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The 'Root' Of The Problem?
The
root of the problem is that in the UK;
architects are trained and 'indoctrinated'
to believe that good design is purely
about the aesthetics and function of a
building ~ whereas in the 'real world'; the
primary objective of good design is
to ensure that the client; i.e. the person
paying the fees; can actually afford
to build the building that is being designed
for them! If the client cannot afford
to build it; all of the architect's pretty
drawings and clever details are a complete
waste of everybody else's time and
money; i.e. simply an expensive
architectural 'vanity trip' for which the client
will still be expected to pay!
Hard To
Believe? If you're still not feeling
convinced that the architectural profession
doesn't consider keeping within a client's
budget to be a legitimate design
consideration; how else do you explain the
myriad of architectural design awards heaped
upon the Scottish Parliament building by the
various professional bodies ~
despite the fact
that the project was a financial disaster that
went literally hundreds of millions of pounds
over-budget and only survived because of
politicians' willingness to spend other people's
money (i.e. our taxes!) to get it built!
And
Commercial Reality! Of course; 'package-kit' companies,
as commercial operations, are
understandably quick to suggest that you should consider
an alternative (smaller; i.e. cheaper) design from the brochure;
because they are in business purely to maximize and protect the company's
profits. Reducing
your building costs is
never part of
the deal!
Most
self-builders like to believe that when they employ architects,
surveyors, engineers, etc. that they are going to get the best
possible impartial advice and services from their professional
consultants. In reality; the majority of these "experts"
have spent
their careers churning out basic
"standard industry approach" design work; i.e. the
design has to look good aesthetically and the
building layout has to be functional; because
that is the limit of their professional
training and experience!
Unfortunately; that
'superficial' quality of design work can end
up literally doubling the
construction cost of any building ~
irrespective of how it is actually built
~ because it
misses out and completely ignores the most
important aspect of the whole design
process; i.e. ensuring that the
client's design brief is fulfilled with a
design that minimises the cost of
construction and maximises the 'value' for money
the house!
The "industry" spends a fortune on "propaganda"
to keep self-builders paying high building costs for
their projects. Most "experts" aid that process because they
naturally want to get fees in for work done simply and easily
rather than
complicating things by doing everything possible to design
projects solely on the basis of what is best and most
economical for their
clients; assuming that they actually know how to produce an
economical design! It is a basic fact
of life that whenever fees are linked to
the cost of the construction involved; the more expensive a project
turns out to be ~ the higher the fees payable
are! (How is that supposed to encourage
professional consultants to minimise the
client's project costs when the extra work and
effort involved to reduce those costs leads directly
to a reduction in their own fees?)
Just as the cost of building plots varies
according to the whereabouts of the proposed project; similarly
the cost of building any particular house will also vary
according to its proposed location. However, irrespective of
location and/or the method of construction proposed, the potential reduction in the cost per m2
to build the same house can easily be £150
- £300 or more per m2 OFF the usual quoted £/m2 build cost for that
region of the country; simply through getting the project designed
properly!
That may not sound very much, but it can
mean a saving of £30,000 - £60,000 or more OFF the cost
of getting any 180 m2/2,000 ft2 house built; or £75,000
- £150,000 or more OFF the
cost of building a 465
m2/5,000 ft2
"mansion" WITHOUT reducing the value
of the property!
Conversely; just think
how much the value of the property would increase if
those savings were then used to raise the quality of
the fittings and finishings!
Only a
"fool" wouldn't want to get the maximum
possible value out of the 'budget' for
their project and to avoid the disappointment
of having to chop out things from the design and/or
to lower the quality of fittings and finishings?
The 'Solution'
Written by a very experienced chartered surveyor
whose professional "expertise" has been greatly
enhanced by also being a pro-active "hands-ON"
DIY self-builder with over a dozen
successful projects of his own; this illustrated "Insider's
Guide" shows you:-
-
how simply including the planning of the physical construction
of the house and installation of the services and finishings as
an integral part of the design work, can save
any
self-builder a fortune in time and money that would
otherwise be totally wasted with absolutely NO
financial
benefit whatsoever!
Best of all; it tells you how your project
should be designed and built in order to minimise the cost;
rather than leaving you feeling helpless when faced with
an industry more interested in chopping chunks out of your
project to reduce it's cost than either
designing it properly or tackling the
obscenely expensive 'built-in' construction costs
that add absolutely nothing to the value of the finished
property!
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* IMPORTANT NOTICE:
You can download an electronic
version of the book
for £11.95 directly onto your computer.
Downloaded copies of books
can be read on 'screen' and/or you can print off
your own copies of the book to suit
yourself!
Simply click on
the blue highlighted >>>
"An Insider's Guide"
<<< link for further information and/or to purchase the book!
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Our Guiding Philosophy ~
To appreciate what our clients want and to provide an unique
response that will create great 'added value' for them.
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