Most custom builders begin by tendering for architectural work and that is exactly what we did back in 2008. We would spend hours and hours preparing detailed tenders – and 9 times out of 10 we wouldn’t win the tender. Why? We refused to cut corners or compromise on quality, so we were rarely the cheapest tender.
We didn’t even get to meet the clients to discuss what they wanted from their build, what their budget was, or offer up cost-effective building solutions. It was all driven by the architect. Tendering was an exhausting, faceless, race to the bottom.
That all changed in 2015 when we decided that we would make the move to being a one stop shop design + build business. We were already excellent builders but adding design capability was a game changing moment.
And, by not tendering constantly on projects that would invariably fall over on price, we had the rare luxury of time. Time we could use getting to know our clients. Time to design, cost and build our beautiful homes to an agreed budget.
What we discovered by changing to design + build was this:
By spending less time fruitlessly tendering, we had the time to really get to know our clients and understand what they were looking for from their builds. Many have become lifelong friends.
We started to spend far more time helping our clients develop their designs, make their specifications choices, and fully scope the project.
About 95% of our design + build jobs get built as opposed to about 60% of architect led projects. The main reason for this impressive ratio is that we constantly estimate our projects as the designs evolve. So, no budget blow outs.
We could do all the above for a far lower price than any architect could. Saving tens of thousands of dollars on design and administration costs is very popular with our clients!
As a one stop shop we can better manage the whole process from conceptual design to project handover. The design, engineering, BAL assessments, soil tests, energy efficiency ratings, the building surveyor, interactions with Council and the build process itself are all managed by us. The whole process for our clients became seamless and stress free.
This game-changing move has allowed us to expand our capabilities year on year. We generally have approximately 20 projects in the design/costing stage, we now run five crews at any one time, we are financially stable and, most importantly, we are loving being a successful design + build company that makes a real difference to the lives of our clients.
If you’d like to join us on our continuing design + build journey, then we’d love to have you onboard.
Happy Clients - Happy Builder
Designing and building a home can be a very stressful experience. It involves a large investment of cash, many months of planning, you may not be in your comfort zone, and emotions can run high at times. Our aim is to help you avoid the stresses of building by ensuring you are “happy clients”.
How do we do that? It’s really very easy:
We will make sure that you are informed about the overall process and how long every stage will take – design development, planning applications, construction drawings, engineering, permitting and the build cycle. This allows you to proactively plan your lives and finances.
One of our major objectives is to keep you in your budgetary comfort zone. It may be a little counter intuitive to tell a builder how much money you are comfortable spending, but we need to know so we can design to the budget and then make sure there are no cost blows outs. Not having to find an extra $50,000 at the point of contracting is a great way of keeping yourself happy.
Our design costs are pre-agreed, and our construction contracts are fixed price. We don’t charge by the hour for design work, and we don’t enter into “do and charge” or “cost plus" building contracts unless it is absolutely necessary. Such arrangements are too open-ended and all the risk transfers to the client. Uncertainty as to what you will be spending is a big happiness “no-no” as far as we are concerned
We have incredibly high standards when we build. We aim to build it once and build it right. Every single team member, and all our subcontractors, are very skilled at their jobs. Our projects are inspected four times before handover. Our aim is to have zero defects. We hate defects. Attention to detail and quality is what we, and our clients, love.
We treat you how we would like to be treated. Everyone – from the design team to the build team to yourselves – is treated like family. We may have a few minor disagreements but like all good, honest, caring families we will keep our focus on the most important thing – the healthiness of our relationship with each other. Build with us and we guarantee that you’ll get to know us all, have a few laughs along the way and enjoy the ride.
So Much Knowledge
This is Rod - our construction manager. With 45 years of experience, what Rod does not know about building is literally not worth knowing.
Rod’s role is to look after our 5 leading hands. On average, they have 27 years of building experience under their belts each.
Then we have the experienced carpenters. There are approximately ten of them. On average, they have 12 years of experience on site.
All up, you are looking at over 300 years of combined building experience! It really is quite impressive when you think about it.
Furthermore, there is very little the team haven’t built. We have completed numerous high-end, modern, custom builds but we have also tackled straw bale houses, earth homes, heritage renovations, off grid homes, conversions, and many projects on steep and tricky sites. In fact, look to your right as you drive up the Southern Outlet from Hobart to Kingston. We’ve built many of those homes on those ridiculously steep sites.
An ethical builder
Blue Gum Design + Build is owned by me - Andy Walton.
I love Tasmania. It truly is God’s own State. I also love helping make dreams become a reality for our clients. And with a great team around me, I have one of the best jobs in the best locations in the world.
In fact, I feel very fortunate to have done a mature age apprenticeship here, worked as a carpenter and, ultimately, started and developed Blue Gum Design + Build into the successful, team oriented, client pleasing business that it has become.
I am particularly proud of the way our whole team behaves towards our clients – and each other. Respect is paramount and honesty in all our dealings is an absolute given. Having done this job for nearly 20 years, I have learnt a few tricks of the trade. The tricks that disreputable builders will partake in.
I will personally guarantee that we will never act in an unethical manner towards you as our clients. No lowball estimates and then high contract prices. No shoddy building practices to save a few dollars. No inflated variations after you are contracted. No unrealistic allowances, timescales or promises.
Reputation to me is everything. I cannot stress how important being an ethical builder is to my core values.
How we build differently
We are certainly different from the crowd when it comes to how we manage our builds.
You will no doubt have seen those sites where there is a short burst of activity, then nothing for weeks, then another crew arrive and attempt to pick up where the last leaderless lot left off? That is the exact opposite of how we build.
This is how we build differently:
We believe in “continuity of care”. Your leading hand will be on site from when we break ground to the day we hand you the keys. This ensures that one person knows literally everything about the build. It also means that one person is responsible for the quality of the finished product.
We always have a formal handover from the design/quoting team to the build team. This ensures that everyone knows exactly what needs to be done from the get go.
Every job is allocated a leading hand. The leading hand is responsible for the everyday management of the project. As well as being very talented carpenters, all of our leading hands are excellent project managers.
Every leading hand has his own team – and they stay together. This builds a great team spirit. Plus, it means that if the leading hand has to take a few days off, his team can carry on as they will know exactly what to do next.
We are great believers in “process”. All builds are slightly different but they will generally follow a similar project trajectory. Our leading hands are trained to maintain their own project timelines – which keeps key tasks and deadlines firmly in everybody’s sight.
Forms may be boring, but we do love a form at Blue Gum Design + Build. Having checklists for things like electrical, windows, paint finishes, tiling and handover means that very little gets missed.
Many of our builds are complex and when the leading hand needs a second opinion they will turn to our fantastic construction manager – Rod. Rod’s nickname is MacGyver – say no more.
We are very tidy. A tidy site smacks of organisation and efficiency. Plus, it's great for WH&S.
Site meetings with our clients are carried out regularly. This means that all of your questions can be answered and we can act on anything that is raised.
Our handovers are very thorough. Firstly, the leading hand will do his own inspection. Then the construction manager. Then the building surveyor. Finally, Andy, the owner of Blue Gum Design + Build, will carry out his. Shall we just say that he is a Virgo with annoyingly high standards. Basically, our aim at handover is to have zero defects or ommissions.
We document everything. Whether it be a variation or the placement of a noggin, it will be either written down or photographed.
We work on the principle of: "If it were my home, how would I like it done?". It is drilled into us that if we take a step back and we don't like what we see, then we simply start again and get it right – no matter the expense.