October 2003
Building Sufvey
The building industry is considered to be the largest
industry there is, it’s massive. It starts from manufacturing
materials to the tradesmen applying the finishing touches on projects
as diverse as houses, farm buildings, factories, holiday resorts,
shopping complexes, multi storey office blocks to bridge building
and tunnelling. Of course it’s the domestic and residential
side of the industry that most of my readers are interested in.
My question to you is:
Are there any specific queries that you would like
answers? Questions like, how do I avoid this or how do I achieve
that? Email your question to [email protected] and I’ll
answer it in the next newsletter.
Contents: October 2003
- How to cook salmon in just a few minutes like
you’ve never tasted before.
- How to select a builder, or any tradesman for
that matter
- Some salesmen will say anything to close
a sale
- The optimist’s creed – staying
focussed on what’s important
- How house plans are drawn in 2003
- Free architectural design consultation
Hi!
How to cook salmon
This is got to be the quickest, simplest and tastiest fish
dish there is. Select a fillet the size you consider big enough
as a side dish (200-300gms) and place it skin down in a microwave
proof dish. Try and pull out as many of the fine bones you can.
Place thinly sliced or chopped fresh garlic(2 cloves) over the
flesh. Grind up or pound some fresh ginger (thumb size) almost
to a paste squeeze the juice over fish. Sprinkle ginger paste
and some ground pepper over the flesh. Pour two tablespoons of
light soy sauce and two to three tablespoons of Asian oyster
sauce over the ginger and garlic. You can also add one tablespoon
of brandy/Chinese cooking wine if you wish. Cover the dish with
plastic wrap and microwave on high for two to three minutes.
Check flesh to confirm properly cooked, if yes, serve, eat and
enjoy – yummy – so easy.
How to select a tradesman
A couple of weeks ago I got an email from a woman in Christchurch.
She had found our web site through a search engine, liked what
we had to offer but only wanted us to provide plans. She said
she would organise her own builder and other tradesmen as she
was on a limited budget and felt that the added expense of having
a Wellington building firm project manage the construction of
her house would increase costs more than she could handle.
Her question to me was: How do I go about employing tradesmen
that I can trust, rely on and give a fair price? That’s
a great question don’t you think? It’s something
we all want to know because there are so many disasters happening
out there. In my opinion, most disasters are a result of the
purchaser (that’s you and I) trying to get too much or
expect too much while trying to get the best price we can. This
scenario doesn’t just apply to having a house built; it
applies to all types of services – from mechanics to solicitors
to builders to surveyors. We all know that no two tradesmen have
the same attitude, skill level or show the same attention to
detail as each other but some how we expect the universally high
standards for the lowest price.
I know of many situations where a person wanting a new house
built has called for 6 or 7 tenders thinking that they are being
savvy by getting so many tenders so they can select the best
price.
Having a career that involves selecting tradesmen all the time
I would go about employing one this way. First, you must have
a good set of plans and specifications, don’t even think
about talking to anyone without them. With plans in hand, next
ring your local Master Builders, Painters, Plumbers etc Association.
Most reputable companies/tradesmen are members of these associations
and become members by quite a strict process of scrutineering
although it’s not bomb proof. Ask for a list of their members
that are most likely to do the work that you want done.
Ring 3 or 4 tradesmen, tell them about the kind of work you
want done and ask for 3 or 4 references from past clients but
don't ask if they want to quote yet. At this point some will
fall by the way, that’s fine. Go to my web site and navigate
to the newsletters section. Read article/newsletter 8 - How to
avoid selecting a doggy builder. This will tell you what questions
to ask the tradesmen's past clients. If you are employing a builder
or painter, ask permission to come and see the builder’s/painter’s
work. The biggest mistake most people make is they are in too
much of a hurry and don't do their due diligence (ie. spend time
checking out your tradesmen. Don't be concerned what other people
think).
I recommend you select the tradesmen you are most comfortable
with and negotiate on a one- on-one basis. Tendering only puts
the project at risk of being under-priced and therefore at risk
of the tradesmen cutting corners. I always ask my clients if
they want a really good job. Strange, they always say yes. I
then tell them, in order to get a really good job we must employ
really good tradesmen, who wouldn’t agree. I then say,
to employ really good tradesmen you must pay them really well;
they continue to agree because my comments make sense. Getting
really good tradesmen is not a matter of good luck and certainly
cannot be achieved by selecting on price, it’s a matter
of planning.
Always remember the 5 P’s – Proper Planning Prevents
Poor Performance.
Some companies will do or say anything for
a sale.
Just recently a middle-aged gent came to the office to have
a meeting with Mark (our company architectural designer). He
wanted Mark to explain why the Moss Brothers average square meter
building rate was higher than that of another building company,
which builds older style houses. During the meeting this gent
explained to Mark that this other company was chasing really
hard for him to sign up and close the sale, using the incentive – and
wait for it, “it’s important that you sign up now
as the costs are going up”. And the reason given for increased
costs was, “the government is legislating that all new
houses must use treated timber and if you get in now you’ll
save at least $4,000”. Hello!!!!!!!
As you can imagine, Mark dropped to the floor in rapturous
laugher. All jokes aside, it’s not funny as many innocent
people are being sucked in by the lure of saving dollars. I have
just a couple of comments here; do your due diligence on your
building company never be afraid or concerned that you might
look stupid by asking for help, and remember, in life you get
what you pay for.
The optimist’s creed – staying
focused on the big picture
As you journey through life brother (or sister) let one thing
be your goal, keep your eye on the doughnut and not on the hole.
How house plans are drawn in 2003
By the way we have just upgraded to some of the latest new
CAD technology generating fantastic 3D views. What this means
is, we prepare all plans on the computer. Once we have them in
there you can see exactly what it looks like before we finalise
the plans or start to build. We can even take you on a journey
around the outside of your new home, looking at it from all angles,
looking through the windows then through the front door, up the
passage, into the bedrooms, seeing how the furniture fits. Some
changes can be made while you are in the office. Sounds fantastic
and it is. Also I’ve enclosed a “where do I start
my new home project” free or discount offer, when your
wondering about where to start with your new home project. We’ll
make it easy to do and follow.
Free architectural design consultation
Remember, if you are thinking of building a new home and don’t
know where to start, when ringing the office, ask for Mark Jerling,
our in-house architectural design maestro. He will explain how
the first two hours of his time are free, i.e.: no conditions
apply. So by taking advantage of this free offer, you can pick
his brains and find out what we can do for you.
Yours sincerely
Julian Moss &
The team at Moss Brothers Housing
More and more inquires and sales are from beyond the toll free
area of our office. Because of this, for your convenience we have
a 0800 free-help phone line to our office. So if you have any questions
or queries you can contact me on 0800-66-77-27. Also our new usual
phone number has changed to 06-370-2058
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