Do builders generally charge you to come out and price a job?

Kazbah

Hello,

I'm just wondering do builders generally charge you to come out and price a job?
I am considering buying a house. It's gone as far as sale agreed but the engineer's report threw up problems. I thought it was move-in condition and I don't have any friends or family who are builders. If I ring 3/4 builder and ask him to come out and look at the house and ask them to suggest a solution and quote me to correct the issues is he likely to charge for this?

Many thanks,
Kaz

ElleEm

Kazbah wrote: »

Hello,

I'm just wondering do builders generally charge you to come out and price a job?
I am considering buying a house. It's gone as far as sale agreed but the engineer's report threw up problems. I thought it was move-in condition and I don't have any friends or family who are builders. If I ring 3/4 builder and ask him to come out and look at the house and ask them to suggest a solution and quote me to correct the issues is he likely to charge for this?

Many thanks,
Kaz

My dad is a builder and never charges for quotes, so I don't think so.

mick.mcginley

some people charge for there time if its a big project and take it off the price if they get the job.

galwaytt

Some do, yes. Depends on the job.

I know a guy now who will only do a full quote - as distinct from an estimate - for a house and would charge €900 for that.

As said, if they get the job that is then deducted from the cost.

skippy15

In general everyone I know across all of construction will come out and price a job for free, and people will often get 2/3 quotes for any work done.
It's very competitive and more than just price to take into consideration, you want someone can work with.
Larger jobs which require a lot of prep and and pricing up may charge but in my experience they don't. Tell them can quote for work, ask do they charge and if do say thanks anyways. You have the power!
if you think there is a lot of work you may need a structural engineers report before the bank approve sale

plasteritup

galwaytt wrote: »

Some do, yes. Depends on the job.

I know a guy now who will only do a full quote - as distinct from an estimate - for a house and would charge €900 for that.

As said, if they get the job that is then deducted from the cost.

wouldn't think he has done to many of them quotes,thats crazy tbh.

4Sticks

plasteritup wrote: »

wouldn't think

:rolleyes:

galwaytt

plasteritup wrote: »

wouldn't think he has done to many of them quotes,thats crazy tbh.

.. ever heard the phrase "we can all be busy fools" ???

kilclon

Please don't waste 3/4 builders time to give you an estimate on a house you are considering buying. Ask your engineer to suggest a solution and bring that to a q/s.
Maybe you could get one builder out, but to get four out on the off chance that you might do work to a house that you might buy is ridiculous.

Kazbah

I am sale agreed on the house. I have an engineer's report.
The engineer says there is no solution to the problem but I hope a good builder can solve most construction issues.
Thanks, it seems I should be able to get quotes/estimates for free.
I defo can't afford €900 a quote :eek:

whupdedo

Kazbah wrote: »

I am sale agreed on the house. I have an engineer's report.the engineer says there is no solution to the problem but I hope a good builder can solve most construction issues.
Thanks, it seems I should be able to get quotes/estimates for free.
I defo can't afford €900 a quote :eek:

You probably shouldn't be buying a house if you can't afford 900 euro, if the sale goes ahead and you run into more problems than originally thought, what will happen then ?

Kazbah

Point taken, I refuse to spend €900 on a quote.

plasteritup

galwaytt wrote: »

.. ever heard the phrase "we can all be busy fools" ???

Yes I have,but it was worded a little differently, your point?

4Sticks

Well perhaps phrases like "you get what you pay for" or "pay peanuts get monkeys" help?

ryan101

Kazbah wrote: »

Hello,

I'm just wondering do builders generally charge you to come out and price a job?
I am considering buying a house. It's gone as far as sale agreed but the engineer's report threw up problems. I thought it was move-in condition and I don't have any friends or family who are builders. If I ring 3/4 builder and ask him to come out and look at the house and ask them to suggest a solution and quote me to correct the issues is he likely to charge for this?

Many thanks,
Kaz

In my experience . . .
It depends, normally on your own house, no, because there is a high chance you'll be doing the work. (And he's competing with perhaps 2-3 others quoting for the work). On a house you don't own, and therefore one you may never do the work on, to price it properly may take an hour or two of his time, so I would be inclined to give him something for his time, be upfront about this, and you'll get a much more accurate estimate and more detailed advice from him that way as well. Also the next time you call him out for work you'll have a relationship built up. If you do decide to buy the house then get a couple of other quotes to compare, and you won't have to pay for them. Also, when selecting builders to give you a quote, always ask around for personal recommendations from your friends and family, and always try to use builders/tradesmen that other people you know have successfully used in the past. Picking them out of the the yellow pages or small ads is a lottery you can do without.

wirehairmax

Kazbah wrote: »

I am sale agreed on the house. I have an engineer's report.
The engineer says there is no solution to the problem but I hope a good builder can solve most construction issues.
Thanks, it seems I should be able to get quotes/estimates for free.
I defo can't afford €900 a quote :eek:

So you want free advice? And you're not willing to accept an engineers report?
What exactly is the problem?

DOCARCH

Kazbah wrote: »

The engineer says there is no solution to the problem but I hope a good builder can solve most construction issues.

What is the problem that the engineer says there is no solution to?

BryanF

Most reputable builders have a Qs to price work. Why wouldn't the OP just go to a Qs?

Todd Toddington III

Kazbah wrote: »

I am sale agreed on the house. I have an engineer's report.
The engineer says there is no solution to the problem but I hope a good builder can solve most constrfuction issues.
Thanks, it seems I should be able to get quotes/estimates for free.
I defo can't afford €900 a quote :eek:

Engineer says there is no solution to a problem yet you still want to buy? Id walk away from this one (depending on the problem in question of course. Any hints as to what this is)

miss no stars

Jesus OP, the engineer is telling you it can't be fixed, whatever it is. That's your cue to walk run away.

Seriously, what is the problem that you're being told can't be fixed?

Also, if it's such an unusual or serious problem for an engineer to declare it to be impossible to fix, you think any reputable builder will give you a quote on it for free? They won't be able to. They'll have to go talk to an engineer, who may well just say the same thing.

If you really want to try to press ahead, contact another structural engineer and tell them that you got an engineer's report done on it, it threw up X issue. The engineer who did the report reckoned it's beyond fixing and, given that you're serious about buying the place, you want another opinion on A) can it be fixed and how much might it cost to fix, if it's possible to fix. They'll come out and do their own inspection and report back to you.

When a structural engineer says "Can't be fixed, pull it down" you options are to take his word for it or get another engineer's opinion. Not to go to a builder who'll give you a quote for free. The engineer has no vested interest in the report. A builder will have an interest in the quote - they want to do the job and get the money! A decent builder will revert to an engineer about the issue and come back with an honest response (but it'll probably cost you). I wouldn't trust a builder who gives an estimate for free on work that an engineer says can't be done.


But as clarification, I think you need to post about the general nature of the problem and the wording in the engineer's report. Did he actually say impossible to fix?

ryan101

Kazbah wrote: »

The engineer says there is no solution to the problem but I hope a good builder can solve most construction issues.

I didn't see this until now.
Cop yourself on. Run away from that house, don't walk, RUN.
There are plenty more houses out there, forget about this one.
Don't waste anyone else's time, including your own.

Rother

Do you own the property they are quoting on.
Most builders will usually quote free, but if you dont own the property there isnt really a job at the end of it if you dont buy, so they must be paid for the quote.
If the property is yours, then they wont charge for a quote.

galwaytt

plasteritup wrote: »

Yes I have,but it was worded a little differently, your point?

....my point is that we can busy all day every day, doing every single quote that crosses the desk. But, I do (when I price stuff) have to weigh up the likelihood of the job too - there's no point in my pricing stuff up to the nth degree when it may be just a 'what if' thing or if I'm being asked to price stuff up purely to pad out a tender. (e.g. someone needs 3 quotes for a job, and has a preference for one, so two of us are being put through the process simply to satisfy a check-box on a tender list that "yes, we got 3 quotes" ).

Happens all the time: some people even tell me straight up that they've no intention of buying, but 'just need a quote'.

For those lads I'll happily relieve them of €900 !!

Kazbah

DOCARCH wrote: »

What is the problem that the engineer says there is no solution to?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057214696

Kazbah

Thank you all for some good advice. I don't want to waste anyone's time. I really like the property and I'm trying to see if there is a solution and go back to the vendor and renegotiate. Some people feel the engineer was uber cautious, given that he may be liable if he doesn't warn me. The work under question is 34 years old and hasn't caused a structural problem yet. If anyone would like more info, if they think they might have more advice, please PM me re: specifics.

Thanks,
Kaz

ryan101

Kazbah wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057214696

It's an old stone terraced cottage (approx 100 yrs old). Around 1980 a second story was added. To minimise the load on the old foundations they added a timber frame extension. Frame + stud walls + mesh + plaster. The house was plastered directly onto the timber frame which has led to shrinkage and external cracks but no signs of existing structural problems. However the engineer said the lack of any ventilation is a serious cause for concern as moisture could become trapped and the frame could rot. The engineer also said there is no way to remedy or improve this.

I would be very, very grateful if anyone would have an opinion on this.
Thanks,
Kaz

So what are you expecting any reputable builder to do about this shack of botched shyte ?
And if you do buy and do persuade some cowboy builder to do some temporary botch up, how are you ever going sell it again ? If you've any cop on forget about that house. Sorry to be so blunt, but I don't even like to see strangers getting burned with a house like this.

miss no stars

Are the walls right up against the boundary?

Kazbah

The only opinion I have so far is the engineer. I just thought a builder's opinion is no harm. Maybe there is a way to ventilate the second storey or failing that a ballpark price to demolish it and rebuild correctly. Presumably the current owner will have this issue with any prospective buyer and will have to accept a much lower price.
I obviously don't want a botched house. I am trying to figure out what it would cost to rectify the problem even if it is a big scale fix.

Re boundary walls:
It is a terraced house. One side has been done the same way and there is a fireproofing issue between them which needs to be fix. The house on the other side is in it's original single storey form so there is one exposed gable wall.

miss no stars

From what you've described, and not having seen it, I think your best option is to cost for demolition (with a view to potentially retaining slab and foundations) and replacement. A builder can quote for that, but a ballpark for basic level construction is €1000 per square meter.

If it wasn't right up against the boundary line you may have had options for retaining it and providing ventilation, provided the structure when exposed is in an acceptable condition, but given that the engineer you hired - who is presumably a decent person who knows his stuff and has no vested interest in whether or not you buy it - has seen it and doesn't think a fix is possible I'd be inclined to tell you to trust his judgement. I don't think any reputable builder will want to try and do a patch job on it when they have an engineer saying it's a no go - it's their reputation on the line.

And yes, the sellers will have to take a hit on this provided that every prospective buyer does their due diligence and gets a decent engineer to do an inspection. But there's also the possibility that someone won't and the sellers might want to hold out for them. It might be worth getting a builder to cost for demo & replacement and sending that quote and the engineers report along with your downwardly revised offer to the sellers. But honestly, if you can't get it for your maximum budget minus the cost of making it right, I'd walk away.

Kazbah

Thank you very much. I appreciate your advice.

ryan101

Effectively it sounds like it's a site for sale with an existing structure that needs to be demolished.