A few weeks ago, due to receiving regular messages of frustration from local mums and dads around the drop in communications between them and their preferred design industry ‘other’ I put together an IGTV to assist others who may be sharing those frustrations.

It’s no exaggeration that right now is an unprecedented boom and alongside matters such as the housing grant which has seen an enormous uplift in some sectors ; others, less effected by the surplus are still being hit by global timber shortages and supply chain issues (hello Suez Canal) that all goes into the melting pot to create a bottleneck like no other.

Have your say?

According’ to The West Australian headlines today, Wednesday 14 July, there is a 3 year wait for homes to complete as Master Builders Association (WA) technical services manager Jason Robertson states that building approvals are up 200% - whether this figure is more sensationalist than entirely accurate remains to be seen. What are your thoughts? Feel free to use the comments below.

Obviously; anyone who was lucky enough to have a signed contract before all of this hit the proverbial wall can happy dance (only a little though - because those shortages are still shortages), however, anyone making new enquiry (gads!!!) is quite possibly in for the fright of their lives.

During this LIVE, that I then converted to an IGTV (more opportunity to spread greater understanding) I received so many messages of thanks from those within the industry it was (and I am loathed to use this term)…heartwarming! This says to me, they are struggling and not in a trying to fob you off type struggling, as in really struggling to keep their heads above water, the demands for their skills almost acting like concrete boots.

The fact is as clients, as future clients and as past clients passing on their referral we ALL need to have a realistic awareness of what is going on here, because at the end of the day - no one is asking you to build NOW. Renovate NOW. Extend NOW. That is a personal choice. In fact, those already within the pipeline are actually the priority. Much as that may not sit well with all of you reading this, it remains the truth. If a desired designer, builder, architect or trade is saying “We are full, but there is a 6-12 month waitlist” - they are not lying.

I love that #perthlocals find such trust in Spreading Roomers that they will approach me for advice. It means the work I do is doing what I’d always hoped and is keeping the conversation rich, and the accessibility to good design alive. I do my level best to stay informed and share all I learn with you, but make no mistake - I am always learning. But keeping with that ethos of sharing, here is a breakdown of that IGTV just in case you missed it.

The ways you can manage your own research and communications if you are just not hearing back from any enquiry include:

GO DEEPER WHEN SEARCHING FOR YOUR IDEAL PROFESSIONAL

Yes, we are all brought up on the ‘get three quotes rule’ and it seems to be a tried and tested method particularly when hiring a trade - BUT, it still creates that ‘race to the bottom’ and is essentially another word for finding the cheapest price possible. Is this is the best idea? No, not in this market (actually not in any market). Cheaper and faster does not a skilled build make. I’d be concerned if anyone comes in drastically under the rest. The red flag so to speak.

The main issue here is that if the professional you seek is already in high demand, you must accept that it can and will mean your new enquiry is a little further down the list. This doesn’t suggest they do not care nor that they do not want your business, but some are getting full inboxes each day and try as they might with 18 hour days on site or similar, it leaves little time to balance that out.

So - my advice here is three fold (and expanding on the IGTV).

Patience. If they are the one you want please just wait. There is NO point in looking for an alternative if your heart is set on this person. Trust me, the FOMO will cause issue later down the track. Additionally, try not to get demotivated if they cannot help you immediately or get bitter if you know they are seeing others. Unless you are running their business, you have no real understanding of their priorities and shouldn’t make assumptions that yours is less valuable to them.
Reassess. Do you need to do it NOW? It is necessity or want? Can you wait? It could reap greater rewards both in timeliness and financially if you can answer yes.
Research. So you’re open to new suggestions? Wunderbar, because here is the thing. Good builders follow other good builders (ones they respect), designers follow designers and so it goes on. If you are having no luck with your ‘top three’ consider going a bit deeper and using their channels to source new opportunities.
Trades. Good trades like to work for good people. Here is a gold mine waiting to be excavated. Trades will only tag businesses that have treated them respectfully, use their repeatedly and hold to high standards, particularly when we are talking design and architecture. If they are tagging a builder, go and investigate it.

If you are an avid podcast listener and would love to learn more from Perth builder Mark Diedricks of Arklen, I can highly recommend the episode below as recently featured on *Design Banter***.

REQUESTING QUOTES

This is where transparency is your biggest ally. When you email anyone (boom or no boom) it’s always of optimum advantage to do in a concise and obvious format - a little like a press release. Not only does it make is easier to action, you have positioned your enquiry with intent. So consider:

Budget (arrrgghhhh). Yes you need to talk money but really up front and don’t hold the contingency back, they need to know what they are dealing with. In a market with supply and demand creating a new currency now is not the time to play home banker.
Scope of works. What do you want ‘exactly’ and are there any issues with site or access?
Location. Where are you?
Timeline. When you do realistically see this completing? Is it realistic and is there is any wiggle room?
Availability. When are you available for said professional to visit the space? This requires probably more flexibility than you local Perth Pilates class, but flex you must. They need to view the space before than can assist moving further.

**SR TOP TIP 1: I should also point out that when a professional visits your space some (not all and it is very much skill dependent) will charge you for that time, because essentially it is a consult. They can’t walk around in silence and say nothing. Even by them just being there, having a discussion with you, it is an exchange of time, knowledge and expertise and at this point in time, you have not officially engaged their services beyond this point. You could take the cheese and find your own crackers. See what I’m saying?

**SR TOP TIP 2 : Typically we used to getting an email back in a 24 to 48 hour timeframe. I’m not suggesting you won’t, but again, in this climate I feel expectations need to allow for up to 7 days. It’s an insane ask really and I do appreciate the frustration, however, before you move onto another, I would wait a little longer than usual so you don’t overlap or have too many balls in the air.

LOVE ME TENDER or do they?

Everyone in the industry knows they are likely being tendered, even if it’s not a legit tender process. So what is the tender process exactly? In a nutshell it’s an audit for suitability for taking a project from the design phase to the construction phase mostly by invitation. The idea is that you are figuring out what a project will cost. That’s the company line anyway. More often than not, the chosen professional / supplier is the cheapest.

But, that’s not to say in the right hands it doesn’t have a great outcome. If those running the tender are keeping quality of build in mind as well as the financial interests of their clients you can find the tender awarded with less bias.

Personally; on any large scale project or one that you are unable to self manage you would very much leave this in the hands of your architect or designer. A true tender process is complex and deeply varied in requirements particularly when building forever homes that require astute handling. Not everyone will participate in the tender process, some builders for example opting out because they know how much time and energy often goes in, but typically at this end they have existing and strong relationships with said Perth architects or Perth builders and are often the primary choice regardless. They are trusted.

If you are self managing a smaller project and doing this in more of a ‘window shopping’ format, obviously as some point you need to consider cost. That is also a given and most reputable design professionals are encouraging of you talking to many in order to refine your final choices…just don’t pit them against each other.

If they are of a similar calibre, their processes may differ in terms of how they charge and at what stage, but on the whole you are actually comparing apples for apples here. Yes, they have their particulars, their refinements and their signature style that you are drawn to, but it is totally unlikely that if they are catering for similar projects that their ‘overall’ fee’s are remarkably different.

So what should you be considering? Priorities first, budget second. Here’s why:

Your personal priorities are what make your build unique to you. Things like:

Prior projects. What attracted you in the first place?
Timeliness. When can they start or complete?
Complexity of project. Are they specialists in your particular site or need?
Resources. Their access to quality suppliers and trades.
Reputation.
Environment. Are you angling toward eco-friendly? you should seek out those who do this regularly.
Communication.

There will be many more, but these are purely a starting point. Then;

Budget. Based on your own personal preferences the budget is then less based purely on bottom line and more aligned to what’s important to you.

ACCESS TO TRADE PRICING

OK. This one is contentious for varying reasons so allow me to present it the most conclusive way possible.

When hiring an Perth interior designer for example (because it’s this sector that deals with this issue the most) the idea that you hire to get the discount is incorrect. No designer is obliged to pass on their trade discounts. The big hint here is in the word THEIR! These trades discounts are actually part of their intellectual property and are based on their relationships with said suppliers. Often each designer has their own unique agreements in play and their own structure of fees designed to capture how they pass on (or not) their discounts.

Some will pass all of them on, some will pass on certain items; others will won’t pass on any. There is no blanket rule and it is as the full sole discretion of the designer as to how they handle their trade opportunities in your project.

Again; this is a ‘fee structure’ discussion to have at the very beginning of the project when you are engaging said designer [for those who would like to hear more about this process and ‘fees’ you may like one of our latest Design Banter episodes where we discuss this very thing with Jane Ledger Interiors].

DISCOUNTS IN GENERAL

The notion that negotiation can take place is very much a thing of the past. There is just zero wiggle room for anyone to offer ‘covid discounts’ (I’ve heard that term - cringe) or other purely because many (and builders in particular) are already running at a loss particularly if they are honoring a contract from 2020.

I think any professional that can make smart decisions on your project they very much will, but they do this not just with budget in mind, they do this with their profession in mind. Their job is to orchestrate the job to the very best of their capacity and so this can be done in a variety of ways and it isn’t always aligned to mighty dollar yet doesn’t offer any less value - area’s like saving in time, being able to bring forward a job all add value to your project.