All industries have their own jargon, and the building & construction industry is no exception. For people outside of the industry, it is sometimes difficult to know exactly what certain terms mean. A lot of this jargon makes its way into contracts as well. We have taken the liberty of explaining some of these builder jargon terms to help you better understand what your builders or subbies are going on about!
This week we are explaining what variations are and how we handle them.
Variations are so common in building that it is rare for a project to have none. Yet, some builders don’t do a great job at explaining to their clients what ARE and what ARE NOT variations. This can lead to disputes over costs, which can get ugly.
Variations are extras or changes that are not included in your contract. They are very common and often come about when a client wants to upgrade or change a specification..
For example…
Diane and Peter are building a three bedroom home. They want to make a window in their master bedroom larger to let in more light. This is considered a variation.
Any variation made creates administrative, or even re-design work. In the case of Diane and Peter, their variation creates both:
For example…
Diane and Peter also decide they want to change their bathroom and kitchen fittings from silver to black.
Administrative work required from building company:
Before we proceed with a change as a result of a variation we will discuss extra costs with you and how it may affect your project schedule. Variations must also be signed off by you either on our mobile app or a variation form.