When choosing a builder, many people are tempted to compare the square metre rate.Let us give you 2 reasons why this is a BIG mistake…

Reason #1: Think back to a time you bought something by the metre. Perhaps it was some carpet, material for a dress or curtains, or a length of rope at the hardware store. Let me ask you this question: when comparing different carpets(or materials or ropes… or whatever) did the per metre price vary much? Of course it did. Why?

It’s obvious – different types of carpet (or material or rope… or houses) are very different in quality. One carpet may be made of wool while another is synthetic. One type of material may be handmade while another may come from an automated machine. And one rope may have a breaking strain of 1 ton while another can’t hold 100kg.

An average home contains hundreds of different ‘ingredients’ including carpet, bricks, tiles, taps, sinks, paint, timber, glass etc. And all of these materials come in different qualities. On top of that, the way in which these materials are assembled into a finished house differs in quality and attention to detail.

The variances are almost infinite. So comparing one builder’s price of $1,000 per square metre to another’s price of $2,000 per square metre is exactly like trying to compare an orange with a lemon. The differences are many, not just the price.

Reason#2: Every house design is different. Some houses are square, some houses are ‘L’ shaped, and others have many different angles and shapes. While 3 different houses may all have the same internal dimension (square metres) the quantity of building materials that go into these homes will vary greatly in quantity depending on the shape.