According to the Stats NZ, as of August 2017, over 1184 new homes were consented. Auckland also experienced a record high for subdivision drainage during 2017-2018.
With demand comes an increase of service providers and naturally the more people competing for a commercial drainage or residential drainage job the lower the prices can get due to competition.
Whilst the consumer benefits from this, there are still significant challenges and traps to look out for.
Some of these include:
- Does the company I’m awarding the project to have experience with sub-division drainage?
- Are the drainlayers council and Watercare registered?
- Does the company have extensive insurance cover?
- Does the company have their own machinery? (Hiring equipment increases your costs)
- Are you dealing with the people doing the work or are they passing on work/subcontracting jobs to other companies or tradesmen?
The answers to these questions will give you a good idea of whether you are selecting the right company for your job.
With so many building projects happening currently in Auckland, there are many people looking to take advantage of the situation and profit from it while doing substandard work. So while cheap quotes can be tempting, you have to be very careful as choosing the wrong drainlayer can cost you greatly further down the line. This especially applies with subdivisions, which require specialised drainage knowledge.
Some things to consider when getting drainage quotes:
- What do previous customers of the drainlayer say about their work?
- Do you know anyone personally who has used them before?
- How detailed is their quote and do they cover everything they can, or are parts left out? (Apples for apples?)
- What happens if extra work has to be undertaken?
- Does the drainlayer offer some kind of guarantee?
- Is the price too good to be true?
Paperwork
One very important factor to consider with subdivision drainage is the paperwork. This is often the number one cause for holdups in drainage jobs, and is where you will find you have issues when giving work to whoever is cheapest.
You drainlayer should be taking care of all the paperwork for the job, including applications to council, watercare requirements, and all information you need for Code Of Compliance. This is often where you will get delays if your drainlayer is not experienced in this process or doesn’t even do it. Make sure this is part of your quote!
We at Drainage NZ specialise in subdivision drainage in Auckland and can provide the solution you need for your building project. Speak to us today about getting a quote for a drainage system for your property and you can be sure you are getting the best in the industry working on your property.