Teddy Rodriquez's blog

Building Contractors

Melbourne and Australia are generally booming in terms of real estate, due to increased demand (rising population), and building supply not managing to keep up. So where do building contractors Melbourne come in to the picture? They facilitate the interaction between all the professionals involved.

Most building contractors in Melbourne provide services to both commercial clients and domestic clients. A building contractor can be defined as an individual or a group under contract with an individual owner, or an organization for the construction project. Falling under this term renovations, demolitions, road works and so on are also included.

The building contractor is responsible for the execution of the construction project under the terms stated in the legal contract. Under these contracts many aspects are included so as to avoid confusion (or legal ramifications) in the future. So, budget, general and special conditions, and plans, (drawn up by a certified professional, usually an architect) are all included in this document.

So what does the contractor do? He (they / she) is responsible for the supply of all materials, labour, equipment, and services necessary for the project completion. Depending on the project size, the contractor may delegate these tasks to other specialised organizations or individuals, known as subcontractors.

Subcontractors are usually used in larger projects, for instance when contractors are hired by government agencies for multi-million dollar projects. Although works such as these are large scale, the sequence of work, and responsibilities are basically identical as to those of contractors hired by non-government agencies.

To some up these are the steps usually taken when building any sort of structure (not just in Melbourne, Australia obviously). The owner or the developer creates a program of their specific needs, usually with the help of an architect. This can come before selecting a site, or after (usually in the case of private owners it comes after). The architect then works to develop plans with the help of a design team and engineers. If the contractor is not involved in the design phase (estimation of budget and schedule usually), then they will come into the picture only during the construction phase.

As stated, the contractor will then begin works, perhaps with the aid of subcontractors (again depending on the size of the project). The contractor must pay attention to quality standards, and make sure that they meet expectations (stated in the contract), as well as keep to schedule and budget.

House Extensions and Renovations

If you do not feel like moving into a bigger home because of the selling / moving process etc. consider house extensions instead. Most renovations companies can easily do house extensions as well, and most customers also do a bit of renovating in the other rooms while they are at it.

Through house extensions you can actually change the layout of your home. Moving bedrooms, kitchens or bathrooms around is achievable (although in the case of bathrooms can get expensive because of plumbing).

Although house extensions can get expensive, you are at least avoiding selling and buying property - which, if you live in Australia for instance, is going to involve capital gains tax (unless you're selling for a loss!). Also universally, such procedures incur real estate agent fees and so on.

The great thing about extending, renovating (remodelling, and whatever you would like to name it) is that you can plan out your dream home. Instead of being confined to what is currently on the market for sale, you can decide what the property will look like when you're done. This obviously appeals to many people. Also, no packing, moving, unpacking is involved.

However, you will probably experience some inconveniences while going through the remodelling project. Some sections of the house may be unusable or, just the dirt and noise could get annoying. All these aspects should be considered before you commit your time and money obviously, and it will depend on your personal preferences whether you go through with it or not.

Make sure that before you begin you consult all the appropriate professionals. Architects, engineers, builders, and so on. Each one, depending on his expertise, will advise you on the appropriate course that you should take. You may need a project coordinator as well, if you are not the one that's going to do it (which depending on your past experience, or lack-of, may be advisable).

Also important to remember, is that council (and state, and country) laws change sometimes, and also depending on your location. The professionals that you hire will guide you through this - or do it for you, depending on what you have worked out with them.

It is best to get different quotes, and interview different companies before you start. Getting testimonials is a great idea as well, and always look at completed works to judge the standard of workmanship and professionalism. This is important, since unless you are planning on selling your renovated house soon, you will spend a lot of time in it in the future. You want to make sure that you are living in a house you love, and enjoy.

Actually, on that point, I would recommend that before you begin any of the above you consider how long you are going to live in your home. There may be no point going through all these steps if you are planning on moving out relatively soon. Unless you are trying to improve your property's value that is. Also - are you planning on enlarging your family soon? If so make sure you take this into consideration as well, and plan something that is flexible.

Melbourne, Vic

My favourite city has to be Melbourne in VIC (Victoria), Australia. Although I grew up in Sydney, I chose to move here in my 20s.

I find the social aspect of life here much more interesting, and more relaxed. There's a great café culture here, and a lot of small restaurants / pubs / secret lanes to discover.

Melbourne is actually the second biggest city in Australia, and the biggest in Victoria. Not many non-aussies (Australians) know this, but neither Sydney nor Melbourne are the capital of Australia. Actually there was a great debate regarding which city should be the capital, and since no one could agree it was decided to "create" a capital. That's how Canberra was founded, and why it's located approximately between Melbourne and Sydney.

Here's what wikipedia has to say about Melbourne:

"It was founded in 1835 (47 years after the European settlement of Australia) by settlers from Van Diemen's Land. The early settlement was originally known as "Bearbrass". It was renamed "Melbourne" in 1837, in honour of William Lamb-the 2nd Viscount Melbourne. Melbourne was officially declared a city by Queen Victoria in 1847. In 1851, it became the capital city of the newly created colony of Victoria. During the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s, it was transformed into one of the world's largest and wealthiest cities. After the federation of Australia in 1901, it then served as the interim seat of government of the newly created nation of Australia until 1927.
Today, it is a centre for the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, sport and tourism. It is the birthplace of cultural institutions such as Australian film (as well as the feature film), Australian television, Australian rules football, the Australian impressionist art movement (known as the Heidelberg School) and Australian dance styles (such as New Vogue and the Melbourne Shuffle). It is also a major centre for contemporary and traditional Australian music. It is often referred to as the "cultural capital of Australia".
Melbourne is classified as a Beta World City+ by Loughborough University's GaWC Research Network, and as a City of Literature by UNESCO's Creative Cities Network. It has been ranked as one of the top three World's Most Livable Cities by the Economist Group's Intelligence Unit (since 2002), top 10 Global University Cities by RMIT's Global University Cities Index (since 2006) and top 20 Global Innovation Cities by the 2thinknow® Global Innovation Agency (since 2007). The metropolis is also home to the world's largest tram network. The main airport serving Melbourne is Melbourne Airport."

And a bit about contemporary Melbourne:

"Since 1997, Vic Melbourne has maintained significant population and employment growth. There has been substantial international investment in the city's industries and property market. Major inner-city urban renewal has occurred in areas such as Southbank, Port Melbourne, Melbourne Docklands and more recently, South Wharf. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Melbourne sustained the highest population increase and economic growth rate of any Australian capital city in the three years ended June 2004. These factors have led to population growth and further suburban expansion through the 2000s.
In 2003, Melbourne was named as a UNESCO City of Literature.
From 2006, the growth of the city extended into "green wedges" and beyond the city's Urban growth boundary. Predictions of the city's population reaching 5 million people pushed the state government to review the growth boundary in 2008 as part of its Melbourne @ Five Million strategy. Melbourne survived the financial crisis of 2007-2010 better than any other Australian city. In 2009, more new jobs were created in Melbourne than any other Australian capital - almost as many as the next two fastest growing cities, Brisbane and Perth, combined. and Melbourne's property market remained strong, resulting in historically high property prices and widespread rent increases."

Teddy Rodriquez

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