EARLY CONCEPT ESTIMATES
In today’s unpredictable construction landscape, early budget clarity is vital. Before committing to detailed designs, we provide robust initial estimates based on early concepts.
This empowers you to align your design vision with your client’s budget from the outset, enabling critical adjustments and mitigating costly redesigns. Such proactive financial alignment is key to maintaining your reputation and respect with clients, preventing unexpected budget shocks.
Unlike imprecise square meter rates, we leverage industry-specific calculation tools that draw on extensive data from thousands of construction projects. This allows us to provide informed and locally market-driven pricing, providing you with confidence in the project’s financial feasibility and the ability to facilitate proactive budgetary management well before detailed plans commence.
FULL PRE-CONSTRUCTION CONSULTATION
Our full Pre-Construction Consultation Service guides your project from initial concept to obtaining your building permit, ensuring a smooth and cost-effective journey. This comprehensive service is structured into three key phases:
Stage 1: Preliminary costing phase
We kick off by collaborating closely with your design team to assess the feasibility of your vision against your budget. We'll meticulously review construction details and plans, then gather detailed quotations from our trusted network of suppliers and subcontractors. This phase also includes a thorough review of preliminary structural documentation, laying a solid foundation for your project.
Stage 2: Value engineering phase (if required)
Should your initial design exceed budget expectations, this phase ensures your project remains viable without compromising quality. We'll present a high-level cost analysis based on your design, then work collaboratively with you and your design team to identify opportunities for value management. This involves liaising with all contractors and suppliers to explore cost-saving solutions, including efficient structural alternatives. We'll then provide an updated quotation reflecting these strategic adjustments.
Stage 3: Final costing submission
In this final stage, we obtain the definitive design from your architect and consultants to prepare your comprehensive construction tender. We meticulously review all project documentation to create a formal, detailed project and costing proposal based on the final architectural and engineering plans, project specifications, and other relevant documents. You'll also receive a thorough construction schedule and all necessary construction documentation required for your Building Permit, along with a prepared building contract.
SMART VALUE REVIEW
Our distinctive Smart Value Review process is a collaborative deep-dive, beneficial after a traditional tender process, where builder’s submissions do not align with the client’s budget.
This service is designed to optimise costs and streamline the build without sacrificing the client’s vision. We meticulously examine plans and costings with you and your design team to pinpoint potential savings, uncover hidden efficiencies (e.g., through smart dimensional adjustments to minimise material waste), reduce post-contract surprises, and enhance buildability. This process helps turn initial price shock into smart adjustments, preventing drastic redesigns and ensuring every dollar works hard for your investment.
Essentially, a Smart Value Review is a stand-alone consulting service, that mimics the Value Engineering stage of the full Pre-Construction Consulting Service, but conducted after a traditional tender process, if required, to bring costs in-line with budget.
DIRECT BUILDER ENGAGEMENT
Choosing direct builder engagement – sometimes known as a sole-builder or negotiated tender – is about unlocking true partnership from day one. Instead of a traditional tender process, we establish a deep, early collaboration where New Spaces is selected for our specialist expertise and our proven ability to build a truly productive working relationship with you, the client.
When you choose New Spaces to work with exclusively, we become an integral part of your project long before ground is broken. We'll work seamlessly and intensively with your building designer, architect, engineer, interior designer, and any other consultants involved in those crucial early planning stages. This isn't just about quoting; it's about leveraging our extensive knowledge and collaborative spirit to maximise your home's potential, refine every detail, and ensure a truly exceptional end result. By being engaged and compensated as a consultant during this phase, New Spaces is fully motivated and empowered to provide our total focus, depth of knowledge, and innovative problem-solving directly into your design and planning.
This exclusive partnership fosters open communication and streamlined negotiation, leading to a final agreement where everyone is confident and excited about the design and build approach. Opting for New Spaces through direct engagement is a significantly more time-efficient way to move from concept to construction. It bypasses the lengthy, often frustrating process of comparing multiple builder quotes that rarely align – a process that can easily add six months or more to your project timeline. With us by your side from the outset, you gain clarity, efficiency, and the peace of mind that comes from a truly integrated team.
review of our desigN + build collaboration process
I have worked closely with Tim at New Spaces on a range of extension and renovation projects since 2020. In this time, I have found that the design-build package offered by New Spaces provides a streamlined process to developing plans from design and budget briefs through to initial concepts and quoting of those designs. Ultimately this results in better, more efficient outcomes for my clients.
As a designer, it can be tricky to know if the design concepts I present to clients are likely to meet their budget. Similarly, there may be more cost-effective ways to approach a particular part of the design. Early pricing is the crucial factor that allows my clients to make educated decisions about how to progress their concepts without overspending their project budget.
Tim at New Spaces happily takes the time to discuss early thinking and initial designs in detail. Tim promptly answers my questions and provides updated quotes to keep things moving. Where alternative solutions may provide better outcomes, from a budget or construction perspective, Tim is open and honest with his advice. Equally, I have found that my clients are comfortable to ask all their questions, not matter how big or small, because they know that Tim will genuinely investigate all possible options and respond.
When it comes to approvals, Tim promptly engages trusted engineers and certifiers to support a seamless approvals process, which he manages and keeps you informed every step of the way. Tim’s easy going and flexible approach to building and project management has given my past clients great confidence in his abilities and professionalism.
As a building designer, I have found the design-build process with New Spaces to be simple and productive. I have also seen that my clients enjoy their renovation project when engaged in a design-build partnership. Tim is at the top of my list when recommending builders to my clients, and I look forward to many more design-build projects with New Spaces in the future.
~ Tim, Baxter Design
avoiding price shock!
15 TIPS FOR SMART HOMEOWNERS TO HELP MANAGE YOUR BUDGET & ACHIEVE YOUR VISION