The Resilience House Raise Funding program offers significant opportunities for builders in Brisbane.

In order to deliver the best levels of service and house raising for flood affected homeowners, it’s crucial that everyone involved in the construction process understands how to effectively submit quotes for these house raise projects. Therefore, we share a summary of recent updates from the QLD Resilient Home Raise Fund and our own insights into best quoting practices to ensure any unnecessary delays are avoided for homeowners and builders.

Creating Detailed and Comprehensive Quotes:

Our experience has taught us that the Resilience team needs detailed quotes to facilitate the review process. Submitting quotes that lack sufficient information often leads to time-consuming clarifications. Although it’s not compulsory for builder to use the quote template, it may help to guide you through the process and save valuable time.

There are now 2 excel spreadsheets on the resilience website which provide both a quote template and an example of a quote (both can be downloaded via https://www.qld.gov.au/housing/buying-owning-home/financial-help-concessions/resilient-homes-fund/builders/quoting-work)

There is also a RHF Guidelines template: https://www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/375193/rhf-contractor-quote-guidelines.pdf

QRIDA Submissions:

All final quotes need to be submitted to the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) and the Queensland Government for assessment, via the link below.

https://applyonline.qrida.qld.gov.au/auth/login

The more detail that is provided, the quicker the submission and funding process will be completed. This way, all of the costs are seen as fair and reasonable.

Builders need to provide the following in quotes

• Itemise the construction costs directly tied to the house raising process.
• Detail all preliminaries, including supervision and project management costs, regulatory fees such as Home Warranty Insurance Scheme policy, Portable Long Service (if applicable), council permits, and building approval fees.
• Always apply a mark-up percentage to the construction costs rather than a margin, and avoid charging mark-up on preliminaries.
• Make sure the proposed habitable floor level meets or exceeds the Assessed Flood Level in the Home Assessment Report.

Do’s and Don’ts for Quote Submissions:

Do:

• Specify the type of material used for each item in the project.
• Include the room, location, and storey where the resilient strategy will be applied.
• Clearly specify quantities for each resilient strategy, including dimensions.
• Individually price each strategy, which includes both labour and material costs.

Don’t:

• Do not use water/moisture resistant sheeting for walls; instead, we prefer fibre cement sheeting.
• For cabinetry, avoid using water/moisture resistant linings, medium-density fibreboard, or particle board.

The Quote Submission & Approval Process:

For house raise projects exceeding $11,000, the Resilience Homes Fund program requires a quote from a single licensed contractor.  Builders are required to coordinate and overseeing the entire project. This includes managing the hiring of all licensed subcontractors, as required, and compile everyone’s costs and requirements into one comprehensive quote. This is then submitted as one quote through the QRIDA portal along with the funding application.

Once a Certificate of Conditional Approval is obtained from the Queensland Government, the builder will be notified to proceed with the building construction along with the chosen and licensed contractors.

Warranty Information:

In accordance with legislation, a Queensland Home Warranty Scheme policy, administered by the QBCC, is compulsory for all residential construction work valued at more than $3,300 (including cost of materials, labour and GST). The licensed contractor will arrange this insurance policy on your behalf and evidence of a policy is required for payments to be made to licensed contractors.

At Raise My House, we understand the importance of detail, organisation, and transparency when preparing quotes for our Resilience projects. By working closely with builders adhering to these guidelines, we can all aim to minimize potential delays and ensure the smooth progress of house raise projects. We believe that careful attention to detail not only benefits all of our clients, but also contributes to the successful execution of the Resilient Homes Fund for our team and many builders across Brisbane.