Boeman,
I'd be interested in your opinion on what the positives (and negatives) are for using a high end builder.
Just saw this.
Positive:
Quality of finish is second to none. Every little element has the best trades on them. We can afford the best rates since you are paying us top dollar, and we have less overheads due to lower volume of work so less office staff. I know for a fact most of our trades make 20% on others. However, we expect perfection.
Customisation, both for design and during construction. Supervisors really go above and beyond, as do the trades. Our tiler, electrician, painter, cabinet maker, stone supplier etc all meet the owner to discuss and suggest based on their experience. Supervisors often raise variations after they pick up things that wont look right. They don't just build to the plan, they think about practicality and presentation and discuss with the owner.
Build times normally a little better. Not saying it gets built as quick as an APG, but because the supervisors only have a few jobs, they are onto it and they push the job through.
Last but most importantly, you are spending a lot of money and boutique builders know it. We don't directly advertise at all, just word of mouth and repeat business. Internally it is a big push by the owner to ensure we do everything we can to keep customers happy and informed. We don't sell houses every week and luxury quality has to be achieved.
Negatives:
Cost. It costs money to have your house built as per above. Things have margins, as we all know. That said, normally can get an air-con "giveaway" as $20k to seal the deal on $1.5m is nothing. But, we charge for the service we provide.
Maybe a little bit going against one of my points above, some things take time. The tiler may be on site for months. Those louvres under your roof above your walls are a 6 week turnaround etc. Jobs keep moving but some of the finer details are a longer turnaround.
Finally, boutique builders systems aren't a flawless production line like project builders. There isn't a set way for anything. Whilst everything is documented, it is normally run more similarly to blue collar than white. Most of the staff are builders, not businessmen. Not a huge issue, but I think anyone who built through someone like Dale Alcock prior gets a shock. Our paperwork is accurate but not pretty. The emphasis is on the product and quality, not the processes and paperwork. Something to take into account.
Small note, I say "we" because I work in this industry, not trying to sell anything to anyone.