice house for a friend that you
are safe. Houses are hand-made products and no two
are the same. Take the necessary time and follow the
process all the way through to avoid disappointment.
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Residential Handbook 2016/17
5
Don’t believe everything you are told.
Just because a builder, estate agent or a somebody
tells you one thing, does not make it true. Take the
time to double check things that you are not familiar
or comfortable with.
Know your rights.
Make sure you have a good understanding of all
the agreements involved with the building process.
Knowing your rights as per your building agreement
will be a massive advantage should a dispute arise.
Be mindful when making payments.
Be 100% sure that you are only paying for work
that has been completed. Making upfront payment is
very dangerous and should never be done.
Get a completion date.
Make sure your agreement has a definite
completion date and that there are defined guidelines
for extensions. If at all possible, allow for penalties
should the project be unnecessarily delayed. Delays
have massive cost implications for you as a client.
Be thorough with your snag list.
Take time and make sure you are thorough when
compiling your snag list. This is important as some
items will not be covered by the guarantee if it is not
mentioned on your snag list.
Don’t rely too much on government
organisations
While government run organisations do play an
important part in the process, do not rely on them to
ensure the quality of work at your house.
No handshake agreements.
Make sure that every agreement between you
and the builder is documented and signed by both
parties.
Keep thorough records
Keep records of the entire process including
photos and records of all communication between
you and the builders. This will be very important if
issues do arise.
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RESOURCES
Groundup.co.za
www.reimag.co.za