SURPRISE !

The worst word to hear on a building site is “surprise”. You have done the costing, the deposit is paid, the client is happy, you are happy and at last you start digging the foundation, the project is on.

 Then, “surprise”, the soil is rubbish, not at all what the Geo technical report states and there are gigantic hidden rocks. No problem, it can be fixed with sound engineering and some steel. 

Oops, “surprise” again, the engineer finds subterranean water coming down the hill in the winter. No problem, it can be managed with an agricultural drain and good waterproofing.

From here on the project is plain sailing. Damn, another “surprise”, the area is plagued by criminals targeting building sites and building material. OK, will handle this with better locks on the site hut and a night watchman.

Yes, I have made my point, there are always surprises and a lot more than I have listed as examples, on a site. Be sure to note, these nasty unexpected surprises cost money and is not covered in your initial costing and contract, so be prepared and make sure your contractor can handle these professionally and not through a quick on site contractor “fix”. “Cheap fixes” will come back in the long term and bite you and can be very expensive to address later.

* Note - If you find the Blog interesting, it makes more sense to read the Blog entries chronologically from the start.