Why Can't Changes Be Made After Contract/Engineering?

You've signed a contract for your home, but realise you want to make changes. But you're builder won't allow it. Why?

1 Engineering Requirements

By the time you've signed a contract, all the structural and foundation engineering will have been completed. Engineering documents and certificates are checked and matched onsite by the certifier, so changes mean all the documents have to be renewed. These can take several weeks and moving walls or the position on the block can mean the entire engineering process has to start again.

Often, orders have already been placed based on engineering documents, and making changes often results in important items being overlooked.

2 Energy Assessment

The energy assessment is a major factor in the home design. Increasing the size of windows, moving windows, moving the home and even changing cladding, can affect the assessment outcome, which may require anything from higher performing windows to additional insulation or even mechanical devices.

3 Appliances

Plans would have been sent to the cabinet maker and cabinetry and benchtops cut to fit the specifications of appliances supplied by the builder. A slight difference in opening requirements may been expensive adjustments or even a new slab of stone.

4 Trades Have Current Plans

The builder would have sent your final plans to all the trades. The trades will have issued them to their employees and ordered materials based off those plans. Making changes to plans means those changes need to be sent to every trade and subcontractor again.

There is a high chance that not everyone will get the new plans and that's when costly mistakes and delays can be made.

Cabinet markers, carpenters and plumbers are generally the most affected by changes.

With all the issues and potentials for things to go wrong, builders are usually hesitant to allow changes after engineered drawings are produced.