Just as James clicked the send button to the place the hardwood flooring and decking order I decided to compare the provisional cost indicated in our quotation with the final price received. As soon as I saw the prices, $4500 vs $5900, I knew something was amiss. We were getting an exceptionally good price and I had expected it to be way under the provisional cost than over. In fact some of the other decisions I am making are based on that I am expecting to be under, rather than over budget on the timber used.
As soon as our builder arrived I mentioned this to him. It was decided that it might be a good idea to re-measure now that the framework is up. Thank goodness we did as the original measurements, taken off the plan, were incorrect as the laundry and powder room had been included. They should not have as they will be tiled with nice penny rounds. It also became apparent that the flooring for the kitchen/living area had not been factored into the original quote as the builder had assumed there would be original flooring that was usable - not too happy about this but need to look on the bright side that it could be a whole lot worse if we weren't getting such a discount.
This certainly gave me a wake-up call. I've been coasting along assuming that the builder will get it all right. The fact of the matter is that mistakes do happen and I need to get on top of things to ensure they don't. We've decided to get up early in the morning and do a bit of measuring and checking to make sure that since the frameworks up that all the doors and windows are in the right place!
Guess it pays to be living on site!
